The 1972 Topps baseball card set is renowned among collectors for its many variations and errors that make finding and completing the full 712 card base set a challenge. While all sets have some degree of variations from year to year of production, the 1972 issue took it to another level with dozens of notable variants that cause card numbers to jump around and keep collectors on their toes.
One of the most extensive areas of variations for the ’72 Topps set lies in the action photography on the cards. With 712 individual player photos to produce, mistakes were somewhat inevitable. Some notable photographic swap-outs include #11 Luis Aparicio appearing on the back of the #107 Ron Fairly card in early printings. Later printings corrected this to the proper photos. #186 Johnny Bench had his image replaced entirely on some copies. His distinctive Reds catcher’s pose was swapped for a more bland action shot where he is not readily recognizable.
Design variations came in the form of missing or added elements as well. Occasionally the borders surrounding the photos would be missing entirely. On high numbers like #557-#559 the “air” backdrop behind the players was replaced with a dark green screen, differing from the blue used throughout the set. Speaking of numbering, several instances occurred where the numbers printed directly on the fronts of the cards did not match the numerical order they were intended for.
Among the most infamous photo flubs is the reverse negative printing of Joe Rudi’s image on card #114. Where he should be facing towards the left side of the frame, the negative is flipped, making him stare awkwardly to the right. Beyond mere photo swaps, in a few significant cases whole narrative elements were changed up. #15 Joe Morgan for example had his Cincinnati uniform swapped to that of the Houston Astros, where he had been traded from midway through the 1971 season.
In terms of statistical accuracy, a number of cards carried incorrect positions, team affiliations, or hitting/pitching stats. #112 Marty Pattin is shown as a Baltimore Oriole despite having been dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the ’72 season. #221 Don Sutton has his career wins totaled at 47, nine shy of his actual mark at that time. Notable errors in handedness (batting or throwing) also occurred sporadically throughout the set.
Variation collector’s find added complexity due to puzzles caused by parallel industry forces outside of Topps’ direct control. The rights to use active MLB players in cardboard form were granted through an exclusive license with the MLB Players Association which had to be renewed annually. In late 1971, Topps’ monopoly ended as rival company Fleer was granted permission to issue their own baseball cards in direct competition. Both manufacturers rushed to complete their ’72 offerings, leaving room for inconsistencies.
This set the stage for a fascinating layer of crossover errors. It became possible to find the image of a player like #319 Dick Allen formulated for his Fleer card inadvertently appearing on a Topps issue, or vice versa. One especially noteworthy mishap involved #642 Mike Marshall – his photo is that intended for his concurrent Fleer card while all the statistical information underneath pertains to a different pitcher! Other anomalies like missing signatures, inverted team hats, and more abounded.
As later print runs attempted to patch inaccuracies, complications also arose. Corrections then created their own set of variations between early and later printings. The range of changes across the entire 712 card checklist through different production cycles makes a truly “complete” 1972 Topps set nearly impossible without including variants. Even specialized subset issues like postal cards, minis, and international versions contained unusual abnormalities.
Price guides now recognize and list many of the major 1972 Topps variations separately. Key specimens like the #114 negative printing of Joe Rudi or Dick Allen’s accurate Houston uniform on #15 are highly valuable and draw premiums well above PSA/BGS gem mint condition examples of the “standard” issue. Lesser known variants still emerge to excite collectors as glue errors, centering shifts, color variations, and other quirks particular to certain printing pairs or plant outputs come to light. The esoteric nature of differences keeps the fun of exploration alive decades later.
The 1972 Topps baseball card release stands out as one of the most aberration-packed in the entire hobby. Whether caused by tight deadlines, crossover errors with Fleer, simple mistakes, or other factors, the abundance of photographic, statistical, and production variations challenges and delights collectors to this day. Alongside classics like 1952 Topps and 1975 SSPC, it remains an intriguing set to try and comprehensively map out all the nooks and crannies that make each piece unique.
