1976 Topps Baseball

By Patrick Mondout

After producing one of their most colorful baseball sets ever in 1975, Topps returned with a slightly more subdued set in '76 with more of and emphasis on the photo. This is generally welcomed by collectors, though an even more attractive set was briefly produced that year with much greater emphasis on the photography.

The cards were distributed in 15¢ wax packs containing 10 cards and the ubiquitous slab of pink bubblegum. Twenty-five cent cello packs containing 17 cards, 49¢ rack packs containing 42 cards, and 500-count vending boxes were also produced..

Topps continued having a large number of subsets, including another set of father/son cards. These cards featured a miniature version of one of the Topps cards for the father and a current photo of the son (see below). There were only two cards this year to cover both league championships and the World Series. That is unfortunate considering the '75 series was a classic; a card featuring Carlton Fisk waving his shot fair would have been most welcome. There was also a 10 card set featuring The Sporting News All-Time All-Stars, featuring the 10 greatest white players from the pre-Jackie Robinson days (though that is certainly not how it was marketed).

Bubblicious or frivolous? Topps even found space for a "1975 Joe Garagiola/Bazooka Bubble Gum Blowing Champ" card! And to think Fleer was criticized a decade later for showing Glenn Hubbard with a boa constrictor.

The only rookie of any interest is Dennis Eckersley. Ironically, his card was worth little more than a common as late as 1986. Others that didn't quite live up to their initial promise or play long enough include Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Larry Parrish, Mike Flanagan, Jerry Remy, Chet Lemon, Ellis Valentine and Lyman Bostock (the latter was tragically shot to death in 1978). This lack of rookies made this among the least popular sets of the decade throughout the next decade.

The second set of "traded" cards was released in late-season packs, but is not considered part of this set.

A checklist for all 660 cards is available here.

1976 Topps at a Glance Back Checklist Wax Pack Father/Son League Leaders All-Time Leaders Rookies Record Breakers Team

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