TOPPS 75 TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AUCTION
1973
B ig changes continued for 1973. Topps reduced the set count to 660; the series count to five and finally put the idea of issuing cards in a sequential order spaced about a month apart to bed. The set was a marketing exercise in some respects, either sold in the traditional series- by-series format or an “all 660”version, depending on what part of the country you bought your cards in. The latter method brought about a series of 24 Blue Checklist cards, one for each team, even as the regular checklists appeared in the set. These are hard to find today in nice, even more so in unchecked condition. A slight premium attaches to cards from the final series but it’s minimal. The Mike Schmidt high number card is the big-name rookie for 1973. Topps created several supplemental sets for 1973. A well-known one, referred to in the hobby as Candy Lids despite hawking Bubble Gum, presented round players portraits like the ones that debuted in 1970. These were updated, given bright borders, and sold relatively poorly. A proof series of lids preceded these and is referred to as a 1972 issue among collectors, but these were never intended for release; they entered the hobby years later. In their ever-present battle against spending too much money on licensing, two parallel series were tested, neither of which sported team logos. One took the form of Comics, the other a Small Poster, each as interiors of a bubble gum wrapper. Both are very scarce, but especially the comics which seem to have been produced in lesser quantity. Continuing their attempts to circumvent or reduce licensing fees, Topps also went to the trouble of creating and testing their own team logo creations for a feeble twenty-four subject Action Emblems set that could be found either as cloth stickers or simple cardboard. This somewhat bizarre set appears to have been sold in 1974 as well. These came with an unvarying and oversized Coin Rub Game (scratch-off) card that acted as a pack stiffener. It wasn’t long before Topps finally capitulated to the Major League Baseball Promotions Corporation (a.k.a. the Owners) as the team logo situation was resolved before 1973 had ended.
626. 1973 Topps Complete Set (660) MINIMUM BID: $500
627. 1973 Topps #280 Al Kaline (HOF - With Bandage) - CGC VG-EX+ 4.5 MINIMUM BID: $300
628. 1973 Topps ‘53 Reprint Complete PSA-Graded Set (8) MINIMUM BID: $500
625. 1973 Topps Print Variations Collection (117) MINIMUM BID: $200
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