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.
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