1977-78 Topps Basketball Cards

By Patrick Mondout

When you've just created the best set of basketball cards you've ever produced, how do you top it? It seems Topps really didn't try. The '77-78 set is a standard sized set of 132 cards with only one unusual characteristic: cards can be found with both the normal grey cards stock and white card stock, which is noticeable on the backs of the cards. Neither carries much of a premium, but collectors definitely appreciate the white card stock given a choice.

The cut back all the way to 132 cards (from 330 as recently as 1975) means there are no subsets at all; an all-star logo is provided for the standard cards (see the David Thompson card on the right) of honored players instead of a separate card as in the past. 

Though not as colorful or airbrushed, the cards are perhaps most reminiscent of the '72-73 set, with team names at the bottom whose letters get successively bigger. Like the '77 Topps baseball cards, there is nothing really to hate about the set, nor is there anything about the design that makes it irresistible. 

This set features rookie cards of Adrian Dantley, Robert Parrish, John Lucas, and Darryl "Chocolate Thunder" Dawkins (one of most colorful characters in the history of the game and one of the first to go straight from high school to the pros).

Here's a checklist:

1977-78 Topps at a Glance Back Adrian Dantley Wax Pack

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