As expected, the top cards from this decade are dominated by rookie cards and also unsurprisingly the list is dominated by Topps pieces, with the company really having a stranglehold on the hobby during these earlier days.
1975 Topps Robin Yount RC #223
Robin Yount spent 20 years with the Milwaukee Brewers, where he broke all sorts of franchise records and is hailed as a legend in the city.
His career is best summed up by the two American League MVP awards he won, one in 1982 and the other in 1989. Yount was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1999.
Another Topps card, this time with a full body picture of Yount leaning on his knees, surrounded by an orange and brown border. This is one of the most sought-after cards in the whole hobby, and in gem mint 10 condition will easily cost well into the tens of thousands, but lower condition cards might be more accessible.
1970 Topps Rookie Stars Yankees Thurman Munson and Dave McDonald #189
This card features Thurman Munson, who went on to spend the whole of the ‘70s in the famous colors of the New York Yankees, helping them to two World Series victories. Munson also appeared in 7 All-Star games, was named 1970 American League Rookie of the Year as well as 1976 American League MVP.
The card also features first baseman Dave McDonald who did not go on to have much of a pro career at all, and all of the value in the card is held because it is the only one available of Munson from the season that he was named Rookie of the Year.
This is another card that has high population but does not grade particularly well so in top condition it will cost top money, but in lesser conditions is a lot more affordable.
1971 Topps Thurman Munson RC #5
Unlike the last card, this features just Munson on his own. It is horizontally printed, with a black border and Munson mid game in the centre in front of a full crowd. It features a printed autograph, and a mock Rookie of the Year trophy as nice additional details.
This card has the official designation of a rookie card, but is not technically from his rookie year, which does not particularly affect the value of this piece but does boost the value of the 1970 dual player card.
Due to both a black border and severe centering issues, this card has never been found by PSA to be in top condition, and only a select few have even made it to be graded PSA 9. In this condition they easily surpass 5 figures, so if one ever shows up in PSA 10 then it could go off the charts.
1971 Topps Steve Garvey RC #341
Steve Garvey is possibly one of the best baseball players ever to not be elected to the Hall of Fame, after failing to gain the votes needed on 15 separate occasions. He holds the National League record for most consecutive games played, as well as playing in 10 All-Star games and being elected National League MVP in 1974.
The card features Garvey in the centre, with a black border and printed autograph in a typical Topps design from the era. If the experts do not appreciate Garvey enough to elect him to the Hall of Fame, this card is certainly proof that the fans do, with a value exceeding £20,000 when it is found in gem mint 10 condition.
It is however another big example of how cars from this decade just do not grade very well, with the black border and centering being two of the biggest issues experienced. There have been just 2 found in mint condition, but the population in lesser condition is good which makes them a lot more affordable.