Best of 1973 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 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.

[brewing]

I like this set. It's also the last set that was released in series.

Here are my picks.


This is the reason I passed on the 1975 and 1976 Bench. This card is as awesome as Chuck Norris.


Yep, it's a HoF rookie card. The photo was taken at Payne Park in Sarasota. I lived there in the early 80's and the 1973 Topps set of ChiSox players has the best photos of the park as I remember it.


Love this horizontal of Tiger All Star Freehan. Even if he tags him with his glove, he isn't out. Notice the ball in his right hand.



How often do we get photos of beanings or brushbacks on cards. This card is cool in my book.


Great card, too bad Joe Rudi isn't on it. In order it's Bill Voss, Gene Tenace, and Marty Martinez.

Honorable Mentions:
Frank Duffy
Jim Katt batting
Ty Cobb x2, the first appearance on a Topps card for the Georgia Peach

[JollyElm]

73.jpg

1973 was the year of the cool action shots. Two of the best are Frank Robinson (although he's in an airbrushed Dodgers uniform) and Juan Marichal. Both are incredible shots. Frank Robby so fluid in that long swing and the dazzle of Juan trying to blow one past the batter. Simply outstanding!!!

Two others that grab me are quite possibly from the same game (Reds vs. Giants) and feature umpires as part of the action. The Rader and Chaney cards offer a great glimpse into the relatively minor action of a real game and not the cliched action shots you usually find. The Munson has always been strange to me. With the blurred crowd in the background and no evidence of any other people around, he looks so alone, like an astronaut of a strange planet.

And the Reggie is the worst looking card in the history of the world!!!! His face is all scrunched up and you can barely tell he's human. Pure awfulness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Gr8Beldini]

Far and away my favorite (for obvious reasons).


...and least favorite. Isn't Wes Parker much more the focal point of this photograph?... and who gave him that wedgie?

[hangman62]

1973 Topps Tommie Agee card...all airbrushed up.. hiding the fact that its all NY Mets in the pic..incld Rusty Staub..who didn't even have a 73T card that yr

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by hangman62

1973 Topps Tommie Agee card...all airbrushed up.. hiding the fact that its all NY Mets in the pic..incld Rusty Staub..who didn't even have a 73T card that yr

It's funny seeing these Astros in their 'home' uniforms at Shea Stadium.

[71buc]

My selections certainly expose my bias

[SMPEP]

I call the 1973 Hank Aaron - the ace of spades (because it is the most beautifulmcard in the deck).

The only competitor in my book is the aforementioned Bench card. An all time best for any catcher card. In any other year this would be the #1 for me.

Cheers,
Patrick

[the 'stache]

The Clemente card is my favorite in the set. Last one of Roberto, and it's such a cool looking shot of him at the plate, just waiting to line a double to the opposite field, on a fly ball that no human being but Roberto Clemente could have caught!

[JTysver]

Noticing Jerry Grote in the Clemente shot made me think of something. Many of the shots in the NL for the '73 set were taken at Shea Stadium, which player is found on most cards for the set? My guess is Grote is in a few shots.

[Kurri17]

Originally Posted by JTysver

Noticing Jerry Grote in the Clemente shot made me think of something. Many of the shots in the NL for the '73 set were taken at Shea Stadium, which player is found on most cards for the set? My guess is Grote is in a few shots.

You also see a lot of the A's as the team opposite the featured player.

[danx]

The first cards I collected as a kid - the first high grade set I completed as an adult. Underrated IMHO. The Seaver is my favorite all time card. Ruth/Aaron/Mays together on the eve of Hank overtaking the top spot. Love the Clemente/Bench. Schmidt/Cey on one RC. 2nd pic are the honorable mentions, but there a so many great cards - so many great players in the prime of their careers...

[rats60]

Willie Stargell
Johnny Bench
Pat Corrales
Frank Duffy
Chris Speier