Five Essential World Series Cards of the 1970s
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It took 162 regular season games played over six months, a wild card round, four division series, and two league championship series to get here, but the World Series is finally upon us. With the Fall Classic, of course, comes a champion, which is of course the point. However, nearly as exciting for collectors is the fact that the World Series also comes with its own baseball cards.
These days, such cards, thanks to Topps NOW, deliver near-immediate gratification and nostalgia for moments that just happened, but this was hardly the case half a century ago. Back in the Hobby's Paleozoic era, World Series cards required collectors, in what was an eternity in kid years, to "wait 'til next year!" for the new season's set. Still, here are five 1970s World Series cards that were well worth the wait.
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1970 Topps "World Champions"
The first Topps World Series card of the 1970s paid tribute to the "Miracle Mets," whose transformation from laughingstocks to World Champs remains one of baseball's all-time great "zero to hero" stories. Not technically part of the 1970 Topps World Series subset, this card is a lesson to collectors everywhere that no dream is too far out of reach when combined with hope, heart, hustle, and a pitching staff that includes Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, and Jerry Koosman.
1971 Topps "B. Robinson Commits Robbery!"
This Topps classic takes home the trophy more or less unopposed in the category of "so bad it's good." At first glance, the image appears to be that of a baseball player crawling through the Sahara desert or perhaps space-dropped onto Mars. Could Topps have found a better photo to honor one of the greatest two-way performances in Fall Classic history? Undoubtedly! But would we remember the card today outside of Baltimore? Maybe not.
1972 Topps "Manny Trio"
The 1971 World Series MVP, appropriately enough was "The Great One," Roberto Clemente. Still, try telling this to a kid who only knew about the Bucs championship from their trading card collections. In the span of three cards from the Topps World Series subset, they'd have Manny going airborne in full catcher's gear, Manny sliding home like he was Trea Turner, and Manny leading the team celebration. With apologies to the future Cubs/Phillies infielder, these three cards are the Hobby's ultimate "Manny Trio!"
1974 Topps World Series feat. Willie Mays
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At least a few kids on the block pulled this card in 1974 largely unimpressed by the "action shot" of a Mets batter taking a check swing. Of course, the uncredited player is none other than the legendary Willie Mays on what would serve as his Topps "career capper." Though 42 years old for the 1973 postseason, the Say Hey Kid's .300 average that October topped all five of his previous trips to the postseason (1948, 1951, 1954, 1962, 1971).
1975 Topps "A's Do It Again!"
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One on hand, this card celebrates one of the sport's truly phenomenal achievements, the Three-Peat, which to date has only been accomplished by the New York Yankees (multiple times) and the 1972-1974 Oakland A's. On the other hand, the card attained cult status for an entirely different reason, namely a fabled but ultimately off-base MC Hammer cameo. The theory was plausible enough since Hammer was not just a batboy but an executive vice president with the Oakland ballclub in 1974.
MC Hammer, whose real name is Stanley Kirk Burrell, was a bat boy for the Oakland Athletics from 1973 to 1980. He got his nickname "Hammer" from the players because of his resemblance to Hank Aaron. pic.twitter.com/ZDM6AydMUZ
— BaseballHistoryNut (@nut_history) October 19, 2025
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However, no more authoritative source than MC Hammer himself clarified in September 2022 that the young man to Reggie's left on the card is in fact Hammer's older brother Chris.
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.