As mentioned in a prior post, the 1973 Topps Baseball set was the first set I collected when I was seven years old. Every nickel and dime that passed through my hands went to buying these cards. I didn't just collect those cards, I studied them, memorized them. Front and back. A huge piece of my childhood. With that introduction, I can say with full confidence that this is one of the greatest videos ever posted on youtube. Impeccably researched - like a grad school level scientific research paper. Loved, LOVED this video. Kudos to the creator.
Thank you so much Anthony. I learned my research skills as a court investigator and honed them in grad. school. This felt very much like a grad school thesis! I had the binder set on my table for several months and referred to it often. Getting deep into those cards, like when we were kids, was the best way to recognize the patterns Topps was using. In some ways, I felt like a kid again! Thanks for your appreciation.
Fascinating. 1973 is my favorite Topps set of all. There's a mystique about it, and those cards are like "old friends." 1973 was the last year that Topps released the cards in series. Beginning in 1974, all the cards came out at one time, so you had the chance to get any player in any pack at any time of the year.
Wow. The amount of research you put into the details and production of this video make me feel like I should be doing a lot more for mine! Thanks for telling the story.
It can be hard to balance things out. This project took me months, so I can't do content like this weekly. But once in a while it feels justified for the important stories.
The fully airbrushed Agee card that took place on 5/13/72 at Shea vs SF was the day before Willie Mays made his Mets debut and famously homered. I was at the 5/13 game featured on the card. Didn’t know that was the game on this card. Amazing! Thanks
This video is a real service to the hobby. The ultimate guide to this set. You bring out so much texture which heightens appreciation for this set. What a feat! And, truly entertaining. I was transfixed watching this video. Thank you!
Thanks Chuck! The response to the video has been very gratifying. I know '73 Topps is not a favored set for many, but I think there's enough in it that can be applied to whatever sets in that era people do like. I don't think I can look at any vintage set the same way again. Thanks for the comment and support!
On the Vida Blue card, the batter was Dave Nelson. I saw a video a few months ago with Vida before he passed away, and he was taking about his early cards and this card was actually discussed.
This is fascinating stuff! I have always been interested in taking notice what stadiums the card photos were taken. Pinning down the exact date of the photos is taking it a step further. Thank you for this video and please, keep them coming.
I'm glad you liked it Darin. Quite a number of people have said in the comments that '73 is their favorite set. It didn't start out as one of my favorites, but I have a new level of appreciation for it now for sure.
Super Cool. 73 is my favorite and I recently completed it. I love that you documented these moments, it really provides a lot of context and brings them to life. Thanks.
Thanks Allen. It's funny how some of the moments have some drama to them (stealing home, inside-the-park home run, strikeout to end the game) and others are so ordinary. I can also appreciate how Topps was in the right place at the right time to capture some of these players. Without Topps we would have very little photo documentation of that era.
Thanks so much for the kind words. Yes, it took me several months of research to put the video together. I even changed the dates after during more research and seeing clues I missed. It was the most intensive project I've ever done!
As Phil Rizzuto would say,"holy cow!". This was so great. I,too, was 13 when I collected this set and still have it. The best thing for me in your video is that I was at that October 1st doubleheader at Yankee Stadium with my Dad against the Indians. It was so cold that day and we drank a lot of hot chocolate. My father grew up in the Bronx and was a taxi driver. On the way to the Stadium on Jerome Avenue he would weave in and out of the elevated train support columns to impress me,lol! See what memories you awakened! Bravo to you!
Wow, that's a great connection. Although I am not a Yankee fan, I have a lot of appreciation for old Yankee Stadium. It must have been amazing to see a game there. I used these resources to look up my first MLB game...Expos at Mets in 1975. I didn't realize it as a 9 year old but Woody Fryman pitched a one-hitter against the Mets.
@@vintagecardcurator Nice! Fryman was good. I did like Shea Stadium,too. Almost saw Ron Sheuler of the Braves no-hit them in '73 but Ron Hodges broke it up with one out in the ninth. Keep up with the great videos!
This is INCREDIBLE...please keep this going into other sets. My personal favorite/sentimental best '70s set is 1978 - I did some modest research and was able to ID dates for several of the action shots. Nothing like this though - great work!
Thanks Mark! I may do this for some games in the future. As you know, Topps would shoot a number of photos during one game so that would be an easier project and fun too. I think I've seen someone break down the 1978 Lenny Randle card with Gene Richards. That's the one I most remember from that set.
@@vintagecardcurator Yes - the Len Randle image was snapped 7/31/77, and the Felix Millan card was from 7/17/77. This may inspire me to dig further into more of the images....
Thank you for the in depth research. This is my favorite set and I have built a few. 1972 the last season pitchers hit in the American League as the designated hitter would arrive in 1973. The last year Topps released the cards in series with high numbers 529 Milt May to 660 Fred Schermann. Numerous HOF members cards. Last Roberto Clemente card with his tragic death, but 3000 hits exactly. What did it for me was the position icons, including right hand pitcher background red and left hand pitcher background blue. All the action shots and a plain design change from the Psychedelic 1972 enormous number set. I really appreciate several of the videos you did for this set. Oh yes, Dave Hilton’s rookie card with Ron Cey and none other than Mike Schmidt. Thank you from the Islands of Hawaii.
Thanks Kenneth, I appreciate all that. I didn't realize the pitcher logos were different based on left/right handed. Nice that Topps threw that little detail in there. A number of people put '73 Topps as the last of the true vintage sets and I've definitely come to appreciate it a lot more over the years.
Never occurred to me until now: right handed pitchers with the red circle and left handed pitchers with the blue circle...like American politics today. RIGHT = RED LEFT = BLUE
WOW !! Very interesting !! . I was 13 and remember me and my friends talking about many card photos at the same place. Love the spring training ones with the cars, trees etc... great memories and I still have mine in kid collected condition LOL.
I didn't have many '73 Topps as a kid (I was 7 when they came out), so they had a certain mystique to them. That's probably what motivated me on this project...I wanted to get deep into '73 Topps and understand what Topps was doing. Thanks for the comment!
I admire your attention to detail and your tenacity. I feel the same way about the 73 set in many ways. Excellent videos. I will explore your channel further.
You should do a "card roadshow" like on PBS -- and blow people away with the context you can provide around their treasured cards. Amazing what you are able to dig up to add color to these cards and this set. I'm glad someone out there is doing this.
Thanks! I have to hold myself back when I see some of these cards posted on Facebook groups and Instagram. I just want to say, "did you know that picture was taken on..." lol The '73 Topps set always had some mystique to me because I was too young when it came out. This was a fun way to demystify it for me.
Your analysis is amazing! I grew up in the 70's and still have all my 70's cards including the 1973 set. I used to love Topps cards back then because it seemed my home stadium of Shea were in so many card backrounds.Keep up the good work!
Thanks Mark! I grew up loving those Shea pictures too. As an adult Red Sox fan I've finally learned to appreciate the beauty of old Yankee Stadium too.
Thanks for another fun video! This set brings back many memories, was the 5th year I was collecting and saved every nickel and dime to buy every pack I could
Thanks for the comment. I didn't collect '73 Topps as it was released, but this project really helped me appreciate the set and its unique contributions to the Hobby.
@@vintagecardcurator I'm a bit older and bought my first packs in 1969 when it was a nickel a pack for 5 cards. I was hooked right away and continued buying packs heavily until 1975. I began ordering full sets in 1976 through a card dealer Renata Galasow if I remember her spelling and stopped buying packs. I liked the 1972 and 1975 the best for design of those 7 years of sets I bought, but always have 1969 as my favorite because that was when I started
im sure youre tired of hearing this but, HOW DO YOUR VIDEOS HAVE SO FEW VIEWS??? aside from youtube seemingly being run by north korea, i cant see why your videos arent hitting the algorithm. your channel and the "Grimes Time" channel are criminally underrated. love your stuff, keep em coming youll get there!!
Hi, thanks for the compliment. I think my material is very niche related. I used a similar format on another channel I have, but instead did a video on a pop music song, and it got over 100,000 views. I think the subject matter is the reason views are low.
The 1973 set was my first year collecting baseball, and 1972 was my first year at football. Both sets are pretty notable. Thanks to the limited late series for both, you have an extremely valuable Mike Schmidt rookie and a lot of good high-number cards on the baseball side. On the football side, you have the rarest high-series set that I know of, creating little bizarre situations like the one where Steve Spurrier's rookie card is actually more valuable than Roger Staubach's. Both are also very classic and distinctive designs. The 1974 baseball set is also a favorite, but 1975 was fantastic. That one was a real oddball.
Keith, this is Too Good! The details are impeccable here! To get the facts that you present here, would take a ton of research. If Every baseball video was THIS GOOD, I would never get off TH-cam! My Goodness!! Excellent for us Baseball NUTS!
Thanks Todd. It took a lot of time to get it right. I can't tell you how many times I went back and forth on certain players and found information at the 11th hour and had to change the video. I really want the video to be a resource for collectors and fans of '73 Topps. I appreciate the response from you and others...makes it worthwhile to see people love this era of cards as much as I do.
@@vintagecardcurator Keith, I can honestly say that it was one of the best Baseball Card videos I have ever seen! So well done and I'm as big a fan of the Boys Of Summer as you are!
ha, thanks! The '73 set isn't a bad one to put together. The cards are mostly reasonably priced and readily available. And now you know the story behind so many of them!
This is one of the most unique videos I’ve ever seen on youtube. Just fascinating. I love 73 and 74 topps photography because sometimes there were so many players in the dang photo, you couldn’t tell who was who hahaha! The way you matched cards to actual plays, events, and videos is just so entertaining !!! Thank you !!
This was so well researched and I thoroughly enjoyed your research. I can obviously tell you put a lot of work in this. Saw my favorite card, Bobby Bonds. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks Rick! it was definitely a labor of love, but I know a lot of other collectors feel the same way I do about the cards/sets of this era. When I was a kid I put that Bonds card in my binder album too. I always thought there was something special about it.
Wow the amount of information that was presented was nothing short of impressive, I'm stoked to get more indepth and research baseball statistics and photo match to certain games, 😊, my hats off to you my good man , cheers
Thanks Kevin...yes, it took a while, but it was worth it to tell the story. It's a fun set to put together...there is literally a story on every binder page!
Amazing research and an important contribution. Just a little correction on two of the pronunciations: Curt Blefary's last name is pronounced BLEH-free. Also with Bob Aspromonte it's: Az-pro-MON-tay. Anyway, great job!
wow, thanks for that. I didn't get a chance to watch either of them play. I should have done more due diligence on the pronunciations. It grates me when I hear people do it!
@@vintagecardcurator Hey, what you did was amazing. Sometimes with names, if you haven't heard one, it can get "lost in translation". I actually rechecked the Aspromonte pronounciation and it seems the last syllable is actually pronounced, "tee" - so As-pro-MON-tee. Maybe it can be pronounced both ways. But anyway, I figured you would want to know as you are such an excellent researcher.
I keep coming back to this video, great work! You really did your research and it shows. 1973 Topps is one of my favorite sets and I am glad it is showcased here.
Hey VCC, glad to see that my research on the 1973 Ellie Rodriguez card helped you out, and that you linked my own video in your references. I know it is 21 minutes long, but I did do a lot of research on it to show those photos were taken on 6-17-72, and that the photo really IS ELLIE RODRIGUEZ.
Interesting thing about the Tommie Agee card is that although it is obviously a paint job, all three Met players on the card played for the Astros during their careers. But never at the same time. Staub, of course, started with the Astros (or, actually, the Colt .45s) back in the 60's. Agee played for them in 73, after the trade that forced Topps to airbrush his uniform for this card. If I remember correctly, Agee didn't even last that season with the Astros because I think on his 1974 card he was with St. Louis. Agee's career took a real nosedive after Gil Hodges died, because, I believe from what I've read, Hodges was a real mentor to Agee and his biggest supporter with the team, having pushed for the Mets to acquire Agee from the White Sox when Hodges moved to the Mets from managing in the American League with the Washington Senators in 1968 . Boswell played for the Astros in the late 70's & early 80's, mostly, if I recall correctly, as a pinch hit specialist. He was a Texas boy, so went home to finish his career. One thing I would dispute, though mildly, is I think on the Gene Michael card, that's the Indians, not the White Sox. I was a White Sox fan growing up, right around this time, so had my own kiddie sized White Sox ball cap. The shade of red is more like the Indians. The White Sox shade was brighter, almost a little orange, and I think I see black mixed in there, like the Indians' "C" was black. I'm not sure, but that's my impression. It seems by 1973, Topps was moving further afield to get pictures for their cards. Even a couple of pictures in St. Louis & Cleveland. In earlier years, it looks like almost all the pictures were taken either in spring training or the local New York Stadiums, Yankee & Shea, and, in the 50's, the Polo Grounds or Ebbets Field. The Polo Grounds made a comeback in the early 60's when the Mets played there, and most National League cards from 63-65 were taken there. I think those were better backdrops than the boring Oakland Coliseum or Candlestick Park, which were probably the two worst stadiums in baseball at the time.
Thanks for the comment and sharing those stories about the game! The Cleveland C is what I was keyed in on. On the road uniforms it's dark and doesn't have the white in like the White Sox lettering. I will have to go back and see what the Indians games at Yankee Stadium looked like to see if it's possible that was an Indians game. From my research it seems like Topps didn't have one chief photographer until Sy Berger hired Doug McWilliams in 1971. They must have been using freelancers in the NY area in those early years and used other freelancers for the games in the midwest. With the games in Chicago and Milwaukee, my guess is the photographer was in Chicago one day and Milwaukee the next. Maybe the same one shot the St. Louis game too. I wish there were more people from Topps around from that era to tell us. I don't have any sets before 1968. I wonder how Topps shot spring training in those days?
Could the Dick Green card actually be a photo of Sal Bando mishandling a grounder at Third Base? There’s a faint white line that could be a baseline, and the face sure resembles Bando. But the hair seems a tad lighter than Sal, and the single digit number on the uni seems more like a 1 (Green) than a 6 but tough to tell. Just throwing that out there.
This video was riveting, thank you. I haven't left a comment on a video in a long time. #456 Dick Green. It doesn't look like a Dick Green error to me. It looks like a stolen base attempt. You probably have a healthy idea of what 1971 games they shot at, maybe look at the stolen bases? If there is a stolen base + E2 then you're money. Of course there's a chance the runner thought better of it and retreated to first. As I was watching along in chronological order I was greatly anticipating that at the end we'd be sneaking into 1973 photos, which didn't happen. Sometimes throughout you spoke as if 1972 (and sometimes 1971) games were the only ones to be considered, and I wondered about early 1973. How long did you consider this possibility before ruling out that they didn't do it that way? Do you know when the last card series was issued? Up until watching your video I'd always had a fantasy that they'd gotten this great last minute photo for #627 Luis Alvarado from 1973 spring training and snuck it in.
Thanks for the comments! I sent Dick Green a copy of that card for his autograph and asked him if he knew where it was taken. He didn't reply. :( The stolen base idea is a good one. That would take some time, but I could start with the 1972 games that were known to have photographs from. I actually never thought about any of those cards coming from 1973 before. I think this is because 1) Topps used so many 1971 photos that they were relying on past material more than getting current and 2) it seems like the 1972 set didn't have many 1972 photos in them. I just assumed that Topps had perhaps gotten lazy and not gone to the trouble of trying to get current photos to include in the sets. I'd have to really look more at 1972 Topps to see what their practice was. In the last series there are still a lot of airbrushed shots, indicating that they didn't bother to try to get correct photos after the 1971 season. But there are a number of photos that were certainly taken in spring training 1972: the entire Traded subset in particular. I see the Hoyt Wilhelm card was definitely taken at spring training 1972. He was with the Cubs in spring training 1971. So Topps was shooting spring training, 1972, with some of those shots appearing in the 1972 set. But the practice doesn't appear to be that widespread. Why didn't they get a correct shot of Nolan Ryan? My theory is that they only went to select spring training games to get photos of the top stars that had changed teams for 1972. I could look at some of those 1973 photos and see if I can exclude them from any 1973 game to check your hypothesis. Might be tough with spring training photos as box scores are tough to come by. Another rabbit hole project if I had the time!
@@vintagecardcurator LOL maybe a working theory is they did same-season shots in 1970, (lots of makeup shots from the pictureless 1969), 1971 (#650 Dick Allen at least), and 1972, but started cutting back in 1973 and certainly beyond (thinking about the 1974 and 1976 traded sets). Budgets must have been tight.
@ 14:53... Since this 1973 Topps Jim Kaat card is a high number from the last series, #530, and the fact that the AL adopted the DH in 1973... is this the last vintage Topps card showing an AL Pitcher batting? Interleague play started in 1997 so obviously there might be some modern cards of AL Pitchers batting... but this might be the last one of this era? Or is it possibly the only card showing an AL Pitcher batting from this era?
Good question...I think it would be the last vintage card with an AL pitcher batting. But I can't think of any other card period with a pitcher shown batting (I stopped collecting in 1981 so there may be some in the junk wax era).
Jim Kaat was considered to be a good hitting pitcher, as I remember. Looking up his record, he had 16 home runs in his career, including a couple after the DH was put in, but after he went to the NL with the Phillies.
I always thought it was weird that the Joe Coleman posed photo showed him holding a bat. Would he and the Jim Kaat card be the only ones in the set that reference a pitcher also being a batter?
I might do some pieces of '71 as there are some definite patterns there that are all part of one game...the one where the A's are playing at Yankee Stadium immediately stands out.
Wow, you are simply amazing! Great research! Opened a ton of these packs as a kid and this brings back great memories. Just wondering what are your favorite 3 sets of the 70’s?
Great work here, I really enjoy seeing this. There is a different possibility for the Gene Michael card. Could it be from 1971 and against the Washington Senators?
It's possible the Gene Michael card could be from 1971, yes. I would have to look into the games the Senators played at Yankee Stadium and see if any of those are possibilities.
At 25:35 he's pitching to Bob Bailey I believe. Ron Hunt had a very severe choke up batting stance and the batter appears to be down near the knob. Hunt also stood more upright in the box. The batter is in a crouch. th-cam.com/video/gDDQdIXsUMs/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=ForeverExpos
As a follow up to all 10s!! Have you got an update. Memory Lane has to know something. Mint State! Is a curious bird having handled the magical seven ty Cobbs that turned into 8 and he has no store just magical post office box in Myrtle Beach!
No real update on the Only 10's Club. I was doing some research a couple years ago and stumbled onto a lot more of them. There are some examples of hundreds of 10's in a row. With Joe Orlando out of PSA I don't know if this perk is still being offered to certain dealers or not.
Yes, it looks like Freehan missed the tag, but the longer I look at it I wonder if Sanchez also missed the plate and the tag was applied after this photo was taken.
@@vintagecardcurator Celerino Sanchez had a brief but interesting career with the Yankees. After trading Clete Boyer to the Braves in the late 60's, the Yankees had a black hole at third base. They brought in Sanchez, after many other solutions failed, who was already a long time veteran in the Mexican League, and he briefly became a fan favorite in NY because of a flashy glove and a cool name. In 1972, the Yankees were in their first pennant race in my baseball watching career, being in the middle of a 4 team race (with the Red Sox, Tigers & Orioles) right up to the last two weeks of the season, and Celerino was one of the stars. Then over the winter, the Yankees traded for Graig Nettles, and that solved their 3rd base problem for 10 years, and also spelled the end for Celerino. Don't know why no other team picked him up. I think he showed enough to at least get a platoon or utility role for another team, but I guess he went back to Mexico, where he was a star.
This is only kinda-sorta related, but I was actively searching for ANY baseball card with a WOMAN on it. I know it sounds crazy … kind of a time-killing exercise. Turns out there are actually many, thanks to the game shots in these 1970s sets. Now I’m trying to locate the card with the clearest photo of a female. Most of them are just blurry dots in the crowd, but sometimes you can recognize a lady’s hairdo. Great research video by the way.
Good work. I don’t believe Dick Green is committing an error on his card though, making it even harder to date. Looks like a low throw was not handled but didn’t skip far away, and no one advanced. Not his error and maybe no error. A longshot, but maybe from 9/6/71, top of eighth, Messersmith batting.
Good sleuthing Todd! I think that is a definite possibility. Day game, fielder's choice. We don't know where the ball was hit...I guess there is not solid proof one way or another. I try to look for the situations where there is no other possibility. ha ha We need a little more detail in that photo.
@@vintagecardcurator I figured Messersmith bunting there after leadoff double, but lays down a poor bunt. Blefary, not really a catcher by trade, throws low trying to get the runner who chooses not to advance, but throw is low, everyone safe. Problem is, Green should be covering first if that was a bunt play, so who knows.
@@vintagecardcurator Your very welcome, I am truly amazed and in awe that you had not just the time, but the patience to perform the necessary research in putting together your last video, I felt like I was watching a forensic scientist at work, it was great and I couldn’t stop watching, your love of the sport of baseball and collecting really shined through. Thanks for doing what you do, Bill.
Most underrated sports card channel on TH-cam.
Thanks so much...appreciate that!
So well done. Thanks
As mentioned in a prior post, the 1973 Topps Baseball set was the first set I collected when I was seven years old. Every nickel and dime that passed through my hands went to buying these cards. I didn't just collect those cards, I studied them, memorized them. Front and back. A huge piece of my childhood. With that introduction, I can say with full confidence that this is one of the greatest videos ever posted on youtube. Impeccably researched - like a grad school level scientific research paper. Loved, LOVED this video. Kudos to the creator.
Thank you so much Anthony. I learned my research skills as a court investigator and honed them in grad. school. This felt very much like a grad school thesis! I had the binder set on my table for several months and referred to it often. Getting deep into those cards, like when we were kids, was the best way to recognize the patterns Topps was using. In some ways, I felt like a kid again! Thanks for your appreciation.
By the way, I received the album pictured in your avatar when i was 19 years old and played it until it wore out. @@vintagecardcurator
Fascinating. 1973 is my favorite Topps set of all. There's a mystique about it, and those cards are like "old friends." 1973 was the last year that Topps released the cards in series. Beginning in 1974, all the cards came out at one time, so you had the chance to get any player in any pack at any time of the year.
Thanks, it was a fun video to do and gave me much more appreciation for 1973 Topps.
Wow. The amount of research you put into the details and production of this video make me feel like I should be doing a lot more for mine! Thanks for telling the story.
It can be hard to balance things out. This project took me months, so I can't do content like this weekly. But once in a while it feels justified for the important stories.
The fully airbrushed Agee card that took place on 5/13/72 at Shea vs SF was the day before Willie Mays made his Mets debut and famously homered. I was at the 5/13 game featured on the card. Didn’t know that was the game on this card. Amazing! Thanks
Amazing story! Thanks for sharing that. I wish I could say I was at a game that was immortalized on a card.
This video is a real service to the hobby. The ultimate guide to this set. You bring out so much texture which heightens appreciation for this set. What a feat! And, truly entertaining. I was transfixed watching this video. Thank you!
Thanks Chuck! The response to the video has been very gratifying. I know '73 Topps is not a favored set for many, but I think there's enough in it that can be applied to whatever sets in that era people do like. I don't think I can look at any vintage set the same way again. Thanks for the comment and support!
On the Vida Blue card, the batter was Dave Nelson. I saw a video a few months ago with Vida before he passed away, and he was taking about his early cards and this card was actually discussed.
Oh wow, that's very cool. Thank you for that!
Going to be the most detailed vintage card video ever. Chat after the video should be fun!
Every time I watch one of these I think you’re going to figure out who shot JFK with your research ! Awesome job and very interesting and informative.
Thanks Al! This one was a real pleasure to research.
This is fascinating stuff! I have always been interested in taking notice what stadiums the card photos were taken. Pinning down the exact date of the photos is taking it a step further. Thank you for this video and please, keep them coming.
My favorite year! My best card of all time #1 Ruth Mays and Aaron
Thank you so much for your detailed research. You've breathed new life into my favorite set, this video is priceless!
I'm glad you liked it Darin. Quite a number of people have said in the comments that '73 is their favorite set. It didn't start out as one of my favorites, but I have a new level of appreciation for it now for sure.
This video is incredible. I don’t know how else to describe it!
Thanks so much Jake! Now these legends of '73 Topps won't ever die.
Amen to that brother!
Super Cool. 73 is my favorite and I recently completed it. I love that you documented these moments, it really provides a lot of context and brings them to life. Thanks.
Thanks Allen. It's funny how some of the moments have some drama to them (stealing home, inside-the-park home run, strikeout to end the game) and others are so ordinary. I can also appreciate how Topps was in the right place at the right time to capture some of these players. Without Topps we would have very little photo documentation of that era.
This may be the most awesome video I have ever seen..Honestly. The effort you put in was incredible!
Thanks so much for the kind words. Yes, it took me several months of research to put the video together. I even changed the dates after during more research and seeing clues I missed. It was the most intensive project I've ever done!
Simply put: Thank you.
You're welcome! It was a really fun project...glad collectors have gotten something out of it!
As Phil Rizzuto would say,"holy cow!". This was so great. I,too, was 13 when I collected this set and still have it. The best thing for me in your video is that I was at that October 1st doubleheader at Yankee Stadium with my Dad against the Indians. It was so cold that day and we drank a lot of hot chocolate. My father grew up in the Bronx and was a taxi driver. On the way to the Stadium on Jerome Avenue he would weave in and out of the elevated train support columns to impress me,lol! See what memories you awakened! Bravo to you!
Wow, that's a great connection. Although I am not a Yankee fan, I have a lot of appreciation for old Yankee Stadium. It must have been amazing to see a game there.
I used these resources to look up my first MLB game...Expos at Mets in 1975. I didn't realize it as a 9 year old but Woody Fryman pitched a one-hitter against the Mets.
@@vintagecardcurator Nice! Fryman was good. I did like Shea Stadium,too. Almost saw Ron Sheuler of the Braves no-hit them in '73 but Ron Hodges broke it up with one out in the ninth. Keep up with the great videos!
This is INCREDIBLE...please keep this going into other sets. My personal favorite/sentimental best '70s set is 1978 - I did some modest research and was able to ID dates for several of the action shots. Nothing like this though - great work!
Thanks Mark! I may do this for some games in the future. As you know, Topps would shoot a number of photos during one game so that would be an easier project and fun too.
I think I've seen someone break down the 1978 Lenny Randle card with Gene Richards. That's the one I most remember from that set.
@@vintagecardcurator Yes - the Len Randle image was snapped 7/31/77, and the Felix Millan card was from 7/17/77. This may inspire me to dig further into more of the images....
My man...You are a freak! lol Great job! The research was AMAZING!!!! LOVE IT. You would have made a fantastic detective!!!!!!!
This whole thing was fascinating to me. Great stuff sir.
Thank you...thanks for watching the whole thing!
Well done! Amazing job you've done for us here! What a treet!
You're welcome...I really enjoy this era of baseball and it was a pleasure to dig out the stories.
That is, my friend, great research!
Thank you Robert!
Thank you so much. Our hobby is lucky to have you.
Thanks Ronnie, but I get just as much out of the Hobby and what others have contributed. Happy to tell the story.
Thank you for the in depth research. This is my favorite set and I have built a few. 1972 the last season pitchers hit in the American League as the designated hitter would arrive in 1973. The last year Topps released the cards in series with high numbers 529 Milt May to 660 Fred Schermann. Numerous HOF members cards. Last Roberto Clemente card with his tragic death, but 3000 hits exactly. What did it for me was the position icons, including right hand pitcher background red and left hand pitcher background blue. All the action shots and a plain design change from the Psychedelic 1972 enormous number set. I really appreciate several of the videos you did for this set. Oh yes, Dave Hilton’s rookie card with Ron Cey and none other than Mike Schmidt. Thank you from the Islands of Hawaii.
Thanks Kenneth, I appreciate all that. I didn't realize the pitcher logos were different based on left/right handed. Nice that Topps threw that little detail in there.
A number of people put '73 Topps as the last of the true vintage sets and I've definitely come to appreciate it a lot more over the years.
Never occurred to me until now: right handed pitchers with the red circle and left handed pitchers with the blue circle...like American politics today.
RIGHT = RED
LEFT = BLUE
WOW! This is an amazing video. I have a new appreciation of action cards.
Thanks! I appreciate that feedback!
Check out 1971 Topps Baseball cards, you'll love the action cards and they were the first action cards year that Topps produced.
@@mikeanton8338 👍Thanks Mike.
WOW !! Very interesting !! . I was 13 and remember me and my friends talking about many card photos at the same place. Love the spring training ones with the cars, trees etc... great memories and I still have mine in kid collected condition LOL.
I didn't have many '73 Topps as a kid (I was 7 when they came out), so they had a certain mystique to them. That's probably what motivated me on this project...I wanted to get deep into '73 Topps and understand what Topps was doing.
Thanks for the comment!
I admire your attention to detail and your tenacity. I feel the same way about the 73 set in many ways. Excellent videos. I will explore your channel further.
You should do a "card roadshow" like on PBS -- and blow people away with the context you can provide around their treasured cards. Amazing what you are able to dig up to add color to these cards and this set. I'm glad someone out there is doing this.
Thanks! I have to hold myself back when I see some of these cards posted on Facebook groups and Instagram. I just want to say, "did you know that picture was taken on..." lol
The '73 Topps set always had some mystique to me because I was too young when it came out. This was a fun way to demystify it for me.
This is amazing research. Bravo.
Thanks so much!
Your analysis is amazing! I grew up in the 70's and still have all my 70's cards including the 1973 set. I used to love Topps cards back then because it seemed my home stadium of Shea were in so many card backrounds.Keep up the good work!
Thanks Mark! I grew up loving those Shea pictures too. As an adult Red Sox fan I've finally learned to appreciate the beauty of old Yankee Stadium too.
You are a great baseball detective.
Thanks!
Thanks for another fun video! This set brings back many memories, was the 5th year I was collecting and saved every nickel and dime to buy every pack I could
Thanks for the comment. I didn't collect '73 Topps as it was released, but this project really helped me appreciate the set and its unique contributions to the Hobby.
@@vintagecardcurator I'm a bit older and bought my first packs in 1969 when it was a nickel a pack for 5 cards. I was hooked right away and continued buying packs heavily until 1975. I began ordering full sets in 1976 through a card dealer Renata Galasow if I remember her spelling and stopped buying packs. I liked the 1972 and 1975 the best for design of those 7 years of sets I bought, but always have 1969 as my favorite because that was when I started
I’ve shared this video with friends. Such great detective work. Your videos are so educational. Thank you!
Thanks so much for that. The response to the video has been overwhelming!
im sure youre tired of hearing this but, HOW DO YOUR VIDEOS HAVE SO FEW VIEWS???
aside from youtube seemingly being run by north korea, i cant see why your videos arent hitting the algorithm. your channel and the "Grimes Time" channel are criminally underrated. love your stuff, keep em coming youll get there!!
Hi, thanks for the compliment. I think my material is very niche related. I used a similar format on another channel I have, but instead did a video on a pop music song, and it got over 100,000 views. I think the subject matter is the reason views are low.
@@vintagecardcuratorwhat pop music video? I’m a huge fan of both music and baseball from the 80s
This....video...was...amazing
Thank you so much!
That, sir, was some yeoman detective work. Very well done!
Thanks! I appreciate you watching and commenting!
The 1973 set was my first year collecting baseball, and 1972 was my first year at football. Both sets are pretty notable. Thanks to the limited late series for both, you have an extremely valuable Mike Schmidt rookie and a lot of good high-number cards on the baseball side. On the football side, you have the rarest high-series set that I know of, creating little bizarre situations like the one where Steve Spurrier's rookie card is actually more valuable than Roger Staubach's. Both are also very classic and distinctive designs.
The 1974 baseball set is also a favorite, but 1975 was fantastic. That one was a real oddball.
Baseball Card CSI, love it!
It definitely felt like CSI at times. I have a background in court investigations and that helped tremendously. lol
Very cool, I probably bought more cards in ‘73 at age 9 than any other year. This was really fun, good work!
Keith, this is Too Good! The details are impeccable here! To get the facts that you present here, would take a ton of research. If Every baseball video was THIS GOOD, I would never get off TH-cam! My Goodness!! Excellent for us Baseball NUTS!
Thanks Todd. It took a lot of time to get it right. I can't tell you how many times I went back and forth on certain players and found information at the 11th hour and had to change the video. I really want the video to be a resource for collectors and fans of '73 Topps. I appreciate the response from you and others...makes it worthwhile to see people love this era of cards as much as I do.
@@vintagecardcurator Keith, I can honestly say that it was one of the best Baseball Card videos I have ever seen! So well done and I'm as big a fan of the Boys Of Summer as you are!
incredible! obviously a lot of work. only complaint is that now I want to.put together a 73 set.
ha, thanks! The '73 set isn't a bad one to put together. The cards are mostly reasonably priced and readily available. And now you know the story behind so many of them!
Very impressive investigative reporting!
thanks!
This is one of the most unique videos I’ve ever seen on youtube. Just fascinating. I love 73 and 74 topps photography because sometimes there were so many players in the dang photo, you couldn’t tell who was who hahaha! The way you matched cards to actual plays, events, and videos is just so entertaining !!! Thank you !!
Thanks...I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was definitely a fun project and fulfilling to have the dates/games identified for all-time.
This was so well researched and I thoroughly enjoyed your research. I can obviously tell you put a lot of work in this. Saw my favorite card, Bobby Bonds. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thanks Rick! it was definitely a labor of love, but I know a lot of other collectors feel the same way I do about the cards/sets of this era.
When I was a kid I put that Bonds card in my binder album too. I always thought there was something special about it.
Rick, this guy is amazing!
@@ericbauer9029 Isn't he fascinating? Brings such a different perspective to card collecting!
Wow the amount of information that was presented was nothing short of impressive, I'm stoked to get more indepth and research baseball statistics and photo match to certain games, 😊, my hats off to you my good man , cheers
Absolutely awesome video. Certainly a time consuming effort. Great set!! One I am finishing up putting together as we speak.
Thanks Kevin...yes, it took a while, but it was worth it to tell the story. It's a fun set to put together...there is literally a story on every binder page!
Fabulous work! Worth every minute, thank you!
Thank you! I looked at the numbers and after 10 minutes 70% of viewers have tuned out...so I appreciate you watching every minute!
I can't wait for this!!
thanks! I'll be in the chat box for a while once the video goes live if you have any questions.
Excellent work and a great video. Thank you!
Thanks for the comment!
Love your videos! Great research.
thanks so much!
Amazing research and an important contribution. Just a little correction on two of the pronunciations: Curt Blefary's last name is pronounced BLEH-free. Also with Bob Aspromonte it's: Az-pro-MON-tay. Anyway, great job!
wow, thanks for that. I didn't get a chance to watch either of them play. I should have done more due diligence on the pronunciations. It grates me when I hear people do it!
@@vintagecardcurator Hey, what you did was amazing. Sometimes with names, if you haven't heard one, it can get "lost in translation". I actually rechecked the Aspromonte pronounciation and it seems the last syllable is actually pronounced, "tee" - so As-pro-MON-tee. Maybe it can be pronounced both ways. But anyway, I figured you would want to know as you are such an excellent researcher.
I keep coming back to this video, great work! You really did your research and it shows. 1973 Topps is one of my favorite sets and I am glad it is showcased here.
Thanks Chris! It was a labor of love; I’m glad other collectors have enjoyed it.
Wow! What amazing detective work. I love the 73 set.
Thanks so much Robert. Glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing info on this and the the prior 1973 Topps vid- thanks!
That was outstanding!!! Thanks for all of the work.
Thank you for the comment!
Hey VCC, glad to see that my research on the 1973 Ellie Rodriguez card helped you out, and that you linked my own video in your references. I know it is 21 minutes long, but I did do a lot of research on it to show those photos were taken on 6-17-72, and that the photo really IS ELLIE RODRIGUEZ.
Thanks for the good work on that video. A lot of work had already been done decoding the set. I'm glad the community has this knowledge now.
Interesting thing about the Tommie Agee card is that although it is obviously a paint job, all three Met players on the card played for the Astros during their careers. But never at the same time. Staub, of course, started with the Astros (or, actually, the Colt .45s) back in the 60's. Agee played for them in 73, after the trade that forced Topps to airbrush his uniform for this card. If I remember correctly, Agee didn't even last that season with the Astros because I think on his 1974 card he was with St. Louis. Agee's career took a real nosedive after Gil Hodges died, because, I believe from what I've read, Hodges was a real mentor to Agee and his biggest supporter with the team, having pushed for the Mets to acquire Agee from the White Sox when Hodges moved to the Mets from managing in the American League with the Washington Senators in 1968 . Boswell played for the Astros in the late 70's & early 80's, mostly, if I recall correctly, as a pinch hit specialist. He was a Texas boy, so went home to finish his career.
One thing I would dispute, though mildly, is I think on the Gene Michael card, that's the Indians, not the White Sox. I was a White Sox fan growing up, right around this time, so had my own kiddie sized White Sox ball cap. The shade of red is more like the Indians. The White Sox shade was brighter, almost a little orange, and I think I see black mixed in there, like the Indians' "C" was black. I'm not sure, but that's my impression.
It seems by 1973, Topps was moving further afield to get pictures for their cards. Even a couple of pictures in St. Louis & Cleveland. In earlier years, it looks like almost all the pictures were taken either in spring training or the local New York Stadiums, Yankee & Shea, and, in the 50's, the Polo Grounds or Ebbets Field. The Polo Grounds made a comeback in the early 60's when the Mets played there, and most National League cards from 63-65 were taken there. I think those were better backdrops than the boring Oakland Coliseum or Candlestick Park, which were probably the two worst stadiums in baseball at the time.
Thanks for the comment and sharing those stories about the game!
The Cleveland C is what I was keyed in on. On the road uniforms it's dark and doesn't have the white in like the White Sox lettering. I will have to go back and see what the Indians games at Yankee Stadium looked like to see if it's possible that was an Indians game.
From my research it seems like Topps didn't have one chief photographer until Sy Berger hired Doug McWilliams in 1971. They must have been using freelancers in the NY area in those early years and used other freelancers for the games in the midwest. With the games in Chicago and Milwaukee, my guess is the photographer was in Chicago one day and Milwaukee the next. Maybe the same one shot the St. Louis game too. I wish there were more people from Topps around from that era to tell us.
I don't have any sets before 1968. I wonder how Topps shot spring training in those days?
@@vintagecardcuratorcurious to know where we can find any more information on photographer Doug McWilliams
Fantastic job. Thanks for your work!
Thank you ! Great insight on those vintage cards !!
Thank you!
Fantastic research and video. Excellent! I was hoping you knew the batter in the Vida Blue card but at least you identified the team for me.
Someone who knows that era a lot better than I, especially a Rangers fan, could probably ID that player!
watching these again. fantastic effort on this set which while flawed is cool all things considered.
Could the Dick Green card actually be a photo of Sal Bando mishandling a grounder at Third Base? There’s a faint white line that could be a baseline, and the face sure resembles Bando. But the hair seems a tad lighter than Sal, and the single digit number on the uni seems more like a 1 (Green) than a 6 but tough to tell. Just throwing that out there.
That's a good theory. I just don't have the time anymore to go down these rabbit holes. I'd still like to solve that one though.
Welcome to 'CSI: Topps '73'... seriously though, impressive sleuthing!
Thanks Ken, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Really cool channel
Love the 70s cards
The mustache video was interesting..this video was fun to watch ..😎⚾️💙
Thanks...thanks for watching the videos!
This video was riveting, thank you. I haven't left a comment on a video in a long time.
#456 Dick Green. It doesn't look like a Dick Green error to me. It looks like a stolen base attempt. You probably have a healthy idea of what 1971 games they shot at, maybe look at the stolen bases? If there is a stolen base + E2 then you're money. Of course there's a chance the runner thought better of it and retreated to first.
As I was watching along in chronological order I was greatly anticipating that at the end we'd be sneaking into 1973 photos, which didn't happen. Sometimes throughout you spoke as if 1972 (and sometimes 1971) games were the only ones to be considered, and I wondered about early 1973. How long did you consider this possibility before ruling out that they didn't do it that way? Do you know when the last card series was issued? Up until watching your video I'd always had a fantasy that they'd gotten this great last minute photo for #627 Luis Alvarado from 1973 spring training and snuck it in.
Thanks for the comments! I sent Dick Green a copy of that card for his autograph and asked him if he knew where it was taken. He didn't reply. :(
The stolen base idea is a good one. That would take some time, but I could start with the 1972 games that were known to have photographs from.
I actually never thought about any of those cards coming from 1973 before. I think this is because 1) Topps used so many 1971 photos that they were relying on past material more than getting current and 2) it seems like the 1972 set didn't have many 1972 photos in them. I just assumed that Topps had perhaps gotten lazy and not gone to the trouble of trying to get current photos to include in the sets.
I'd have to really look more at 1972 Topps to see what their practice was. In the last series there are still a lot of airbrushed shots, indicating that they didn't bother to try to get correct photos after the 1971 season. But there are a number of photos that were certainly taken in spring training 1972: the entire Traded subset in particular. I see the Hoyt Wilhelm card was definitely taken at spring training 1972. He was with the Cubs in spring training 1971. So Topps was shooting spring training, 1972, with some of those shots appearing in the 1972 set. But the practice doesn't appear to be that widespread. Why didn't they get a correct shot of Nolan Ryan? My theory is that they only went to select spring training games to get photos of the top stars that had changed teams for 1972.
I could look at some of those 1973 photos and see if I can exclude them from any 1973 game to check your hypothesis. Might be tough with spring training photos as box scores are tough to come by.
Another rabbit hole project if I had the time!
@@vintagecardcurator LOL maybe a working theory is they did same-season shots in 1970, (lots of makeup shots from the pictureless 1969), 1971 (#650 Dick Allen at least), and 1972, but started cutting back in 1973 and certainly beyond (thinking about the 1974 and 1976 traded sets). Budgets must have been tight.
This is awesome
Thanks!
Your stuff is amazing.
Very interesting
yes, I think there's a lot interesting behind the scenes of these old sets.
Ok, I am little behind the live feed but I am just watching the John Ellis info on the 1971 game.
Nicely done! Your research is terrific!
Thanks, I appreciate that!
Amazing you discovered all this info !! 🤙🏻🤙🏻
Thanks, it was a definitely a fun project! Discovering one piece of the puzzle sustained me to keep going and digging.
Wow. Thank you for all your research!
Thanks for the comment. I appreciate that other collectors find the research useful.
Great video , absolutely love that set.
Thanks a lot Craig!
Great information thanks for sharing
Great research! Job well done.
@ 14:53... Since this 1973 Topps Jim Kaat card is a high number from the last series, #530, and the fact that the AL adopted the DH in 1973... is this the last vintage Topps card showing an AL Pitcher batting? Interleague play started in 1997 so obviously there might be some modern cards of AL Pitchers batting... but this might be the last one of this era? Or is it possibly the only card showing an AL Pitcher batting from this era?
Good question...I think it would be the last vintage card with an AL pitcher batting. But I can't think of any other card period with a pitcher shown batting (I stopped collecting in 1981 so there may be some in the junk wax era).
Jim Kaat was considered to be a good hitting pitcher, as I remember. Looking up his record, he had 16 home runs in his career, including a couple after the DH was put in, but after he went to the NL with the Phillies.
I always thought it was weird that the Joe Coleman posed photo showed him holding a bat. Would he and the Jim Kaat card be the only ones in the set that reference a pitcher also being a batter?
great post - well done!
Awesome video of my favorite TBB card year, do this with TBB 1971 would love sweet!
I might do some pieces of '71 as there are some definite patterns there that are all part of one game...the one where the A's are playing at Yankee Stadium immediately stands out.
I'll be very interested to see, love your research, brings new perspectives to these great early 70's Topps action cards.
5:47 BRILLIANT. i love this kinda stuff
Wow, brings back memories from when i was a youngster buying cards then ,i think wax packs were 5 cents.
Thanks!
Wow, thank you Al! I so appreciate your support and friendship!
@@vintagecardcurator you bet. Great channel and work.
Wow, you are simply amazing! Great research! Opened a ton of these packs as a kid and this brings back great memories. Just wondering what are your favorite 3 sets of the 70’s?
Thanks for the feedback!
My top three sets would be: 1972, 1975 and 1971, in any kind of order. I'm working on building HOF graded sets for each.
Great work here, I really enjoy seeing this. There is a different possibility for the Gene Michael card. Could it be from 1971 and against the Washington Senators?
It's possible the Gene Michael card could be from 1971, yes. I would have to look into the games the Senators played at Yankee Stadium and see if any of those are possibilities.
YOUR CLARK AND ODOM CARDS ARE FROM JULY 25,1972...YOU CAN TELL BY TRACING SOME OF THE FANS IN EACH CARD.
Thanks! I'll check that.
I have that Reggie card bought back in 73
At 25:35 he's pitching to Bob Bailey I believe. Ron Hunt had a very severe choke up batting stance and the batter appears to be down near the knob. Hunt also stood more upright in the box. The batter is in a crouch. th-cam.com/video/gDDQdIXsUMs/w-d-xo.html&ab_channel=ForeverExpos
Dude I was 10 in 73 and I bought probably my first 50 packs of cards with my chore money 💰🙂
Great memories!
As a follow up to all 10s!! Have you got an update. Memory Lane has to know something. Mint State! Is a curious bird having handled the magical seven ty Cobbs that turned into 8 and he has no store just magical post office box in Myrtle Beach!
No real update on the Only 10's Club. I was doing some research a couple years ago and stumbled onto a lot more of them. There are some examples of hundreds of 10's in a row. With Joe Orlando out of PSA I don't know if this perk is still being offered to certain dealers or not.
30:23... Freehan has the ball in his hand.
Yes, it looks like Freehan missed the tag, but the longer I look at it I wonder if Sanchez also missed the plate and the tag was applied after this photo was taken.
@@vintagecardcurator Celerino Sanchez had a brief but interesting career with the Yankees. After trading Clete Boyer to the Braves in the late 60's, the Yankees had a black hole at third base. They brought in Sanchez, after many other solutions failed, who was already a long time veteran in the Mexican League, and he briefly became a fan favorite in NY because of a flashy glove and a cool name. In 1972, the Yankees were in their first pennant race in my baseball watching career, being in the middle of a 4 team race (with the Red Sox, Tigers & Orioles) right up to the last two weeks of the season, and Celerino was one of the stars. Then over the winter, the Yankees traded for Graig Nettles, and that solved their 3rd base problem for 10 years, and also spelled the end for Celerino. Don't know why no other team picked him up. I think he showed enough to at least get a platoon or utility role for another team, but I guess he went back to Mexico, where he was a star.
This is only kinda-sorta related, but I was actively searching for ANY baseball card with a WOMAN on it. I know it sounds crazy … kind of a time-killing exercise. Turns out there are actually many, thanks to the game shots in these 1970s sets. Now I’m trying to locate the card with the clearest photo of a female. Most of them are just blurry dots in the crowd, but sometimes you can recognize a lady’s hairdo.
Great research video by the way.
Sounds like a cool project. I always found the crowd shots to be unclear and out of focus. I’d love to see what you find.
@@vintagecardcurator 1973 Bill Freehan is the best I’ve found so far. Probably a lot more in modern cards, but I’m only interested in vintage
Good work. I don’t believe Dick Green is committing an error on his card though, making it even harder to date. Looks like a low throw was not handled but didn’t skip far away, and no one advanced. Not his error and maybe no error. A longshot, but maybe from 9/6/71, top of eighth, Messersmith batting.
Good sleuthing Todd! I think that is a definite possibility. Day game, fielder's choice. We don't know where the ball was hit...I guess there is not solid proof one way or another. I try to look for the situations where there is no other possibility. ha ha We need a little more detail in that photo.
@@vintagecardcurator I figured Messersmith bunting there after leadoff double, but lays down a poor bunt. Blefary, not really a catcher by trade, throws low trying to get the runner who chooses not to advance, but throw is low, everyone safe. Problem is, Green should be covering first if that was a bunt play, so who knows.
Amazing work as always. This is a MUST SUBSCRIBE CHANNEL if you like baseball or card collecting.
Wow, thank you for that high praise!
Wow
Impressive sleuthing!
Thank you!
Boy you have to have some good eyesight
Its pronounced Curt Blef free not Blef fairy
INSANE amount of research needed for this video. How do you even find a box score from a ST game from 50 years ago?
@@Aubreykrendale I had to go into Newspapers.com to find it in the Florida papers.
The John Ellis card is horrendously airbrushed.
Thanks!
Thank you so much for your generosity Darin!
Thanks!
Thanks for your generosity and support!
Thanks!
Thank you so much for your generosity! It really helps motivate me to do projects like this!
@@vintagecardcurator Your very welcome, I am truly amazed and in awe that you had not just the time, but the patience to perform the necessary research in putting together your last video, I felt like I was watching a forensic scientist at work, it was great and I couldn’t stop watching, your love of the sport of baseball and collecting really shined through. Thanks for doing what you do, Bill.