1975 Topps Baseball Cards

The 1974 Topps baseball card set continued the trend of 660 cards from the past two years.

Card fronts for this set featured an odd two-color design, with the border split into two halves, top and bottom, each a different solid color. The player team sat at the top in faux-3D lettering, with the player's photograph (with overlaid signature) beneath; at the bottom was the player's name, with his position given inside a baseball-shaped (star-shaped if the player was an All-Star) block to the right.

Card backs featured 'watermelon' colors, with the player biographical information and a small cartoon in two-tone red at the top; below this was the card number, player name, and career statistics (also a biographical paragraph, if space warranted) in green ink.

Specialty cards in this set included '74 Highlights, multi-player rookie cards (which this year featured 4 players), manager cards, statistical leaders, and a set of MVP cards reproducing (or fabricating) contemporary cards for past MVP winners.

This is a popular set, with its unique color design and impressive number of rookie cards.

A miniature 'test' version of this set also exists; these cards measure 2-1/4"x3-1/8", and other than their size, are indistinguishable from the regular set. The mini cards and set are priced higher than the regular set, generally.

Prominent players in the 1974 set include: Thurmon Munson, Brooks Robinson, Dave Winfield, Robin Yount (rookie), George Brett (rookie), Johnny Bench, Carl Yastrzemski, Pete Rose, Nolan Ryan, and Hank Aaron.