Collectors looking for a set that has a heaping helping of solid rookie cards, a nice roster of Hall of Famers and a price that isn’t sky high have always appreciated the simple charms of the 1975 Topps football set.
This week’s edition of Vintage Pack Facts in cooperation with VintageBreaks.com offers a look back at how these somewhat underrated cards made their way into the hands of collectors young and old at a time when the NFL was fast becoming the international juggernaut we know today.
- There weren’t a lot of big changes to Topps football cards in the mid-1970s. They stuck with the 528-card format in ’75 and for the third straight year of many to come there was only one series. The set opened with a group of statistical leader cards and there were cards to commemorate All-Pros and highlights from performances in the 1974 season.
- Good rookie cards? ’75 has them in abundance: Lynn Swann, Dan Fouts, Joe Theismann, Cliff Branch, Rocky Bleier, Drew Pearson and Mel Blount, just to name a few. The list of Hall of Famers is a long one, headed by Roger Staubach, Franco Harris, Fran Tarkenton, Terry Bradshaw and Ken Stabler.
- A PSA Gem Mint 10 #282 Lynn Swann (Pop 12) sold for $5,405 in August 2018.
- Topps increased the capacity of its wax boxes in ’75, going from 24 packs in ’74 to what became the standard–36 packs–in ’75. Prices had gone up the year before and remained at 15 cents for a 10-card wax pack. Cello packs had two fewer cards for your quarter–just 18. Rack pack prices jumped from 39 cents to 49 cents but you received 42 cards instead of 36. It was still a punch to the gut, considering that just two years earlier, young folks got 54 cards for the 39 cent price. Topps sold vending cases to dealers and vending machine companies, with each case containing 24 500-count boxes for under $100.
- Wax packs contained a scratch-off game card, which was touted on the front of the wax wrapper.
- The back of each wax pack wrapper contained offers for a sports card locker, a checklist sheet or an invitation to join the Topps Sports Card Club.
- A complete 1975 Topps football wax box sold earlier this month on eBay for $6,930.
- Vintage Breaks is currently offering spots in a rack pack break at $15 each.
- You can watch some wax, cello and rack pack breaks of ’75 Topps football here.
You can learn more about participating in vintage pack breaks—or just watch—by visiting VintageBreaks.com.
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Vintage Pack Facts: 1976 Topps Football
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