Favorite/best and least fav/worst '53 to '79 vintage complete sets?

[brewing]

Best
1956 Has the players and full color images.

1969 Has clean design, All Star cards, easy to read backs, and the best WS cards Topps has EVER produced.

1971 Mostly because this is the 1st set that had game photos on base cards. I'm not a big fan though because the borders suck almost as bad as the backs. 1978 is my runner up, clean design and cool AS labels. I want to like 1976, but their backs were impossible to read when I had great eyesight.

Worst
1955 It is lacking in players. B&W action shots don't help either. 1958 was considered too, but they do have the best looking AS cards.

1968 Burlap, barf!!!!

1979 The eye sore Topps logo.

[rats60]

Originally Posted by brewing

1955 It is lacking in players. B&W action shots don't help either.

The action shots are in color in 1955. It is 1954 that has them in black and white.

[brewing]

Originally Posted by rats60

the action shots are in color in 1955. It is 1954 that has them in black and white.

doh!!!!!

[campyfan39]

Great thread:

Favorites:
56 the beauty, the cards wars over so it has all the stars sans Musial
62 my late fathers favorite. Iconic Maris and love the Mays and Mantle too
75 love the color and the Brooks Robinson is one of my all time faves

Least favorite:
55 for the lack of stars and repeated images (although the rooks are awesome)
67 just looks plain to me
70 the gray makes them look dull although the Ryan is great

Happy collecting everyone and I love seeing everyones choices, that is what makes collecting fun as it is in the eye of the beholder

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by campyfan39

Happy collecting everyone and I love seeing everyones choices, that is what makes collecting fun as it is in the eye of the beholder

Not just the difference in what's visually appealing, but the star preferences too.

The '55 T or '56 T contradiction is interesting. From a player standpoint, I'm focused more on what the '55 Topps has (rather than its drawbacks), because the top of the set is amazing. And since I cheated with Mantle, I just don't focus on the other missing guys like Feller, Ford, Wilhelm, Campanella (especially since it's not any of the earliest years for those guys, and they are all second tier HOFers of importance for mid '50s sets). And the reused photos for '56 stand out negatively to me a lot more than anything reused a little earlier, because of how the design is so similar to the '55. It often appears like you're getting a card almost identical to the prior year (but less valuable)

BUT I can totally see why plenty of people focus more the other side of it!

[ksfarmboy]

Favorites:
1956. Love the style, pics and player selection.
1968. The year I was born and the player selection.
1978. The first year I collected. I like the design, player selection, and the all-star shields.

Least favorites:
1959: I like them all but this is the one that I like a little less than the others.
1966: Don’t care for the design or pictures. Several stars in it for the liking though.
1973: Hate the design and most of the pictures.

[Bigdaddy]

Favorites:

1956 - just love the cards - portraits and an action shot, the artwork is stunning
1965 - pennants, what more can you say? And the photos are so bright and clear, along with a decent RC class
1977 - Not the most striking set, but a personal favorite, with the All-Star banners

Blahs:

1958 - solid backgrounds? really? The A.S. cards are the only saving grace
1969 - is there a card that is not airbrushed?
1974 - what's to like? A couple of good action shots framed with the 3rd grade art class winner for the Topps design contest in 1974.

[jgannon]

Originally Posted by brewing

1969 Has clean design, All Star cards, easy to read backs, and the best WS cards Topps has EVER produced.

Yeah, those World Series cards are GREAT!