The 1970 Topps baseball card set was a truly remarkable year for the famous baseball card company. It marked several key anniversaries and transitions that contributed to its popularity among collectors even today.
Topps released its cards starting in the late 1950s and by 1970 was firmly established as the premier brand for baseball cards. That year marked Topps’ 15th year of producing baseball cards as the sport’s exclusive licensor. It was also the company’s 20th anniversary of being in the trading card business overall since starting with their successful Bowman and Topps gum brands in the early 1950s.
To celebrate these milestones, Topps’ 1970 set had an anniversary-themed design with gold borders and backgrounds. The bold colors and large player photographs made the cards really stand out. Topps wanted to emphasize the premium quality of its longest-running card line during this important time.
The set totaled 660 cards and included write-ups on each team highlighting their 1969 season stats and playoffs. This was the standard format Topps had established over the previous decade. What made 1970 particularly special was it captured the final year of careers for some of baseball’s greatest players up to that point.
Legendary stars like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, and Harmon Killebrew’s best and final seasons were immortalized in the 1970 Topps set. Clemente and Killebrew would both tragically pass away shortly after being featured. Knowing they were the last cards depicting those all-time greats added immense nostalgia and value for collectors even at the time of release.
Topps’ 1970 set is also notable for showcasing the early careers of talents who would go on to have huge impacts in the decade ahead. Future Hall of Famers like Johnny Bench, Carlton Fisk, and Ron Guidry first appeared as rookies. Stars of the coming years like Don Gullett and Rick Reuschel also debuted in the 1970 Topps set in their early days.
The 1970 edition was a pivotal year in terms of Topps transitioning to a new card size and design paradigm. After over a decade of using the traditional gum card cut, Topps switched that year to the smaller 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch size and thinner card stock that would become their new standard format going forward. Fans initially grumbled about the change but Topps cited cost efficiency as baseball cards became even more popular.
The shift opened the door for Topps to incorporate more graphics and stats on the compact cards. It also made complete sets and the box they came in much more reasonably priced and portable for young collectors. Within a few years, competitors like Fleer would follow Topps’ lead with the smaller size for their NHL and NBA licenses.
Beyond the new dimensions, Topps’ 1970 set started their tradition of including solo rookie cards for all first-year players without team logos. Prior years often mixed rookies onto multi-player cards. Having legends and prospects featured alone only increased their individual value as coveted collectibles. The marketing tactic paid off hugely for Topps.
One of the biggest highlights of the 1970 Topps set occurred on the very last card – #660. In a bizarre coincidence, it featured Yankees pitcher Mel Stottlemyre alongside Mets hurler Jerry Koosman. By season’s end, those two rival pitchers would square off against each other in the decisive 5th game of the 1970 World Series. Koosman outdueled Stottlemyre and the Mets clinched their first-ever championship. Finding that prophetic Matchbox card added immense thrill and intrigue for eager baseball fans and collectors.
In the ensuing decades, the 1970 Topps baseball set has grown legendary status among veterans of the hobby. Its perfect storm of milestones, transitions, Hall of Famers, and that serendipitous final card have made it tremendously popular with collectors to this day. Prices for high-grade versions of stars like Mantle, Mays, Clemente and rookie Bench remain some of the most expensive vintage cards on the market. For all it represented during a pivotal era of baseball and the card collecting industry, Topps’ 1970 edition has cemented its place as one of the most iconic sets in the long tradition of Topps baseball cards.
