I've been trying to decide which 1970s set to start building for my next vintage set build, but I can't seem to make up my mind. So, I'm going to take a little closer look at what I already have in my collection and try to narrow it down.
Towards the end of the 70s, there were fewer big name rookies. The 1977 set did have a pair of Hall of Fame rookie cards, Bruce Sutter and Andre Dawson. At the time this set came out, though, Mark Fidrych was likely the biggest rookie available. Also in this set are the first Topps cards of Dale Murphy, Tony Armas, Jim Gantner, Denny "El Presidente" Martinez, Jack Clark, and Garry Templeton.
My 1977 Wantlist, but it's not to complete the whole set, it's just a list of cards I thought I'd like to add to my collection at some point.
1977: 2, 9, 10, 21, 23, 24, 27, 35, 42, 67, 71, 72, 90, 95, 96, 100, 117, 120, 130, 144, 146, 150, 152, 153, 160, 162, 164, 165, 166, 170, 180, 185, 189, 196, 209, 210, 224, 231, 235, 240, 250, 255, 258, 260, 261, 266, 267, 273, 285, 296, 305, 308, 319, 320, 323, 324, 329, 345, 347, 355, 384, 386, 405, 411, 412, 414, 415, 417, 420, 429, 447, 450, 470, 473, 476, 505, 510, 523, 547, 550, 571, 615, 620, 638, 650, 654, 655, 656, 660
1977: 2, 9, 10, 21, 23, 24, 27, 35, 42, 67, 71, 72, 90, 95, 96, 100, 117, 120, 130, 144, 146, 150, 152, 153, 160, 162, 164, 165, 166, 170, 180, 185, 189, 196, 209, 210, 224, 231, 235, 240, 250, 255, 258, 260, 261, 266, 267, 273, 285, 296, 305, 308, 319, 320, 323, 324, 329, 345, 347, 355, 384, 386, 405, 411, 412, 414, 415, 417, 420, 429, 447, 450, 470, 473, 476, 505, 510, 523, 547, 550, 571, 615, 620, 638, 650, 654, 655, 656, 660
Well, This is not my favorite set - I do like the bicentennial flair that comes through from the 1976 season and onto the 1977 cardboard. Mike Schmidt with the Liberty Bell on his sleeve, both the Pirates and Cardinals sporting the striped pillbox hats - even the Expos had a special Canadian commemorative patch.
There are a couple subsets featuring MLB Brothers and another called "Turn Back The Clock" that had a Black & White photo of a highlight from a different year in 5 year increments.
What do you think are the Pros and Cons of the 1977 Set? I'd love to hear your opinion!
Pro: The Minoso card. 1970s uniforms.
ReplyDeleteCon: Fake autos. That monstrosity adjacent to the Fuentes card.
To me '77 Topps is the last of the great run of '70s baseball card sets. '78 and '79 don't rank nearly as high for me. Also '77 Topps features two of my favorite cards from the '70s -- Gary Carter & Mark Fidrych.
ReplyDeletePros: If you love airbrushed cards, this is the set for you. There are a zillion.
ReplyDeleteCons: If you hate airbrushed cards, this is not the set for you.
If someone wants to build a really boring set, then this would be one of the sets to build.
ReplyDeleteI wish I was around for the Bicentennial. I'll be 99 years old if I make it to the Tricentennial. I didn't know the pillbox hats were for the bicentennial.
ReplyDeleteThe Cardinals had a pillbox hat? Very cool. This set's design is okay. It's not my favorite, nor is it my least favorite. The Big League Brothers subset is probably the coolest thing about the set. The Turn Back the Clock subset is interesting too. Plus the rookie card class contains a bunch of hall of very good guys/fan favorites: Garry Templeton, Jack Clark, Lee Mazzilli, Joaquin Andujar, Scott McGregor, Mike Krukow, Dale Murphy, Mark Fidrych, and Dennis Martinez.
ReplyDeleteIf you build 71, you should build 77. It's pretty much the same design, just with white borders but it shows more of the 70s with uniforms, action, and hair!
ReplyDelete