Best of 1974 Topps
 

List (highly encouraged to post pics) your top 5. The criteria of your selection is up to you (photo, great season, error, first card, favorite player, etc.).

We'll do each year starting from 1980 to 1952. I'll start a new year about once a week. I'll close voting a month or 2 after the first post of the thread and tally up the results.

With these basic rules...
1. You can only vote for a player's card twice during his entire run (Let's not make this a Mantle and Ryan love fest). Consider that when making your selections.

2. Provide a reason for each choice if you're the first person making that selection. You are encouraged, but it's not necessary to restate the point if someone already said it.

3. Pick only 5. We are going through 29 years, limiting to only Topps regular releases, tough decisions will be made. List honorable mentions if you desire, but they will not be counted in the final tally.

To me this is a bland set. Some nice photos could have been great if the shadows weren't so heavy. Some of my choices ended up in the honorable mention category because of the 2 card limit per player.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ps5d7a6c3e.jpg
Start with the only HoF rookie card in the set. Nothing too awesome, but he is not sharing the card with other players. I like how he isn't looking at the camera.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ps2c6dbc39.jpg
Cool photo. Bat still in his hand, batting helmet in the air, checkout those stirups, and he is watching the ball.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...psf62f968a.jpg
Great photo of the Dominican Dandy's high leg kick.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...psc90e41d2.jpg
A great horizontal of Fisk.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ps780380c0.jpg
I have always loved this card. One of the best pitchers on the planet at the time in full action.

Honorable Mention:
Hank Aaron - The uniqueness of this card, plus it being the first Aaron card I ever laid my eyes on. The hammer has a couple of cards in his career I like better though.
Steve Blass, Jon Matlack, and Bobby Grich - great action photos.
Jesus Alou - error card. How did that mistake get past the proofers?
Steve Garvey - His MVP year, but the darkness kills it for me.

Topps 1974
 

Some other 74 Topps issues

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1387734846
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1387821188

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...ron%20num1.jpg

'Nuf ced.

ETA: wrong sport, I know, but I have to give a shout out to Darnell Hillman and his mushroom cloud 'fro in the 1974-75 basketball set:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...%20Hillman.jpg

A while ago, I covered my love for the 1974 cards here:
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...light=1974%27s

And the Nolan Ryan happens to be one of the greatest cards of all time!!

Underrated Set
 

My contribution to what should have been...

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A...ets_Mays_2.jpg

Nice Keith!

While this is not a popular set with me at all as I believe Topps was one year away from their best set of the 70's, there are still some great cards in the set.

Some of my faves which have been posted in this thread or the thread Darren posted within this one:

Hank Aaron #1...cool card and great tribute.

I would include Reggie's card but I have already mentioned Reggie for two other years so that is out...dang it.

I love the Ryan and Seaver cards. Great action shots of two of the best.

Being a Cubbie fan, I think Rick Reuschel's card is his best ever as well.

Fisk was one of my all time favorite players so I will add his card to my list as well. Though, I preferred him as a White Sox rather than a BoSox. :D

Sorry again for slacking here. I'll try to get to 1973 as well this afternoon. A lot of great action shots in the 1974 set, especially the pitchers. Its hard to pick 5. Here are my top 5:

1) Dave Concepcion - I loved this shot as a kid. My buddy who found some "vintage" in the early 80s at a K-mart or something got this one. I was always trying to trade him for this card and he never bit.

2) Nolan Ryan - Great action shot of the alltime strikeout leader.

3) Jim Palmer - Very much like the Ryan card. Another great action shot.

4) Gary Mathews - Another great action shot, sliding into base. Also a horizontal card which is kinda cool.

5) Fred Kendall - There are a lot o faction shots I could include here, but I wanted to get a "Washington Natl League" variation on my list.

1974 Aaron
 

I remember the day I, as a kid, opened the pack that contained the '74 Aaron card. I had no idea in advance that his regular card would be in that special format, which I think was really well designed. At the time, cards played a greater role in connecting fans (particularly kids) to the game, and that card has always brought my mind back to the excitement of that great achievement.

As a kid the Ken Reitz blowing gum card was a sought after card with my friends. I also have a soft spot in my heart for Darold Knowles, who signed an autograph for me at a Cardinal game in 1978. I was at a Florida flea market over Christmas/New Years break, and saw a large pile of his cards. Apparently he works as a custodian at a school in the Clearwater area, and his cards are in demand there. Joe Torre getting brushed back is a great shot, Juan Marichal and the leg kick, and then Seaver and Ryan on the same card!! How can you not like that one. Over 600 wins and 9000 K's between them.

Steve Blass
 

Great article on Steve Blass featuring his '74 card.

https://baseballhall.org/discover/ca...5750a-52571801

I like this set. I bought a NM one for about $100 early last year or maybe late 2017 if I remember right. Decent price for a large quantity of HOFers.

Yes, all in all, a nice enough set. All is subjective in these types of discussions, but 1974 is rather pedestrian when compared to what would arrive the following year -yowza!

Great set. Has it all.
Great action shots. Attachment 353025Attachment 353026[ATTACH][ATTACH]Attachment 353029[/ATTACH][/ATTACH]
Terrible photos. Attachment 353030
Your win leaders. Attachment 353031
Rookie should be HOF. Attachment 353032
Last card of a legend. Attachment 353033

I like ballparks and their environs, and I'm a big Mets fan. So, my favorite 1974 Topps card is the one depicting... Gary Matthews of the San Francisco Giants. :confused:

https://live.staticflickr.com/1767/4...f8bff049_o.jpg

The photo was taken at Shea Stadium, and you can see a "Shell" gas station sign outside the ballpark in the distance, at about 1:30-2:00 in relation to Bud Harrelson's (#11) head.

Thats Wayne Garett, not Buddy. :)

How about the Washington team card to represent those variations.


.

Darren posted elsewhere the 74 Dave Kingman card, which is a GROOVY one I loved especially after he became a NY Met.

Had a freak out moment when I saw the Nat'l team card. I didn't remember having one, but alas, all is ok. It was in the binder after the red team checklists.

Sounds like a close call!! Good you found it. Although it might not be difficult to replace. :cool:

Carlos May
 

Good article about Carlos May and his 1974 baseball card. I had no idea about his hand injury.

https://baseballhall.org/discover/ca...6b7fd-52571801

Interesting back story, thanks for posting Dan

Very little response the first time around. There has to be some opinions during this 2020 quarantine edition.

The Garvey is like a work of art - would love to have a 30" x 42" canvas of that on my wall. I am a lifelong Reds fan - grew up with the Big Red Machine - but always respected (and loved) the Dodger Teams of the 70s. Set has the perfect Reggie swing, the expression of Vida, and the pure nostalgic beauty of the Ryan (debated vs Ryan 1971 but went with this one) - the Ryan/Seaver #207 Strike-Out Leaders is a cool card, too...

Mike Schmidt
Catfish Hunter
Ralph Garr
Dick Green
Gary Mathews

I've been scanning a bunch of cards to post on ebay lately and I've been taking a look at the backs more.

I like the signature on the back of the 1974's. Is that the only year that was done?