Topps was pretty much the only option for basketball cards throughout the ’70’s and this 1969-70 set started things off. Before this set, there were really only three main sets that made sporadic appearances, the 1948 Bowman, the 1957-58 Topps and the ’61-62 Fleer. Then there were years of inactivity until a Topps test set in 1968 followed by this 99-card, reemergence of the hobby. And what a showing it was! Obviously, the Lew Alcindor/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar rookie card is the highlight of the set. In fact, he might have been the inspiration for Topps to bring back basketball cards. They knew he would energize the popularity of the NBA, making sure to include him in this set before he ever played a single game. But make no mistake, this set is full of legends, including this Jerry West card.
And why not start big in size too? These cards were 2 1/2″ x 4 11/16″ in size. Topps kept this size for the following season too. The size made storage hard, especially during that time, so this did affect condition. There’s only one PSA 10 of this Jerry West card, for example. They are also notoriously off-center…in fact if you don’t mind the OC designation, you can get high PSA grades for lower cost. These cards can be distinguished from the ’70-71 Topps at first sight because the photo of the player is in an oval surrounded by a white background with illustrations of basketball players. (I can’t help but think of the basketball player silhouettes in the 1933 Goudey Sport Kings set). No subsets of any kind, just a refreshingly compact 98 players and a checklist (that’s 14 teams with 7 cards a piece). There was an insert set though, the Topps Rulers that were folded up and put into packs.
Topps didn’t have an agreement to show team names and these were hidden in different ways in this set. Jerry West can be seen wearing a t-shirt instead of his basketball jersey.
You can’t discuss this card without discussing the 1968-69 NBA Finals, right before this set was produced. Jerry West and the Lakers lost to the Celtics, but the Lakers, and West especially, put up an amazing fight. This card commemorates that. Look at all of the playoff records set by West mentioned on the back of the card: points, assists and scoring average. But the fight was even more intense in the Finals. Game 1 started with West setting the playoff record for points in one game. The series went to seven games and the Lakers only lost by two points. And, it was the only time in NBA history that the Finals MVP went to the losing team when it went to Jerry West.
With basketball cards reappearing after years of none being produced, oversized and condition-sensitive cards, and the memory of a very, very close NBA Finals, this is one amazing card!
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