Best of 1977 Topps

[brewing]

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 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.

[brewing]

In my opinion this is a blah set. From design to photography, although I think it is a slight notch above the 1976 set.

There is one card that is awesome though....


Being a kid from the Detroit area, nothing was cooler than the "Bird". This card has the All Star label and the rookie trophy, it exudes awesomeness.



Brett's first of many All Star cards. I like the occasional posed photo, especially when it's a HoFer at the start of his career.



The other 3B of the majors. Sadly, it took him awhile before he started getting his All Star label on his cards. Schmidt had a history of bad photos on his cards, this one makes the cut. Cool Spirit of 76 patch on his sleeve too.



It seems catchers have cool photos all the time. Looks like he wasn't thinking of blocking the plate, focusing on catch then tag.



This was a coveted rookie card when I started collecting.

Honorable mention:
Murphy rookie card - Super hot card in 1982-83
Dawson rookie card - My dislike of the shared rookie cards keeps this and Murphy's out of my top 5.
LeFlore and Staub - The Tigers were a bad team during this era, pretty cool to have 3 All Star labeled cards. These were popular in my neighborhood.

[CW]

To each their own, but I think this set has some of the best photography from Topps in the 70s. I am biased, though, as it was the first set I ever collected, and the 77 Topps Fidrych is near and dear to my heart for a few reasons (so, at least you got that right, Brent! ).

The Kingman and Seaver cards are not mine....

Portrait shots typically don't do much for me, but the Munson card in this set is classic, and it captures a great closeup of Thurman.

I like the Yount card for the colors, especially the socks, and how he's lining up for the bunt.

The Seaver is just a classic pitching pose, a moment in time, and the Kingman card is cool because it looks like he just cranked one out of the park.

Great set!

[savedfrommyspokes]

77s
1. The Bird....likely most people's favorite card from 77...it is mine too

2. 77 Champs...I still like the Yankees first team picture(76) at the newly refurbed YS

3. Rod Carew...Love the iconic pose at 1B...also his first card as a 1B man

4. Jose Cardenal...since I was a 5 yr old kid, I loved the hair on this card (and later on hated the tough centering on this card)

5. Randy Jones.... classic card, I guess a reigning CY award winner can warm up w/o his hat on(and show off his 70s hair)....another classic 70's hair card that reminds of Oscar Gamble's 76 Traded

[brob28]

This was the first set I really remember collecting, I began in '75 but this is the first year I really remember buying and opening cards so it a sentimental favorite of mine.

1) The Fidrych card is symbolic of the set & season. I moved to a Detroit suburb in '76 and this guy was everywhere.

2) Classic card of Fisk great action shot.

3) Have always liked this showing Pete Rose on the basepaths.

4) Just have always like this one of Brock. As a kid I loved the pin-stripes on his batting helmet.

5) As a kid I loved these turn back the clock cards, this one was my favorite.

[ALR-bishop]

[Samsdaddy]

I am a fan of this set as it was the third year I collected baseball cards as a kid and had several hundred which my mom threw out when we moved from Illinois in 1978.

Though I cannot post any cards my favorites include some already posted such as George Brett, Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, Carlton Fisk, as well as Greg Luzinski and Steve Garvey.

[JollyElm]

CW, you da man!!! That Dave Kingman is perhaps my favorite card of all time!! He was such a pull hitter that I think the only question the card poses is whether or not his shot is curving around the foul pole at Shea.

[CW]

Too funny, Darren... I agree, it does look like he's judging whether it's fair or foul, and even considered describing it as such. Classic!

I just looked up Dave Kingman's stats out of curiosity, and it's crazy to see that he played for 4 different teams in 1977... Mets, Padres, Angels, and Yankees!


BTW, very cool oddball stuff, Al. That all-star puzzle is killer!

[PM770]

I have always really liked that 1977 Topps set. Here are my 5:

1) Mark Fidrych - Looks like this one is universal. Probably my all-time favorite card (see my avatar!). I think it maybe the only card from this era of Topps that has both the All Star Designation and the All-Rookie trophy.

2) George Brett - Always liked George Brett as a kid as this is a great card.

3) World Series (#412) - Like brob28 and the Pete Rose running hard, I like the two shots of Johnny Bench - blocking the plate and coming around third and being congratulated for his HR.

4) Rusty Staub - Good action shot and the All-Star designation.

5) Randy Jones - Another cool All-Star designation card.

I probably would have used the Johnny Bench but I have other Benchs I want to use (hopefully that WS card doesn't count against me).

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by CW

Too funny, Darren... I agree, it does look like he's judging whether it's fair or foul, and even considered describing it as such. Classic!

I just looked up Dave Kingman's stats out of curiosity, and it's crazy to see that he played for 4 different teams in 1977... Mets, Padres, Angels, and Yankees!

He was the only player in history to play for a team in each of the 4 separate divisions in the same season.

[nolemmings]

Again, not one of my favorite sets, but I like it more than '78. The Schmidt card is easily his best IMO, and would make my list if it wasn't already picked. Here are 5 of my favorites from that year:

1. Jim Rice--I think it's his best card



2. J.R. Richard-- I can still see this hulk of a man throwing BB's



3. Ray Fosse--unusual pose and paying homage to one of the most hideous uniforms ever



4. George Foster-- classic slugger's pose from the Big Red Machine; one of the few where the All- Star stripe doesn't look obtrusive



5. Freddie Patek-- spark plug on a good run of Royals teams--I like the color on this one.

[con40]

How cool would this one be?

[ALR-bishop]

Very cool Keith

Todd---those are great Probsteins

[Exhibitman]

First Yankee pennant in my lifetime and as an 11 year old at the time, oh so important:

[nolemmings]

Nice job Keith--looks like Hank is running for his life, like something behind him is about to explode!

Thanks Al, but of course the scans are not of my cards-- I figured Probstein wouldn't mind if I borrowed them (I promise not to bid).

Adam--a glorious shot off of Mark Littell, one to be forever savored.

[brewing]

After 8 votes

Fidrych 5
Brett 3
Fisk 3
Kingman 2

Last call for votes

[brewing]

No surprise with this one.

[mattsedate]

Originally Posted by con40

How cool would this one be?

Too cool.

[brewing]

Not much feedback the first time around. Maybe 2020 quarantine edition will bring more comments.

[rats60]

Fisk
Brett
Yount
Palmer
Templeton

[danx]

Fidrych
Seaver
Brett
Foster
Kingman

[Phil68]

Fidrych, Munson, Lynn, J.R. Richard, Garvey

Each of these cards are beautiful if you can find them "right"

[David W]

In order from 1 to 9 (I know, only 5, so just count the first 5)

1 - #640 Fisk - Exciting play at the plate
2 - #260 J.R. Richard - Power pitching personified
3 - #10 - Reggie Jackson - The dominant baseball personality of the 70's
4 -#655 - Tony Perez - Love him and Lee May's (#380) cards staring down that bat
5 - #495 - Al Hrabosky - My 2nd favorite Cardinal as a kid
6 - #188 - Bobby Tolan - We all practiced that batting stance as kids
7 - #450 - Pete Rose - Concentrating on the batter
8 - #534 - Paul Splittorf - Mouth open, giving everything he has
9 - #345 - Reggie Smith - Great switch hitting swing - Why did the Cards trade him for Joe Ferguson????

[mrmopar]

I think this is my favorite set from an all around design, action photos, and the specials (AS badges, trophies). A lot of great, memorable cards for me. Maybe the hardest set to just pick 5.

My favorite Garvey card, so he would be top 5.

Fidrych *
C. Morton
Luzinski
Bench
Carew
Travers
Garr
Seaver *
Templeton
Cuellar
Munson
Tanana
LeFlore
M. Marshall
Frisella
J. Thompson
J. Hughes
R. Smith
Garvey *
Staub *
TBC Subset
Matlack
Rose
Simmons
Kingman
Cabell
Palmer
Yount
Fisk *
Spenser

I have always said that Tanana was my favorite shot from the set, but that Fisk is pretty awesome. Both would have been all-time greats with AS banners. In fact, had Topps used a shot similiar to ny of the pitchers above on the Fidrych card, it might have been better than the 76 Bench! Action, set design, color scheme, trophy and AS banner. Unprecedented! It had everything but the action shot for me.

[Chicosbailbonds]

This is a set that Topps Heritage will make look good. I liked the overall design, but the photography sucked, and the expansion teams had many bad airbrush cards also.

Fidrych was the best-looking card in the set IMO.

[Econteachert205]

I love the 1977 topps set. The Brett card is my favorite. The all star banners that year are really cool.