The 1972 Topps baseball card set was issued by Topps and consists of 714 total cards. Some of the key highlights and facts about the 1972 Topps set include:
The set featured 667 regular player and manager cards as well as 47 rookie cards for some of the game’s biggest stars who were just starting their careers in 1972. Several future Hall of Famers had their rookie cards in this set including a young Reggie Jackson, Bill Madlock, and Rollie Fingers.
Despite coming off a World Series victory in 1971, the Pittsburgh Pirates did not have a player featured on the very valuable and sought after #1 card in the set, which instead showed long time Giants pitcher Gaylord Perry. This was one of the few times that a non-All Star was featured on the #1 card in Topps’ flagship baseball set.
Following the #1 card of Gaylord Perry, the #2 slot featured the great Hank Aaron, who was nearing the end of his Hall of Fame career but still putting up solid power numbers for the Atlanta Braves. Aaron would finish his career with 755 home runs, passing Babe Ruth on the all-time home run list in 1974.
Fan favorite Nellie Fox was featured on card #3. Fox had just retired after a Hall of Fame career primarily with the Chicago White Sox but spent his final season with the Houston Astros in 1971. Fox was known for his durability, winning the American League Most Valuable Player award in 1959.
Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants took the #4 spot in the set. At age 41, Mays was in his final major league season but still capable of producing, batting .271 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI for the Giants in 1972. This would be Mays’ last Topps card before his retirement.
The Cincinnati Reds’ powerful lineup of the early 1970s was represented with slugger Johnny Bench on the #5 card. Bench was coming off an MVP season in 1972 where he led the National League with 40 home runs and 125 RBI while batting .293.
Future Hall of Famer Steve Carlton of the St. Louis Cardinals was featured on the #6 card in the set. Carlton was entering his prime in 1972 and would go on to win 27 games and the NL Cy Young award that season while leading the league in strikeouts.
Oakland A’s pitching ace Vida Blue, fresh off winning the AL Cy Young and MVP awards in 1971, took the #7 slot. Blue helped lead the A’s dynasty of the early 1970s and was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball during this time period.
Perennial American League batting champion Rod Carew of the Minnesota Twins was pictured on the #8 card. Carew hit an impressive .318 in 1972 while leading the league in hits for the third consecutive season.
Boston Red Sox slugger Carl Yastrzemski, the 1967 American League MVP, rounded out the premium cards in the set with the #9 spot. Yaz was still a star player for the Red Sox and hit .286 with 25 home runs in 1972.
The coveted #10 card featured another future Hall of Famer in Hank Aaron’s Atlanta Braves teammate Joe Torre. Torre was in his final season with the Braves before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals and was still a force offensively, hitting .297 in 1972.
Some additional notable rookie cards found in the 1972 Topps set included a young George Brett of the Kansas City Royals on card #651, future 300-game winner Don Sutton of the Los Angeles Dodgers on card #232, and Hall of Fame pitcher Gaylord Perry’s final rookie card appearance on card #353 after previously having rookie cards in the 1962 and 1963 Topps sets. Perry started his career with the San Francisco Giants but was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 1972.
The design elements featured on the 1972 Topps baseball cards paid homage to Topps’ prior sets with a yellow border on most cards. Player names were printed along the bottom in blue font. On the reverse, stats from the previous season were shown along with a black and white photo. Topps continued its tradition of featuring border variations on the rookie cards as well to distinguish them.
In terms of conditions and valuations today, high grade examples of the key rookies from the 1972 Topps set like Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers and Bill Madlock routinely sell for thousands of dollars. But there is also demand for star players and Hall of Famers throughout the set in top grades of Mint or Gem Mint. Even well-centered, Near Mint examples of the premium cards featuring Aaron, Mays, Bench, Carlton, Blue, Carew and Yastrzemski command pricing well into the hundreds. For collectors, the 1972 Topps baseball issue opened the door to many future all-time greats and is remembered as one of the most historically significant releases from the brand.
The 1972 Topps baseball card set showcased a who’s who of the sport at the time both in terms of established superstars and young players who were on the verge of greatness. Containing several highly valuable and desirable rookie cards alongside presentation of the eras biggest names, the ’72 Topps issue rightfully remains a highly collectible and researched set for both casual and serious collectors of the hobby. Its place in baseball card history is cemented both by the talent featured and the nostalgia it conjures for aficionados of the vintage era of the pastime.
