Is there anybody who doesn't like '71 BB?

[mintacular]

Seems like this set is the best of the 70s, and I've never heard of anyone not liking it...do you argree? Are there any downsides to this set? The only thing I can think of is that many of these cards can be easily recolored so it's frustrating having to buy these raw. Are there really any other 70s set that can compete with it? Seems to be a consensus best set of that decade with '75s a close 2nd...

[7nohitter]

I like '71 but the '72 set is my favorite of that decade, followed by '74.

[ALR-bishop]

I am with 7nohitter. I like my 71 set but prefer the 1972 set personally. There are some interesting variations, or per Steve B varieties, in both sets

[Gr8Beldini]

1971 is my favorite by a large margin. I wonder if everybody's love for '75 is solely because of the rookie selection. Strickly from a design standpoint, I'd take 1972 as my #2 and 1973 as my #3. Everybody hates 1976 because of the poor rookie selection but I always thought they were well designed cards.

[novakjr]

Originally Posted by Gr8Beldini

1971 is my favorite by a large margin. I wonder if everybody's love for '75 is solely because of the rookie selection. Strickly from a design standpoint, I'd take 1972 as my #2 and 1973 as my #3. Everybody hates 1976 because of the poor rookie selection but I always thought they were well designed cards.

To an extent, I can agree that the love for '75 is the rookie selection. BUT with there not being a set border color, they are very appealing as well. Also, the fact that you have the option of the mini set instead of simply a standard size set also adds to it's appeal.. Personally, '74 was my favorite set from the decade to put together. The lack of short prints is the main thing that appeals to me, but also the Washington variations and the traded set add to it's charm. Based solely on the base set (without variations and such), I'd have to go with either '75 or '78 as my favorite.. Again, I'm a guy that doesn't care much for paying a premium on short print high numbered commons..

[mjmj1966]

Although I like the 71 set, 72 would have to be my favorite because of design. Then 71, 73, 75.

[39special]

The '71 set is my favorite set from the '70's.The N.Ryan and Munson are my favorite cards from that set.

[4815162342]

1971 Topps? Nah, I'll take 1985 Donruss for my annoying condition sensitive black borders fix!

[Beatles Guy]

Not really a '71 fan. I really like '73,'75, and '79.

[theseeker]

of the 1971 set. It's my favorite design of all time. Not big into RC's, so that's never a determining factor for me. The 1972 set finishes a distant second for the decade in my book. It's phsychodelic design really embodies the era. It's a sharp contrast to the classic feel of the 1971 set. Although many collectors find it dull,l I also like the 1970 set.

It was a decade of changing times. The 1971 was the first set with action shots, making the 1970 set the last not to have them. The sets grow to record numbers in the early '70's. 1973 was the last year of series issues, making the overproduced 1974 set a first. 1976 marked a change, with its increased photo quality and clean design. It is an underappreciated era in the collector world. The 1971 set will always stand out for its timeless elegance.

[ALR-bishop]

Good post John. I am an old guy so the 50s and 60s are my kind of cards, but I very much understand your view of the 70s (which is when I entered the work force) and it's changing cards

[Scott T]

My favorite set from the 1970 is the 1973 issue.



Here are my highly unofficial rankings:

1. 1973
2. 1977
3. 1974
4. 1970
5. 1972
6. 1971
7. 1975
8. 1976
9. 1978
10. 1979

[Collectorsince62]

I was 16 in 1971 and all my card collecting friends had already stopped buying baseball cards. I decided it was time for me to stop as well. So the boxes went into a closet and I turned my attention to other interests . . . until about August. I bought a few '71 packs just to see what they looked like, and the black borders and especially the action shots lured me back, and I've stayed with it ever since. My little hiatus actually turned out for the best. Since I missed most of the low numbered cards, I bought the complete set (probably from Larry Fritsch) and kept it pristine in the original box for years. The only upgrading I ever had to do was for better centering. If the '71 set had looked like the awful '73 design, I probably wouldn't have resumed collecting. And the 70's were a great time to be a collector. No price guides, great finds from newspaper ads and yard sales. And all because the 1971 Topps set was so unique.

[JasonL]

there's enough to like about the 71s but overall, I have to say that I dislike the set because I find the border blemishes way too distracting to the eye. A PSA 9 set would be nice to look at, but otherwise, the general examples out there are just too irritating.

[Rickyy]

I love the 71 set..its a beautiful card set..but ofcourse it is maddening if you want to collect them in near mint like condition..you just have to accept the lower grades..and just enjoy them..when I was a kid I ofcourse recolored the borders if they got chipped......its funny that a lot of the cards are now considered trimmed too..I never did that as a kid.....but I upgraded over the years...and bought some from unopened boxes...and they were smaller than normal size...and if I tried to get them slabbed i'm sure they will come back rejected...but mine are in album sheets so it doesn't matter.... looks great as is in all its EX condition glory...

Ricky Y

[BearBailey]

I really like the 71s but 1975 is my favorite of the decade! Being the year I was born it was a big deal to complete that set, sometime around 1988 or 1989 at the Old Willow Grove shows. I completed a much higher grade set in the 1990s as well.

[David W]

First packs I ever opened were 71's, used to get them at Schierer's dairy store.

It's my second favorite set, 76 is my favorite, only because it is the first set I ever was able to completely put together from buying packs and trading. Also, Lou Brock's best card is in that set. (Scan taken from ebay, not mine)

I've still got the set, all dog eared and creased.

[GasHouseGang]

I've always liked the 1971's and 1972's. Never cared that much for the 1975 set. I like the MVP subset, but they used lots of bad poses in that set. They can also be very difficult to collect in good shape.

[ALR-bishop]

I have not had time to check this out in my own set, but someone on CU mentioned that the photo in the Munson card is bigger than that in some of the other cards in the set ( he mentions Harrelson specifically), and questions whether the Munson is unique in it's photo size ( which the poster notes may cause to the card to look OC compared to other cards with smaller photos), or whether there are differing photo sizes throughout the set.

Also, I have seen references to a variation ( or print defect) in the 71 Munson card. May have been his name in white rather than yellow. Anyone else heard or seen anything along those lines ?

[skelly]

Personally I don't care for the 71 set. It does have some positives, fronts look good, challenging high numbers make it fun, but the backs are so dark and drab, maybe my least favorite backs out of any topps set. Really prefer the 1970 & 1975 sets from this era.

[David Bender]

Agree, the backs are dark and drab. But you can't say that about 1971 O-Pee-Chee...

[Doug]

I don't really care for cards with colored borders. If I had to pick a set from the '70s I'd have to go with the '73 set.

[Orioles1954]

My rankings:

1.) 1972
2.) 1971
3.) 1975
4.) 1970
5.) 1973
6.) 1976
7.) 1978
8.) 1979
9.) 1977
10.) 1974

[Jayworld]

Although I started collecting baseball cards with buying a few packs of 1975 Topps at age 8, the 1977 set was the first set I put together from packs and continued the trend through 1978, yet the 1976 set is my favorite due to the crisp front design (especially the illustration graphics of the positions), followed by the clean 1974 set.

I finally put the 1976 set together in 1981 or so from local card shows (wow, are those even around anymore?), followed by the 1974 set finished in 1983.

One of my favorite "goofy" cards of the 1976 set is the Bazooka bubblegum card champion Kurt Bevacqua, with the brackets on the back.

I sold my less-than-complete 1975 cards a few years back (had just under 500 cards including Brett and Yount), but now I'm itching to try to put the set together again.....

[brob28]

I love the '71's even with the maddening borders and centering with high numbers. I had a great sense of accomplishment when I completed the set in approximately Ex/Mt well centered. Actually this set still has me as I continue to look to upgrade cards.

After that it's 1975 (first year I collected) and 1972.

[Bigdaddy]

I think the '71 set is one of the best sets of the 70's. Personally, I don't like the '75 set that much, the colors are just too distracting and the photos not that great. In order:

1. 1978
2. 1977
3. 1971
4. 1976
5. 1973
6. 1972
7. 1974
8. 1979
9. 1970
10. 1975

BTW, I grew up in the 70's, and the '77 set was the first one I collected.

[U240robert]

For the 70's.
My rankings:

1975---love the colors. My first set as a kid and still one of my favorites.
1976- not a great rookie selection but a great design and photography
1971--first time out doing action shots and really think it's some of their best.
1970--
1974
1972
1978
1973--if the paper quality was better I think this set could've been much nicer.
1977
1979