Topps 1970s Baseball Cards Ranked: Murray, Clemente, Aaron, Munson Sales and PSA Data
A ranking reportedly covers seven iconic 1970s baseball cards. The four visible entries, No. 7 to No. 4, come with record sales and PSA data.
A ranking of seven baseball cards of the 1970s has reportedly been published, and the four entries visible so far are all Topps cards. They are the 1978 Topps Eddie Murray #36, the 1973 Topps Roberto Clemente #50, the 1974 Topps Hank Aaron #1, and the 1971 Topps Thurman Munson #5. Placement on the list depends on a blend of factors: how well known a card is in the hobby, what it sells for, how popular it is, how it looks, and how much it has mattered to collectors over time.
In a separate report, 1969 is named as the year Mickey Mantle's last Topps card from his time as an active player came out. Mantle continued to turn up in other sets, such as a 1977 TCMA set. In the 1970s, Tom Collier and Mike Aronstein launched TCMA cards, a line that focused on vintage reprints and minor league cards.
1970s Baseball Cards Ranking: No. 7 to No. 4
No. 7: 1978 Topps Eddie Murray #36
In the bottom right corner, this rookie card shows the gold 'Topps All-Star Rookie' trophy logo. Murray is one of seven players in the 500 Home Run and 3,000 Hit club, alongside Hank Aaron, Albert Pujols, Willie Mays, Miguel Cabrera, Alex Rodriguez, and Rafael Palmeiro.
- All-time high: $59,040 for a PSA 10, sold via Goldin on March 8th, 2021
- Recent PSA 9 price: $1,508
- Recent PSA 8 price: $225
- PSA population: 17,309, including 18 PSA 10s
No. 6: 1973 Topps Roberto Clemente #50
Design work and print scheduling for this card were done before Clemente's death in a plane crash on December 31st, 1972, which happened as he was delivering aid to Nicaraguan earthquake victims. Topps went ahead with the release on schedule, and the photo on it is known as a 'sunset shot'.
- All-time high: $105,000 for a PSA 10, sold via Heritage Auctions on January 27, 2023
- Recent PSA 9 price: $3,295
- Recent PSA 8 price: $340
- PSA population: 10,064, including 8 PSA 10s
No. 5: 1974 Topps Hank Aaron #1
The set arrived in January of 1974, at a point when Aaron stood at 713 career home runs, one shy of Babe Ruth's 714. Even so, the front of the card carries the words 'New All-Time Home Run King'.
Aaron also received the first six cards in the set from Topps, among them a tribute that shows his first four Topps cards.
- All-time high: $23,299 for a PSA 10, sold via PWCC on July 19th, 2016
- Recent PSA 9 price: $8,235
- Recent PSA 8 price: $510
- PSA population: 5,460, with one PSA 10
No. 4: 1971 Topps Thurman Munson #5
Despite the 'All-Star Rookie' label, this is not Munson's rookie card. Instead, it marks his first solo card and honors his 1970 American League Rookie of the Year season; it is also among the first in-game action photos used on a Topps base card.
- All-time high: $199,999 for a PSA 9, sold via Heritage Auctions on May 13, 2022
- Recent PSA 9 price: $192,000
- Recent PSA 8 price: $7,200
- PSA population: 6,140, with no PSA 10s
Why the 1974 Topps Set Matters
Up to 1973, Topps split its yearly baseball set into several series that came out over the course of the season. With the 1974 set, all 660 cards of the main set arrived together, which ended a practice that had run since 1952.
In 1969, small gatherings of collectors took place, and these helped pave the way for a bigger public card convention in Detroit in 1970, another milestone of the decade.
What Topps Is Doing Now
Topps' modern calendar is busy. Presales for Stadium Club Basketball 2025-26 are reportedly set for October 27, 2026.
What it means for collectors
- Population counts differ widely: the Murray has 18 PSA 10s, the Aaron has one, and the Munson has none.
- Grade matters: the Clemente PSA 9 sits at $3,295 and the Munson PSA 9 at $192,000.
- All figures are reported, not confirmed by Topps.
What is still unknown
- Which cards rank No. 3, No. 2, and No. 1 is not shown.
- Whether Mantle's last Topps card is ranked is not stated.
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