In my quest for sets to complete, manageable sets, not too expensive for a one-time purchase, I’ve begun to look, in earnest, at old Topps inserts. I’ve got my share – 1969 Deckle and Decals (see last post), a random assortment of others – but there’s always room for more.
I’d like to grab some 1968 and 1972 posters.
I don’t have any of them and they’re pretty nice, much nicer than the 1970 posters I do have
(though not as nice as the 1967 pinups). But, since I have none, will I really put together a set? I’m pretty doubtful. Still, I’ll occasionally look for a lot and, if I do end up snatching some, we’ll see what happens.
What’s been grabbing me are the 1970 and 1971 Topps Scratch-Offs. Why? Not because of looks. These are the most unattractive inserts that Topps ever produced. Ugly little head shots on the front, a centerfold of black rectangles and a back that clearly didn’t take too long to design, all housed on rough cardboard (that’s how I remember them).
It’s in the remembering that the scratch offs live. They’re inserts I had, unlike the posters which I never did, so don’t have any feelings about one way or the other. I have a connection to these scratch offs that is real and, though they repulse me in most ways, they attract me in others.
Interestingly, I don’t recall them in 1971 packs, only in 1970. Turns out there is a distinguishing mark to tell the two apart – 1970’s are white inside, 1971’s red.
Both sets are 24 cards, both should be pretty reasonable to buy unscratched (though a NM 1970 set recently sold for $117.50, way more than I’d consider.) I’m thinking $65 for 1970, $75-80 for 1971, harder to come by, which is why I don’t remember them.
I’ve also been slightly obsessed with the 1970 Topps Football Glossy inserts, but that’s for another blog.
SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee 
I’ve been “working on” the 1970-71 scratch offs for years (obviously not often). My dilemna: Whether you store them in sheets or sleeves, how do you store them such that you can tell the difference between 1970s and 1971? I have them in sheets (I need 4 or 5 from each) and they are identical. Even the Mike Hegan in the Pilots hat is reused in 1971 unchanged. I kind of want to unfold them and store them just so I can see the difference. It is ridiculously unimportant, I know, but yet I fret.
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Interesting dilemma. I’d probably stick ’em in a small box.
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I would, but certain people have pressured me for years to put everything in sheets.
But yes, these cards are about as “condition-INsensitive” as you can get. In fact, many of them are off-center but only on the inner printing — you need to unfold to notice.
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Do they not fit in 4-pocket sheets?
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I know the scratch offs weren’t included in ’71 packs. Perhaps Mark knows how they were distributed. I’ll look it up as well. I an currently building the ’70 football glossy set. Of course I’m not nearly as condition sensitive as some ex-mayor I know.
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How close are you on the glossy set?
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If I was picking I would go for the 1965 embossed set or the 1964 giant set.
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The Embossed would be relatively easy to put together, just never liked it much.
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