The 1970s was a transformative decade for collecting baseball cards. Following a lull in the late 1950s-1960s, the hobby experienced a renaissance fueled by heightened interest from both casual fans and serious collectors. During this period, several iconic sets were released by the two dominant manufacturers, Topps and Fleer. Within these classic 1970s issues lurk some of the most coveted, valuable, and rarely seen cards in the entire hobby.
One of the standouts from the 1970s is certainly the 1973 Topps Reggie Jackson card. Dubbed “Mr. October” for his legendary postseason heroics, Reggie Jackson was already one of baseball’s biggest stars in 1973. A perfect storm of factors has made his ’73 Topps card exponentially rare. Only a small printing was made to begin with with tough quality control. The card shows Jackson throwing in an action pose, which reportedly caused printers issues at the time. As one of the first true “short prints” in the modern era, demand immediately skyrocketed. Coupled with Jackson’s legendary status, less than 100 PSA/BGS graded copies are known to exist today. In pristine condition, examples have sold for over $100,000, making it one of the most valuable non-rookie cards of all time.
Another cornerstone rarity from the decade is the 1975 Topps Rod Carew card. Carew was a seven-time batting champion throughout the 1970s and poised to win his sixth consecutive title in 1975. The card features Carew in a hitting stance but for reasons lost to time, it was hurriedly pulled early in the print run. Even fewer are believed to exist than the ’73 Jackson, with the population estimated in the low double digits. Like Jackson’s issue, the ’75 Carew is so rare it took decades for higher-grade specimens to surface. One mint 9 copy sold for a staggering $86,000 in 2016. It’s clear this Carew will stand as one of the finest trophies for any serious 1970s collector.
While stars like Jackson and Carew garner much of the acclaim, dual-sport sensation Deion Sanders also has an incredibly rare 1970s card. As a speedy outfielder and shutdown cornerback, “Prime Time” was enjoying breakthrough seasons on the gridiron and diamond for Florida State in 1989. Topps captured Sanders’ rising football stardom with an action shot featuring his baseball and football uniforms on the 1989 issue. For reasons unknown, the card was erroneously labeled with his baseball stats from 1988 instead of the current year. This elusive error card has captured the attention of both sports collectors. In high grades, it can eclipse $10,000, reflecting Deion’s unique crossover appeal and the charm of a genuine mistake in the archive.
Few sets from the 1970s exude the same mystique as the 1975 Fleer Baseball Greats. Featuring a completely original photo and design concept well ahead of its time, the set only featured 18 players across three parallel issues. Red and blue parallels contained one card each while the ‘orange’ parallel carried 15 players, with each parallel sporting distinct borders and numbering. Two particular cards, one each from the red and blue parallels, are considered virtually impossible to locate in circulation. Neither Eddie Murray nor Ted Simmons cards from these short printed parallels are believed to have even a handful of specimens in existence. For collectors it’s the ultimate chase, with finding either in top-grade condition worthy of displays in halls of fame.
While the above examples focus on individual superstar cards, there are also several iconic 1970s sets with outlier short prints and bizarre variations that make them collectors’ holy grails. The 1973 Topps set is widely renowned for massive printing errors across its entire 660 card checklist. Fronts were often mismatched with wrong backs, upending the traditional statistical information. Short prints like a corrected ‘Tom Seaver’ card or the elusive ‘Larry Dierker Error’ can sell for thousands in high grade.
The 1970s also gave rise to one of the first ever league specific sets – 1975 Topps American League. Only featuring players from the junior circuit, one of the scarcest rarities is an aberrant ‘Hank Aaron’ card misprinted without a team logo. Aaron had switched from the NL’s Braves to the AL’s Brewers in 1975 but his card erroneously lacks team affiliation. Perhaps only a handful exist today in pristine condition.
As the decade drew to a close, the 1979 Topps set is notorious for its severe short prints, believed caused by issues with the printing plates. Cards like Carlton Fisk, Bruce Sutter and others had such small print runs that higher grades took decades to surface. Now prizes for aficionados, they can reach the $5,000 range when found in gem mint condition.
The 1970s opened collectors’ eyes to the first supersstars, short prints, and anomalies that make certain vintage cards truly rare. For today’s investors and enthusiasts, finding high quality specimens from this transformative period is a never-ending quest. While pricy, these pieces of cardboard history also hold cultural resonance as pieces of America’s pastime in the disco decade. As the origins of the modern collecting dynamic, 1970s issues rightfully deserve recognition as incubators of the collecting juggernaut we know today.
