[brian1961]

Back to the OP, I would set your sights on the very best 1975 Topps Nolan Ryan #500 in PSA NM-MT+ 8.5. More than a few of your fellow collectors love this card. For a grand you can no longer buy a graded MINT specimen. Still, if you can find a centered 8 without print defects, and choice picture and color quality, buy that.

A long side note I trust will not challenge your attention span. Stay away from the 1975 MINIs. They were once thought to be a scarce sleeper. Then a certain event put the kaibosh on that thinking. When collector-dealer Charles Conlon died over 10 years ago, and his vast collection was auctioned by REA, among the many items were dozens and dozens of 1975 Topps MINI CASES. That's right, I mean unopened cases. Charles did his best to corner the market on the Topps Minis in their year of issue, buying up as much product as he could, thus ruining any chance Topps could successfully gauge its test issue. You see, Topps tested the Minis in Conlon's home state of Michigan. Whatever Charles did not own, mega dealer Larry Fritsch did. Thereafter, Charles made no comment or crowing about what he had done, but once the hobby really took off in the 1980s, Charles quietly advertised in SCD he had an unopened wax box for sale!

Shrewd of Charles, wasn't it?

Someone selling a complete unopened box of 1975 Topps Minis? Wow. His price was $400. Of course, he never hinted he had hundreds of such wax boxes resting nicely in his hundred-plus cases.

Perhaps there were more than a few whispers of what Charles Conlon had in '75 Topps Minis, but if you were interested in them, you had to call Charles, and he'd fix ya right up!

So, when REA auctioned the boat-load of new old stock (NOS) that Charles still had, it sent a clear, crisp message to collectors vying for a place on PSA's Set Registry, or player Set Registry. In a nutshell, if you still don't get the connection, '75 Topps Minis are gonna be common as dirt!

Funny though, REA got a hunka, hunka load o' dough for those cases.

Long to short, in this case, buy a regular issue 1975 Topps Nolan Ryan, one of Nolan's best-looking cards, coming right after his fourth no-hitter.

Regardless, take your time, 'cause a lot of things are uncertain.

---- Brian Powell