My first 1971s were acquired in the same 1980-ish closet find that introduced me to the 1970 and 1972 cards as well. I came away with a small handful of high numbers (though at that point I had no idea what a 'high number' was beyond carrying a card number in the 600s or 700s), including Denny McLain, Pete Ward, Ken Szotkiewicz, Boog Powell, a couple 3-player rookie cards (NOT the Baylor) and a few others. The black borders, most of which were quite well worn, gave the cards an appearance of true age. I would pick up a few more here and there over the next decade before I set about trying to build the set in the early 1990s. Oddly (for me) I have no memory of the final card I needed to complete the set.
Collectors generally have strong feelings about the 1971 - many love it, others hate it. It can be difficult to find cards with no chipping or other border issues which has created high demand for really nice specimens. So, I tend to think one's attitude towards the set depends upon how much money one has to spend trying to complete it. The black borders generally get all the attention - bold and striking, certainly - but the reverses are about as distinctive in their own way.
1971 was the final year to feature cards of the Washington Senators, as the club decamped for Texas when the season was over.
Card fronts feature striking black borders. The team name appears across the top in a brightly-colored bold font. The player's name appears below it to the left in lower case and his position is to the right (a small colored dot appears between them).
Card backs are set against a dark green field and contain a small portrait of the the player (the first time Topps had ever featured an image on the reverse). The biography section lists the year he first played pro ball and the year of his MLB debut. Only the player's 1970 and lifetime statistics are provided. This was sometimes frustrating to me as I built the set and encountered players I hadn't seen before.
%20-%20All%20Stars.jpg)
%20-%20Insert.jpg)
Wax packs contained 10 cards and sold for 10 cents each. Boxes contained 24 packs, and cases held 24 boxes. Packs with the "Insert in Every Pack" notation contained either a coin or scratch-off game card.
Available imagery has the "All the Top Stars" wrappers available with Big Buddy and Gold Rush candy side ads, and the "Insert" variety with Gold Rush and Bubble Gum Shaker side ads. It is also reported that the "Insert" version was available with a Big Mouth on a Stick ad, and it is likely still other varieties exist as well.
Boxes came in 3 basic varieties - "Collect All the Top Stars", "Real Metal Baseball Coin" and "Insert in Each Pack". One other type of box was issued, but that will be discussed farther below.
.jpeg)
Series 1 cards came in packs and boxes with the "All the Top Stars" notations. Series 2, 3 and 4 came in "Insert" packs and in "Coin" boxes. Series 6 used "Insert" wrappers as well, but packs came in "Insert" boxes. It is unclear which sort of packaging series 5 cards came it, thought it certainly wasn't "Coin" boxes.
The case to the right likely held series 1 cards, due to the "Top Stars" notation. It is further likely that other series came in cases labeled with an "Insert" notation.
Series 2, 3 and 4 packs each contained 1 coin from a set of 153. Coins 1-51 featured gold backs, 52-102 had silver, and 103-153 were blue.
Series 6 packs contained one of 24 different scratch-off baseball game cards (one player per MLB club). The set was an exact copy of that issued the year before except that the interior game boards were red instead of white. Even MIke Hegan (left) makes another appearance in a Pilots' hat - an image already outdated when the set debuted the previous year.
There are credible reports that some high series 1971 packs contained left-over posters from 1970.
Topps again issued Grocery Packs in 1971, but imagery and other information is presently unavailable.
.jpg)
Cello packs contained 30 cards and sold for 25 cents each. They were packed 24 per box. For the second year in a row, cellos were inserted into small, specially designed boxes for sale.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Rack packs contained 54 cards and sold for 39 cents. As in most years, racks from higher series would sometimes contain cards from more than one series.
In 1971, for unknown reasons, some racks were issued without the standard header card, instead using a regular 1971 in it's place in the header's cell.
As usual, vending boxes of 500 cards were available.
_edited.png)
At 752 cards, the 1971 set was Topps' largest yet. Split across 6 series, 627 are basic player cards. The remainder belong to a number of subsets as broken out below.
Included among the 627 basic player cards are 10 players from the 1970 Topps All Star Rookie team. Each is designated by a small gold trophy on their card.
263 - John Ellis, Yankees 1B
582 - Dave Cash, Pirates 2B
233 - Larry Bowa, Phillies SS
224 - Alan Gallagher, Giants 3B
478 - Bernie Carbo, Reds OF
114 - Billy Conigliaro, Red Sox OF
107 - Roy Foster, Indians OF 5 - Thurman Munson, Yankees C
515 - Carl Morton, Expos RHP
101 - Les Cain, Tigers LHP
A full checklist of the 1971 set, including printable formats, can be found at the Trading Card Database HERE.
Series 1: 1-132
Each series, was printed on a 264-card full sheet which was divided into 2 individual 'slits' or smaller, 132-card half sheets. Series 1 is laid out such that each slit has two blocks of 66 unique cards - 6 different rows printed one of top of each other.
Of the 132 unique cards in series 1, 103 are basic player cards (including All Star Rookies Munson, Cain, Foster and Conigliaro).
Cards 61-72 depict the top 3 performers from each league in six statistical categories - HR, RBI, Batting Average, ERA, Strikeouts and Pitching (aka Victories) - from 1970. Card backs list the top 50 in each category. AL and NL cards differ in appearance in how red and yellow print is used on the fronts, as shown.
Series 1 contains a single team photo card (Orioles, #1) which differs from those in later series in that rather than the team name on the front, the notation "World Champions" appears in recognition of the club having just won the 1970 World Series. Team photo card backs provide the clubs' all time batting and pitching leaders and pennant history (or, for newer clubs, a year-by-year won-loss record).
Series 1 contains four manager cards including Eddie Kasko/Red Sox, Gene Mauch/Expos, Bob Lemon/Royals and Frank Lucchesi/Phillies.
Card backs provide the manager's career MLB managerial record.
Series 1 includes ten 2-player Rookie Stars cards featuring youngsters with little or no MLB experience. Included are cards of White Sox, Pirates, Tigers, Braves, Twins, Mets, Senators, Astros, Yankees and Cubs.
Series 1 includes the checklist cards for both Series 1 and Series 2.
A variation exists for the second series checklist. The card number can appear either aligned to the right edge (above, right) or aligned more in the center (right). One version was printed with the first series and the other with the second, but it is not know which was which.
Series 2: 133-263
Series 2 was printed in the same format as series 1, with each slit having 2 blocks of 6 unique rows of 11 cards printed one over the other. However, because it includes another copy of the series 2 checklist, a 1st series card, series 2 has only 131 unique cards. Of these, 107 are basic player cards (including All Star Rookies Gallagher, Bowa and Ellis), with the remaining 24 belonging to one subset or another as described below.
Cards 195-202 are dedicated to the 1970 AL (195-198) and NL (199-202) championship series. Each game has it's own summary card featuring a partial box score on the reverse, and each series has a 'celebration' card which features the victorious clubs' composite series stats on the back.
Series 2 includes four manager cards - Ralph Houk/Yankees, Gil Hodges/Mets, Billy Martin/Tigers and Red Schoendienst/Cardinals.
Series 2 has ten 2-player Rookie Stars cards. Included are cards for the Phillies, Angels, Reds, Red Sox, Dodgers, Brewers, Cardinals, Indians, Royals and Padres.
Topps had been including inserts in packs since 1961, but 1971 was the first time the basic set included a checklist card for any of them. Series 2 contains checklist card dedicated to the 153 count coin insert set.
.jpg)
Because it was printed over multiple series, the Coins Checklist was bound to experience slight formatting variations. A version exists where the coin images on the front lack a solid line beneath them and where the card number is located slightly higher on the reverse. Insufficient evidence exists to determine which series' printing created these differences.
Series 2 includes the 3rd series checklist, which would also be printed as part of the 3rd series. A variation exists where a larger gap exists between the top most type and the black border (left) on one version than the other (right). The version with the wider gap was printed with the series 2 cards.
Series 3: 264-393
The two series 3 slits retain the general layout of the earlier series - two large blocks of 66 cards on each one. Because it includes another series 3 checklist (a series 2 card) the possible total of 132 cards is reduced to 131. But, because it also includes a reprint of the coins checklist, series 3 winds up with only 130 unique cards, of which 107 are basic player cards while the other 23 belong to subsets.
Cards 327-332 depict highlights from the 1970 World Series. Each of the 5 games gets its own card (with a partial box score on the revers) and there is a series summary card that features the composite offensive and pitching stats for both the Orioles and Reds on the reverse.
Series 3 includes six team photo cards - Phillies, White Sox, Cardinals, Tigers, Reds and Red Sox.
Four manager cards are included in series 3 - Lefty Phillips/Angels, Harry Walker/Astros, Lum Harris/Braves and Ted Williams/Senators.
Series 3 has three 2-player Rookie Stars cards featuring the Giants, A's, Pirates, Orioles, Expos and Twins.
Series 3 includes the first printing of the 4th series checklist. While there are some modest differences between those printed with the 3rd and 4th series, they are due to ink application and not due to design or set-up changes.
Series 4: 394-523
Series 4 is formatted in the same manner as the the previous three, and like series 3 contains only 130 unique cards because it includes a series 4 checklist (a series 3 card) and another coin checklist. The 4th series contains 113 basic player cards (including All Star Rookies Carbo and Morton), with the remaining 17 belonging to subsets.
Series 4 includes another six team photo cards - Dodgers, Angels, Senators, Padres, Cubs and Twins. The Cubs' is, again, a collage of individual player portraits rather than an actual team photo.
The four manager cards included with series 4 include Alvin Dark/Indians, Danny Murtaugh/Pirates, Earl Weaver/Orioles and Charlie Fox/Giants.
Series 4 features six 2-player Rookie Stars cards - Astros, Tigers, Phillies, White Sox, Braves and Red Sox.
Depending upon whether it was printed with the 4th series or the 5th, the 5th series checklist exhibits two variations in which "AL Rookie Pitchers" is either almost touching the right border or is a bit farther away. It is unclear today which version was printed with which series.
Series 5: 524-643
For series 5, the print layouts changed. The full series contains 11 different rows of 11 cards. Nine of these are printed twice, but two are printed three times each. Therefore, 22 cards in series 5 are overprinted and are 50% more common than the other 99. The series as a whole contains 120 unique cards rather than 121 as it includes a second printing of the 5th series checklist, a 4th series card. Of these 120 cards, 103 are basic player cards (including All Star Rookie Cash) and 17 belong to subsets.
Those series 5 cards which are slightly more common than the others are:
Amos Otis, Royals (610) Mike Ryan, Phillies (533)
Jack Aker, Yankees (593) Yankees Team Photo (543)
Pat Dobson, Orioles (547) Don Mason, Padres (548)
A.L. Rookie Stars, Brooks/Koegel/Northey (633) Ken Tatum, Red Sox (601)
Indians Team Photo (584) Mets Team Photo (641)
Frank Howard, Senators (620) Carl Yastrzemski, Red Sox (530)
Hector Torres, Cubs (558) Marty Martinez, Astros (602)
Luke Walker, Pirates (534) Larry Hisle, Phillies (616
Joe Lahoud, Red Sox (622) Jim Wynn, Astros (565)
Ray Jarvis, Angels (526) Ron Hunt, Expos (578)
Bob Miller, Cubs (542) Ken Suarez, Indians (597)
Included in series 5 are team photos of the Yankees, Giants, Indians, Pirates, A's and Mets.
Series 5 manager cards include Bill Rigney/Twins, Walt Alston/Dodgers, Leo Durocher/Cubs and Dave Bristol/Brewers.
Series 5 includes 3-player Rookie Stars cards of the Cubs, Cardinals and Indians. It also includes 2 3-player American League Rookie Stars cards and a single National League Rookies Stars cards.
The series 6 checklist is a series 5 card that was reprinted with series 6. It is available in two versions - one has a copyright line on the reverse and the other does not. It is unknown which was printed with which series.
Series 6: 644-752
Series 6 was laid out such that it contains ten 11 card rows, which yield 110 cards. Because the 6th series checklist is actually a 5th series card, series 6 contains 109 unique cards. Of these, 94 are basic player cards, while 15 belong to one subset or another.
Of the 10 rows, 6 are printed twice, and 4 are printed 3 times, making 44 cards 50% more common than the remaining 65 (the series 6 checklist is in one of the 2x rows). The hobby tends to refer to the 65 as "short prints" or SPs. But when 2/5s of the cards are printed more than the 3/5s majority, I think it's more accurate to call the 44 overprints. In any event, cards from the 6th series are all less common than those of any other series, and the 1971 'high numbers' are some of the most difficult to find relative to the other cards in their set.
Milt Ramirez, Cardinals (702)
Jim Rooker, Royals (730)
Pete Ward, Yankees (667)
Andy Kosco, Brewers (746)
Gary Neibauer, Braves (668)
Jose Azcue, Angels (657)
Bob Moose, Pirates (690)
Dick Drago, Royals (752)
Bill Hands, Cubs (670)
Skip Guinn, Astros (741)
Juan Pizarro, Cubs (647)
Ken Szotkiewicz, Tigers (749)
Dick Billings, Senators (729)
Bill Butler, Royals (681)
John Morris, Brewers (721)
Bob Heise, Giants (691)
Joe Niekro, Tigers (695)
Jim Britton, Expos (699)
Bob Reed, Tigers (732)
Dave Boswell, Twins (675)
Dave Leonhard, Orioles (716)
Sonny Siebert, Red Sox (710)
Terry Harmon, Phillies (682)
Braves Team Photo (652)
Jerry Morales, Padres (696)
Ray Culp, Red Sox (660)
Royals Team Photo (742)
George Thomas, Red Sox (678)
N.L. Rookie Stars, Severinsen/Spinks/Moore (747)
Don O'Riley, White Sox (679)
Fred Lasher, Angels (707)
Marv Staehle, Braves (663)
Frank Baker, Indians (689)
Bob Garibaldi, Royals (701)
Mike Kekich, Yankees (703)
Curt Motton, Orioles (684)
N.L. Rookie Stars, Redmond/Lampard/Williams (728)
Expos Team Photo (674)
Matty Alou, Cardinals (720)
Paul Popovich, Cubs (726)
Jose Martinez, Pirates (712)
Billy Wynne, Angels (718)
Tommie Reynolds, Angels (676)
Moe Drabowsky, Cardinals (685)
Those series 6 cards which are 50% more common than the others are:
Series 6 includes the final five team photo cards - the Braves, Expos, Brewers, Astros and Royals.
Four manager cards complete the 24 club collection - Chuck Tanner/White Sox, Sparky Anderson/Reds, Dick Williams/A's and Preston Gomez/Padres.
Series 6 includes six eclectic 3-player Rookie Stars cards. One, the Mets, is team specific; Three are specific to a league and a position - A.L. Pitchers, N.L. Pitchers, and N.L. Outfields; one is dedicated to pitchers from both leagues (all named Reynolds), and another to outfielders from both leagues.
Hall of Famers Bert Blyleven (26) and Ted Simmons (117) make their first appearances in 1971, along with Dave Concepcion (14), Ken Singleton (16), Bob Grich (193), George Foster (276), Steve Garvey (341), Greg Luzinski (439), Dusty Baker (709) and Don Baylor (709).
"Mr. Cub" Ernie Banks (525) and fellow Hall of Famer Jim Bunning (574) appear for the final time, as do Tony Conigliaro (105) and Curt Flood (535).
1971 was the first year Topps include game action photos in its set (not counting an occasional World Series highlight card). For some reason, only series 1, 3 and 4 include action shots.
Eight such cards were formatted horizontally to allow for a wider image. Oddly, only 3 teams are represented in this mix.
In an unprecedented promotion, Topps made it possible for as many as 25 youngsters to receive more than 1,000 Topps cards of themselves. Special wax boxes were labeled specially for this purpose (the ones we know about have the coin advertisement, so it would have been part of one or all of series 2, 3 and/or 4.
Entry forms came in a pad affixed to the box. Winners were given the option of receiving either a complete 1971 set, a complete 1972 set or 1,000 of their own cards supplemented by 24 packs of 1972 cards each containing an additional card.
19 different examples of 25 possible personalized cards are known to exist.
