The 1970 Topps baseball card set is notable for being the first and only time Topps produced large format cards for their mainstream baseball release. Up until 1970, Topps had utilized a standard size card that measured roughly 2 1⁄2 inches by 3 1⁄2 inches for decades. In 1970 they experimented with a much larger card size in an attempt to compete with the competing Fleer brand which had seen success with its larger cards the prior year.
The 1970 Topps large cards measured an imposing 3 1⁄4 inches by 4 5/8 inches, which was nearly 50% larger than the normal size Topps cards collectors had become accustomed to. While the card stock and design aesthetics stayed similar to previous Topps sets, the enlarged format allowed for bigger photographs and more detailed statistical and biographical information on the back of each card. Rather than conforming to the typical 6 cards per pack found in wax packs since 1956, the 1970 Topps large cards came bundled in 4 card plastic sleeves.
The massively enlarged cards were not an instant hit with collectors. While the bigger photos and stats were appreciated, the non-standard oversized format did not mesh well with how kids displayed and organized their collections in the postwar 1950s-1960s era. Storage space was also now at more of a premium. The higher card count per pack also hurt resale value on the secondary market. Perhaps most damaging, the larger size did little to compete with the successful new Fleer brand which had introduced color photography to baseball cards just a year prior in 1969.
Topps would go back to their regular size cardboard cards starting in 1971. Their experiment with enlarged cards lasted just one year before being deemed a failure. While the 1970 Topps set is not particularly rare on the secondary market due to the high print run, the larger cards remain one of the most unique anomalies in the history of modern baseball cards. Getting a complete set of the mammoth 3 1⁄4 x 4 5/8 inch cards in the original folded paper pack sleeves is a real prize for aficionados of oddball issues.
Though short lived, the 1970 Topps large card format trial run was not without some merits. The expanded real estate allowed for richer production values that advanced the visual storytelling capability of the cardboard collectible. Full body shots rather than bust portraits became more common. Statistics gained more prominence with expanded box scores and game logs on the back. Biographical blurbs provided more fleshed out bios. Color was also upgraded from the drab hues of the late 1960s to brighter, bolder shades that popped off the large card stock.
The oversized format was well suited to showcase the new larger action photos Topps was producing in the early 1970s in an effort to keep pace with Fleer’s photography innovations. Rather than have these dramatic action shots squeezed onto a postage stamp sized card, the 1970 large size allowed them to take full advantage of the increased visual impact big bodied shots afforded. Stars like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Johnny Bench truly came alive in these giant portraits bursting off the big beefy cardboard.
While not a rousing commercial success, the 1970 Topps baseball card large size trial proved the company was willing to take risks and push creative boundaries with their legendary cardboard collectible even after over a decade of dominance. It demonstrated Topps’ desire to keep the hobby fresh and move the industry forward through experimentation. Today, the mammoth 1970s remain an anomalous novelty that baseball card collectors relish for their unconventional departure from orthodoxy amidst Topps’ long rich history of standard issues. Their bizarro nature alone ensures the short lived large card trial run of 1970 maintains a special cult status among oddball enthusiasts half a century later.
While Topps abandoned the large card format after just one year due to lukewarm collector reception, the 1970 experiment holds an interesting place in the evolution of modern baseball cards. It showed Topps willingness to try bold new ideas even when venturing outside their safe standardized norms. The dramatic action photos really popped on the big cards and advanced ToppsStorytelling abilities. Though not a commercial success, the enormity of the 1970 large cards have given them enduring collector fascination as a one-of-a-kind oddity among the company’s legendary six decade run of baseball cardboard.
