The Most Valuable Topps Baseball Cards of 1977
The 1977 Topps baseball card set, containing 660 cards, captures a transitional moment in the game and in collecting. The design is clean and uncluttered, with crisp white borders, bold team names across the top, and a small pennant in the corner noting the player’s position. This straightforward look gave the set a timeless quality, letting the photography take center stage.
For collectors, the 1977 set is best remembered for its rookie cards. The headliner is Hall of Famer Andre Dawson, whose Rookie-of-the-Year campaign that same season immediately made his card iconic. Other significant debuts include Dale Murphy, who went on to win two MVP awards, along with promising players like Gary Templeton and Steve Kemp.
While not as flashy as some earlier Topps designs, the 1977 issue endures for its balance of simplicity, depth, and affordability. It remains a collector favorite, offering both investment-worthy rookies and a nostalgic glimpse of baseball during a vibrant decade.
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#650 Nolan Ryan - $14,421
Nolan Ryan continued to amaze in 1977. Probably the second-best season of his career, Ryan was a workhouse in 1977 and led the league in both compete games and strikeouts. He also led the league in walks and wild pitches, and it was that touch of wildness that made him so scary.
#400 Steve Garvey - $9,585
Before he was a political hopeful, Steve Garvey was one of the brightest starts in baseball. He was one of the leaders on the 1977 Dodgers team that won the National League Pennant (but lost to the “Mr. October”-led Yankees) . Garvey was a 10-time All-Star, won one MVP, and was a bubble candidate for the Hall of Fame.
#150 Tom Seaver - $9,000
Tom Seaver’s greatness if often overlooked by modern fans, but he is one of a handful of pitchers with a credible claim to being the best of all-time. Seaver has the highest career WAR among modern era, non-steroid, pitcher and has a higher career WAR than Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, Randy Johnson, and Gregg Maddux. Seaver was a 3-time Cy Young winner (including for the 1969 Miracle Mets) and a 13 time All-Star. Seaver was traded to the Reds in the middle of 1977 but would return to the Mets in 1983.
#10 Reggie Jackson - $7,869
This was the year that a great player became a legend. Jackson only hit 32 regular season home runs in 1977, well shy of the league lead of 52. Yet he will forever be remembered for hitting three home runs on three consecutive pitches against three different pitchers in the deciding game 6 of the 1977 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jackon hit .450 in the World Series and hit a home run in his last at-bat in game 5, earning him World Series MVP and a place in baseball lore.
#234 Nolan Ryan Record Breaker - $6,064
Ryan’s broke Sandy Koufax’s record of 3 seasons with 300+ strikeouts in 1976 with his fourth 300+ strikeout season, only to do it again in 1977. He would go on to do it his sixth and final time in his career-resurgent 1989. Ryan is tied with Randy Johnson for most years with 300+ strikeouts in a single season.
#70 Johnny Bench - $5,767
The Big Red Machine was over in 1977 after making it to the World Series four times in from 1970 to 1976 and winning back-to-back World Series titles in 1975 and 1976. Bench was still arguably the best catcher in baseball and would make the All-Star team every year from 1968 through 1980, although he wasn’t quite the force he was in the beginning of the decade.
#450 Pete Rose - $5,678
Rose earned an an All-Star nod for his fourth position, having already been an All Star at second base, left field, and right field.
#635 Robin Yount - $5,105
Yount was beginning to hit is Hall of Fame stride in 1977 as he increased his Wins Above Replacement to a strong 3.4, the first of eight straight years of 3.0+ WAR seasons. It is generally hard to become a household name as a small-market middle infielder, but Yount was beginning to do just that.
#390 Dave Winfield - $4,670
Winfield earned his first of twelve straight All-Star appearances in 1977 as he started to find his power stroke. Winfield hit twenty-five home runs in 1977, up from thirteen in 1976, and drove in 96 runs for the lowly Padres.
#473 Rookie Outfielders - $4,438
The key rookie here is Hall of Famer Andre Dawson. Dawson was voted Rookie of the Year in 1977 and was a perennial Most Valuable Player throughout the 1980s, winning it in 1987. An eight-time All Star and an eight-time Gold Glove winner who could hit home runs and steal bases, “the hawk” was a complete baseball player.