The 1977 Topps baseball card set is considered one of the most iconic issues in the hobby’s history. While it lacked true rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Cal Ripken Jr. and Ozzie Smith, who made their MLB debuts in later seasons, the ’77 Topps set is still highly coveted by collectors due to several scarce short-print cards that have become tremendously valuable grails over the past few decades.
One of the most sought-after cards from the ’77 set is the Eddie Murray rookie card. Murray debuted in the majors in 1977 and went on to have a legendary 24-year career that saw him hit 504 home runs and drive in over 1,800 runs. His Topps rookie is so rare that PSA-graded mint condition copies in a Gem Mint 10 grade have sold for over $10,000 at auction. Even raw, ungraded Murray rookies in excellent condition can fetch thousands.
Another short-print card that routinely cracks the Top 10 most valuable from the 1977 set is N.L. Rookie Stars Pete Smith (#642). This card features a photo of Smith, Rick Anderson and Gary Matthews, who were all starters for the NL in that season’s All-Star Game. Only about 10-20 copies of this card are believed to exist in mint condition today, making it a true holy grail for ’77 Topps collectors. PSA 10 examples have sold for well over $30,000.
One of the most visually striking cards from any vintage Topps set is the 1977 Highlights Roberto Clemente (#640), featuring a colorful close-up action shot of the legendary Pirates star. Tragically, Clemente died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Only a small numbering of the Clemente Highlights card made it into packs that year, and PSA/BGS Gem Mint 10 specimens are valued north of $50,000.
Not all of the rarest and most expensive ’77 Topps cards feature future Hall of Famers or were short-printed. One of the set’s true oddball gems is the Uncut Sheet N.L. Leaders (#646-649), which shows an intact uncut portion of the sheet containing 4 subjects – Steve Garvey, Greg Luzinski, Dave Cash and Bill Madlock. An uncut sheet this large is virtually impossible to grade, but even decent examples in worn condition can fetch $20,000 due to the novelty factor of owning such a unique production error directly from the printers.
Another short-print card that is equally, if not more coveted than the Eddie Murray rookie is the Rod Carew Al Kaline Record (#642). This card commemorates Carew breaking Kaline’s American League record for consecutive batting titles with his fifth crown in 1977. Only a small batch were inserted, and mint PSA 10 specimens have sold for amounts north of $50,000. Slightly lower graded versions still pull mid five-figure sums.
While the 1977 Topps set didn’t contain any true rookie cards of future Hall of Famers, scarce short-prints and production anomalies like the ones highlighted have made it one of the most collectible issues from the entire 1970s run. Prices have steadily risen over the past 20 years for high-grade copies of the Eddie Murray, Pete Smith, Clemente Highlights, Uncut Sheet and Rod Carew/Al Kaline cards. For dedicated ’70s collectors, owning one of these true 1977 Topps diamonds continues to be a lifelong white whale.
