1973 Topps Baseball Cards
The 1973 Topps baseball card set was pruned back to 660 cards, no doubt much to collectors' relief, and possibly as a result of a public outcry about the previous years' humongous sets.
Card fronts featured player photos surrounded by a thin, black, round-edged border, with a small cartoon silhouette (black against a color circle) at the lower right showing the player's position, and the player's name and team in white at the bottom, with a white border around the edges of the card.
Card backs featured a horizontal cartoon about the player's career along the top; the block below this had the card number in a baseball-shaped circle, with the player's name and basic biographical info. The main block taking up the bottom 2/3 of the card (with yellow background) was taken up with career statistics and a paragraph about the player's career. The card backs were black-bordered.
The 'specialty' cards in this set included statistical leaders, coaches and managers cards, statistical leaders, playoff and World Series highlights, and a second group of Boyhood Photos.
The first card in this set is a popular one with collectors, featuring Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Hank Aaron as All-Time Home Run Leaders.
Prominent players in this set include Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, Rich Gossage (rookie), Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson, Willie Mays, Johnny Bench, and Mike Schmidt (rookie).