Some additional details on the breakdown and contents of the 1971 Topps baseball card set:

The set features cards numbered from 1 to 660, with each card devoted to an individual MLB player or manager. No duplicate or subset cards were included.

In addition to active players, the set includes “manager” cards featuring the head coaches of all 24 MLB teams that season. This brings the total number of individual subjects featured to over 680 when accounting for players and managers.

Rosters include all players who appeared in a MLB game at any point during the 1971 regular season or postseason. Minor league players or prospects who had not yet debuted are not featured.

Photography for the cards came from recent action shots provided by MLB teams and Topps photographers. Topps’ patented design during this era placed the photo on a colored graphic background with stats on the reverse.

Some of the notable rookie cards included in the set are Carlton Fisk, Reggie Jackson, Dave Cash, Ron Cey, and Tommy John. Future Hall of Famers like Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron, and Gaylord Perry also had cards in the set from 1971.

The American and National Leagues were each represented equally with cards for teams like the Baltimore Orioles, Oakland A’s, Pittsburgh Pirates, and San Francisco Giants among the league leaders in the number of players included.

The final cards in the numerical sequence, cards 658-660, were the required blank backs Topps inserted in sets of this era. These have photos on the fronts but statistical placeholders on the backs until the official season stats were compiled.

Aside from the main 660-card series, Topps also issued add-on sets like Traded and high-number issues to account for in-season player transactions and call-ups that occurred after the initial series was finalized and sent to printers.

As the dominant card manufacturer of this time, Topps secured exclusive contracts with MLB, MLBPA, and individual teams to photograph, market and distribute official league-licensed cardboard for the cherished pastime of baseball card collecting. The inclusion of every significant MLB player and coach of 1971 into the core 660-card set demonstrated the comprehensive nature of Topps’ annual documentation of each baseball season through this unified collective roster of stars, prospects and nostalgia. While industry competitors like Fleer would later challenge Topps’ monopoly, the company solidified its position as the preeminent chronicler of the national pastime with accurate, expansive releases like the 1971 set.

To this day, the 1971 Topps baseball card set remains a beloved product among vintage collectors. Key rookie cards, iconic images of the era’s biggest names and the complete team-by-team representation continue to make it a worthwhile investment grade addition to any baseball memorabilia or collectibles portfolio. When considering all the important details that encompassed Topps’ mission to depict 1971 MLB in full that year, 660 cards and subjects was the exact number needed to satisfy collectors’ demand for a true “complete” set chronicling that specific baseball season between the white lines and beyond to the cards themselves.

The 1972 Topps set included cards for all 26 Major League Baseball teams that were active during the 1971 season. Each team’s section contained cards numbering from 1 to 23, showing individual players along with team cards and manager cards. Some of the notable rookies featured in the set included Bob Horner, Greg Luzinski, Dave Cash, Carlton Fisk, and Larry Hisle. In addition to cards of current major leaguers, the set also included “traded” cards to indicate players who had been traded to new teams since the previous season.

The standard issue cards in the 1972 Topps baseball set were issued in wax paper packs, with each pack containing 11 cards. Of the 660 total cards, 648 featured individual players while the remaining 12 cards spotlighted managers, league leaders, and World Series highlights. The card design featured a blue strip along the bottom portion of each card with the team logo and player name printed on it. On the front of each card was a large color photo of the featured player in action, while statistics and career highlights were printed on the back.

Some notable subsets and special cards included in the massive 660 card checklist were honorary veteran cards for retired players, an All-Star team subset, World Series cards highlighting the 1971 match-up between the Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Orioles, and special cards acknowledging the careers of recently-retired legends like Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle. The 1972 set was also among the earliest to feature the relatively new design element of having a different colored border to distinguish rookie cards from established veterans.

Beyond just documenting stats and photos from the prior season, Topps sets from this era provided a detailed historical record of the evolution of Major League Baseball’s franchises, uniforms, and stadiums over time. For example, the 1972 set included cards showing the newer uniforms and logos for franchises like the Texas Rangers (who had moved from Washington D.C. after the 1971 season), as well as commemorating the final season for venues like Tiger Stadium in Detroit before they were replaced.

Upon its release in April of 1972, the massive 660 card set sold briskly as it allowed young collectors to accumulate photos and information on their favorite teams and players during the peak years of baseball card popularity in the post-World War II era. Even today, complete sets in excellent conditioned can fetch thousands of dollars on the collector’s market given the set’s massive size and its role in documenting a transitionary period for the league in the early 1970s. For historians and lifelong baseball fans, the 1972 Topps set remains one of the most iconic and coveted releases that captured a season in the long history of America’s pastime. It marked another example of Topps’ model of producing comprehensive, high-quality sets that still hold value and memories decades after first being assembled by children and teenagers with a few quarters to spend at the local convenience store.

The sprawling 660 card flagship set issued by Topps in 1972 to document the 1971 MLB season remains one of the largest and most historically significant baseball card releases of all-time. Through its exhaustive checklist that included every major league team and player, special cards highlighting notable achievements and retirements, and its capturing of the evolution of franchises and stadiums, the 1972 Topps set provides an incredible snapshot of America’s favorite sport during a distinct period amid the rapid growth and changing eras of Major League Baseball in the latter 20th century.

The 1957 Topps baseball card set was issued by the Topps Chewing Gum Company during the summer of 1957. It was the sixth complete set produced by Topps since they began printing baseball cards in 1951. At the time, it was the largest and most comprehensive set yet issued. Each card in the 1957 Topps set featured a color photo of a baseball player on the front and stats/career highlights on the back.

The massive 552 card checklist included every player on a Major League roster in 1957, as well as managers, coaches and even some umpires. Topps aimed to have as full of a representation of the sport as possible that season. Some notable rookies who debuted in 1957 and had their first baseball cards in this set included Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente and Willie McCovey. Veteran stars like Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays and Ted Williams also had cards in the set of course.

In addition to team cards for all 16 MLB clubs at the time, Topps also included special subset cards paying tribute to the 1956 All-Star teams, league leaders, and rookie all-star selections. There was even a rare bonus card offered which featured a color team logo instead of a player photo. Distribution of the cards was mainly in wax wrappers but you could also find them loose in packs sold by retailers.

The card design featured a light blue border around each photo with team names and logos prominently displayed. Statistics flipped on the back provided a snapshot of each player’s career achievements up to that point. The checklist ran sequentially from 1 through the full 552 count. The 1957 Topps set helped grow the popularity of baseball card collecting significantly during a exciting era for the sport.

While production methods and materials have changed vastly since then, the 1957 Topps issue remains one of the most historically significant in the hobby. It truly encompassed baseball in that single season perhaps better than any other release before or after. Original mint condition examples from the set today can sell for thousands of dollars. The massive undertaking it took to assemble full roster representation showed Topps’ commitment to their new baseball card product line and helped solidify it as an annual tradition.

The 1957 Topps baseball card set holds the distinction of being the largest and most complete checklist from the early formative years of the modern era of baseball cards. With its mammoth roster of 552 different cards covering everyone in the majors that season and more, it set the standard for what a true “complete” or “comprehensive” set should encompass. Six and a half decades later, it remains one of the most iconic and desirable vintage issues for collectors and historians of the hobby.

The set had a standard issue of 6 cards per pack with 22 packs per wax box. The cardboard backs featured baseball stats and career highlights for each player. The iconic Topps design was familiar with yellow borders and team logo at the top. This was the first Topps set to have foil stamped logos instead of the previous printed logos.

In addition to the 572 base cards, there were several inserts and subsets included. One of the most popular subsets was the “Traded” series which highlighted 36 players that were traded during or after the 1983 season. These cards had a unique blue colored trademark logo on the front and noted the player’s former and current teams.

Another notable subset was the “League Leaders” cards. These 11 cards highlighted the stat champions from the 1983 American and National Leagues in various categories like batting average, home runs, RBI’s, wins, saves and more. There were also 9 career milestone cards that recognized players who reached major career statistical milestones in 1983.

For the first time, Topps included “Turn Back The Clock” flashback cards reimagining what players would have looked like in the early days of their careers. There were 18 cards in this fun subset trying to envision what a young Nolan Ryan, Pete Rose or Carl Yastrzemski would have looked like in the late 1960s for example.

In terms of teams, the set featured cards for all 26 Major League teams as well as separate Puerto Rico and USA Winter League position player and pitcher cards. There was also an Olympic preliminary squad card that highlighted future major leaguers who tried out for the 1984 USA Olympic baseball team.

Rookie cards for future stars like Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, Ozzie Smith and Don Mattingly were included in the set among the various rookie and prospects scattered throughout. In total, there were 51 cards dedicated to first year players trying to make their mark in the big leagues.

The 1984 Topps set is regarded as one of the iconic issues from the classic design era of the 1970s and 80s. While production and print run estimates for this particular set are unavailable, it remains a popular and affordable vintage release for collectors today thanks to the renowned rookies, stars and attractive visuals of the cards. The detailed statistical and career highlights information featured on the backs also add appreciable collector value and nostalgia. The 792 total cards of the 1984 Topps baseball card set provide an engaging historical documentation and snapshot of the baseball landscape of the early 1980s.