1972 Topps

User Comments

Mar 25, 2023 - 11:03AM
shutout52

This set always takes me back to 1994. I was ten years old, and my friend Sean and I used to trade cards after church. One day a member sees us and tells us that his son used to be a card collector and if we were going to be there next week he might have some for us. True to his word, Ron gave us each a bag full of 1981 Donruss cards. A few weeks later, he had some 1972 Topps cards for us: a pile of maybe 30 commons for each of us, and then a small stack of bigger names, and one Reggie Jackson. He told us to pick among ourselves who gets the star pile and who gets the Jackson. Sean and I didn't even need to debate it: he wanted the Jackson and I wanted the star pile. Thirty years later, I'm trying to get the entire set autographed. With multi-player cards that means there are 863 signatures required; I'm less than 300 short. Unfortunately with several cards of players who died within 15 years of the set's release (three Clemente, two Munson, two Don Wilson, two Danny Frisella, two Norm Cash, Danny Thompson, Danny Murtaugh, Jim McGlothlin, Bob Moose, Carl Morton, and Don McMahon), several more who just don't/didn't like signing (Mike Marshall, Steve Hovley, Gary Gentry, Rich Chiles, Stan Swanson, Terry Forster, Bob Fenwick, Doyle Alexander, and Mike Kekich), and multiple cards of big name stars (six cards of Seaver, five of Stargell, four Aaron, three Reggie, two Mays, and a Ted Williams), I know I'll never complete it. But it's fun to work on.

Feb 1, 2023 - 9:44AM
ComposerMike

As a complete set, this was a challenge to build. 1972 was the largest set Topps had released to date. The high series was tough finding in higher grade, and most series had centering issues. That said, this set just screams '1970s'! Mixing in the seven 'traded' cards towards the run's end is a nice touch, too.

Dec 14, 2022 - 1:53PM
barebum2

It was a Saturday in April or May. It had been raining throughout the morning, squashing any chance of card hunting. In the early 1980s, that's what I did with my dad. Every garage sale or yard sale around our Alsip, Illinois neighborhood, was hunting ground for baseball cards and memorabilia. We searched hard those years, but more seasoned hunters came away with better game.

That afternoon, we went out for a drive. The rain had stopped after lunch, and my dad thought we might find a sale or two. I was happy to go, as I often was. There were no sales on our drive out, but on our way back home, I spotted a family loading up their front yard. We stopped in. Lots of useful stuff I suppose, but nothing that caught this 14 year old's eye....except a large cardboard box the size of a milk crate. Inside? The colorful splash of thousands of 1972 Topps baseball cards, with a disproportional amount of high numbers (I didn't know that at the time). My dad paid for it, I think it was $10. Boy was I excited on the drive home. There was everything in multiples....Mays, Clemente, Aaron. I can't recall if I noticed then that the bottom quarter of the box was a bit damp.

I started my story with rain, so it must end with rain. That cardboard box was likely out on the lawn that morning, which became evident the deeper I searched. The high numbers, Carew, Garvey, you know.... were mostly at the bottom.

But for $10, it's a great memory that has lasted all these decades....that's a score!
If you took the time to read this...Thank You.


Edited on: Dec 14, 2022 - 3:43PM

  1

Mar 1, 2022 - 9:53PM
Cfmaly

I had bought a pack here and there from 1970 and 1971. But... this set (1972) was when I really started collecting cards. I was 12 and had no income but my father would slip me some change and send me up to get a few packs. I fondly remember once when he gave me a $5 bill and told me to go up to Boyd's and get as many packs as I could! The catch was that he got to open them. He would open a pack, read the name and team then hand me the card. I sat on the floor at his feet and started stacking them by team. By the end of the year, I realized the whole numbering thing and I was hooked on set building from then on. Sadly, I sold all my cards in 1987...
But I am back!

Jul 25, 2021 - 7:03PM
AAARRT

My first pack of cards was from the 1972 Topps baseball set. I thought the players were great and the colors were wonderful. Collected 72, 73 and then found girls and sold everything. After my kids finished college I was able to start collecting again and started with 1962 Topps then 1972 Topps. Now I have many many sets and cards including three complete 72 Topps sets. I still love these cards.

Jan 20, 2021 - 8:57PM
stevefast1963

The 1972 Topps baseball set was the first pack of cards that I broke wax seal to reveal what players were inside. I don't think that it's this fact that this is my second favorite Card set in History (1956 Topps is my favorite). Like others my original cards that I shuffled through in the second grade has wear and tear like they were tortured. Rubber banded to the max and sorted daily. So I've been working on putting together that set for decades. At the time of this comment I still need around 80 cards to complete; obviously all high numbers. This large number set is incredibly visual and I love the graphic art work.

Oct 18, 2020 - 5:12PM
kjohnsonhp

'72 and '75 are my favorite sets of the 70's. I just love the 70's graphics and color. It brings back many memories of the time as a kid and it was the first set I remember opening from packs and building a collection. 1970 was the first year I was ever give a pack of cards.

The "In Action" cards were memorable. while the Fisk RC is a key card I wasn't as big a fan of the multi-player cards...plus I liked the knows stars like Aaron and Mays.

I associate many of the early 70's players with memories of seeing their name first on these cards (vs on TV or in person).

Jul 1, 2020 - 9:18PM
Beagleshortstop

My first pack of cards came from this set. Not sure who got the pack for me or if I was allowed to buy it myself. I don't know why but I do recall three of the players in the pack: Mike Fiore, Steve Luebber and Sparky Lyle. The first packs that I clearly remember buying for myself was the next year, 1973, at Hi-Kel Drugs or Pack-a-Sack convenience store. Both were a short walk from my elementary school.

Jun 2, 2020 - 3:40PM
Marcus P

It was spring of 1972 and I was in 4th grade. A couple of the guys at school were showing off the baseball cards they got in a pack. About 10 of us took great interest in this concept and asked a lot of questions. Before the end of the week, each one of us had found our way to a store to get a pack or two. Back then, they were still $.05 but back then you also didn't find money laying on the sidewalks. I started cutting grass and shoveling snow to earn money, asking for quarters for birthday gifts, etc so I could feed my addiction. We had a White Hen Pantry convenience store only a block from our house so if I left early to catch the school bus, I could run to the store and buy a few packs for the day. It took a few years before I had the kind of money needed to complete a set. 1975 was my first complete set and we had no idea what to do with the doubles except trade them or put them in our bike spokes, because they made a loud cool sound. Nearly 50 years later, I still enjoy ripping open packs. Now I just don't have any friends who collect that I can trade with.

Dec 17, 2018 - 2:05AM
Mohegan33

Fantastic set that was handed down to me from my father. Deeply enamored with this set. Great for old autographs too!

Aug 3, 2018 - 9:52AM
skyroad3131

I was five years old and my father took me to the corner store, he paid for some groceries, I was a big baseball fan at that age, and watched every Yankee game that was on TV with him (he was a huge Joe DiMaggio fan) anyway he bought about 10 packs of Topps baseball cards, we walked home and sat at the kitchen table, he told me stories of him opening packs as a little boy , this would be late 40's early 50's. So he gives me the first pack and I open it, I see the piece of gum and he says its all right to chew it, I look at the first card and it is a Willie McCovey, my father tells me he is a great player and can hit the ball a ton (not exact words) I was so excited. I remember me and my dad ripping packs, and chewing really bad gum, and having a blast. So from then on every Friday after dinner we would rip packs, baseball, and football. we did that for about 5 or 6 years, until I decided I was to old to do that stuff with him anymore, man what a great guy he was! I wish I could have those days back.

Mar 13, 2017 - 9:33PM
joesoftball

My older brother let me open a pack of his '72 Topps and I was hooked. I would collect soda and beer bottles to get the deposit on them. All the money went to buying cards, This is still my favorite set. I still think the in-action cards are the best sub set out there.

Apr 13, 2016 - 1:57PM
RoundtheDiamond87

Higher-number cards in this set were tougher for me to find than they were for the 1971 and 1970 sets. The 1972 set may be a little undervalued.

Aug 3, 2014 - 9:48PM
Uxbridgeite

The 1972 Topps set was the first pack of cards that I bought. I seem to recall the price being $0.08 for ten (10) cards. I think I have seen the price listed as $0.10 for ten (10) cards. In either case it was a great deal. Scrapping together a dime for a pack of cards was easier back in the day. I was at a convenience store yesterday and saw that the 2014 Topps pack was $2.99 for ten (10) cards. How times have changed.

Nov 17, 2011 - 9:14AM
wopagnie

Wondering who has seen (or has) a copy of # 216B (Joe Niekro) I can't find any acknowledgement on any other site that this card has been verified as an error.

  

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