1974 – 1980
TOPPS 75 TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AUCTION
An experimental in-house test of multiple materials, but only two subjects, in 1976 finally led to a fifty-five-card supplemental Cloth Sticker set in 1977, complete with eighteen puzzle cards. That year also saw the start of a several-year push where Topps produced small sets for use as their party promotions, often packaged in three-card cellos to encourage customers to come back to complete the shorter run. These usually featured just the local team’s players and derived from the regular issue baseball cards, simply renumbered, with some minimal branding added. This all began with Burger King, who would be a repeat customer for a few years; Zest Soap - in Spanish – and brands like Mrs. Butterworth’s Syrup and Squirt soft drink. A rare set of All-Stars was proofed for Pepsi but never formally issued. A series of thirty-three Baseball Comics were wrapped around pieces of Major League Bubble Gum in 1979 and Topps closed out their last year without significant competition in 1980 with a set of sixty 5 x 7-inch Baseball Superstars Photo Cards. Another of the odd, tall Scratch-Offs, where the one-design-fits-all look was deployed as an incentive in some Super-Pack cellos while a Hit-To-Win contest saw scratch-off cards - difficult to find these days - inserted into select packs on a limited basis. 1980 saw two more surprises though, an in- house prototype of Baseball Coins was one, featuring but three players and minted with three different metals. These were never intended for sale, but a handful leaked out at some point. The same leak may also have given the hobby a Baseball Stickers prototype, showing two players apiece; these are equally hard to find. With that, Topps closed out the Eighties and awaited the changes that 1981 would bring.
688. 1974 Topps Wax Wrapper Collection (4) MINIMUM BID: $25
689. 1974 Topps Complete Set (660) MINIMUM BID: $250
690. 1974 Topps Print Variations Collection (32) MINIMUM BID: $50
686. 1974 Topps Action Emblem Uncut Proof Sheet MINIMUM BID: $500
691. 1974 Topps Washington “Nat’l Lea” Complete Set (15) MINIMUM BID: $50
687. 1974 Topps Action Emblems Cloth Stickers Proofs Collection (11) - ToppsVault MINIMUM BID: $100
692. 1974 Topps Traded and Team Checklists Complete Sets (68) MINIMUM BID: $25
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CLOSES OCTOBER 31, 2026
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