The Most Valuable Topps Baseball Cards of 1974
The 1974 Topps baseball card set stands out as a landmark issue in the hobby for both its design and its innovations. Comprised of 660 cards, the set was the first to be issued all at once in a single series, a departure from Topps’ previous multi-series releases. This shift made the set more accessible to collectors and signaled a new era in distribution.
The design is straightforward, attractive and sets the template for the next decade (excluding 1975, which was another experimental year) with a clean white border that gives the photography room to shine. The set included a color swatch along the top left with the team’s city and a matching swatch along the bottom right with the team name.
The set also includes memorable variations, most notably the Washington “NAT’L LEA.” cards, printed in anticipation of a rumored Padres move to Washington that never materialized. These error/variation cards remain highly sought after. With its mix of design simplicity, major stars, and unique quirks, the 1974 Topps set holds a special place in vintage collecting history.
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#20 Nolan Ryan - $49,620
Ryan notched his third of seven career no-hitters in 1974. Sandy Koufax is the only other pitcher with more than three (he has four). With the picture on the card being taken from behind the batter, you get a sense of what it looks and feels like to have to face Ryan.
#575 Steve Garvey - $33,133
Steve Garvey was a great player. However, he isn’t in the Hall of Fame and this is not his rookie card (that was in 1971), so it it a little surprising that he has the second most valuable card from 1974. This is due to the relative scarcity of gem mint / PSA 10 cards available for Garvey.
#456 Dave Winfield - $28,800
This is the rookie card for Dave Winfield. It took him a few years to get going, but once he did he was a force as he was an All-Star for 10 straight years and always in the MVP running (although he never won it) in those years. Elected to the Hall of Fame in in 2001.
#130 Reggie Jackson - $27,600
The 1972-1974 A’s are the only team other than the Yankees to win three or more consecutive World Series titles. Jackson was the World Series MVP in 1973 and could have been the 1974 World Series MVP if he didn’t get walked so frequently. While he hadn’t earned the moniker of “Mr. October” quite yet, he was already a post-season force.
#105 Carlton Fisk - $26,297
The best cards of the 1970s are invariably the action shots of catchers. While this one is a little blurry, we get a great shot of a young Fisk in-action. We are a year away from his post-season heroics. “Pudge” played 24 seasons and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 2000.
#283 Mike Schmidt - $15,972
Schmidt was not particularly good as a rookie in 1973, hitting only .196 for the year, but he figured it out in his sophomore 1974 season. Schmidt led the league in slugging percentage and home runs, although he started his career in a low-power period where thirty-six home runs was enough to win the National League Home Run crown. Schmidt would go on to win the Home Run title eight times, second only to Ruth’s twelve Home Run crowns. He was sixth in MVP voting and received his first of twelve All-Star nods.
#1 Hank Aaron - $9,677
Aaron finally did it, breaking Babe Ruth’s nearly forty year old Career Home Run record of 714. Aaron would go on to hit a total of 755 as well as become the All Time Runs Batted In leader as well, as Aaron played at an extremely high level for as unbelievable long time.
#250 Willie McCovey - $8,400
McCovey was showing his age and the Giants traded him to the expansion Padres. The Padres were a recent expansion team and were not particularly good and didn’t attract many fans, which led to discussions about selling the team and moving them to Washington D.C. The deal was close enough that Topps produced these cards, but it ultimately fell through as Ray Kroc - the founder of McDonald’s - purchased the team and kept them in San Diego. McCovey would only stay with the Padres for the better part of three seasons, before returning to San Francisco and enjoying a late career resurgence.
#300 Pete Rose - $7,800
Coming off his MVP 1973 season, Rose had a down year in 1974 compared to his surrounding years. He did lead the league in at bats, runs scored, and double and was among the leaders in walks. Rose was an uncharacteristically versatile fielder as he earned the All-Star nod in five different positions - left field, right field, first base, second base, and third base. He not only led the Reds to their back to back titles in 1975 and 1976, but he was the key addition that finally put the Phillies over the hump in 1980.
#80 Tom Seaver - $6,669
Seaver also had a down year in 1974, as he won the National League Cy Young in both 1973 and 1975 but failed to even make the All-Star team in 1974. As Seaver went, so went the Mets, as they went from making the World Series in 1973 to falling to fifth place out of six teams in their division in 1974.