Most collectors view 1971 Topps baseball cards as a love-it-or-hate-it proposition.
Ever since I can remember, collectors I know think the black borders are either 1) tres cool or 2) an abomination on the order of Pete Rose in a Montreal Expos uniform.
And everyone agrees that the black borders make this thing a condition nightmare … what fading and chipping don’t take away, a scammer’s black magic marker just might.
Still, 1971 Topps is a hobby classic loaded with Hall of Famers and a couple of big rookie cards (including Steve Garvey, who won’t appear below).
And with photos on card backs (gasp!) and a checklist that numbers to a gargantuan 752 cards, nearly everyone can find something to like here. Even if they are loathe to admit it.
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All of that adds up to a set with plenty of valuable pieces, which makes picking out the top money cards a little tricky.
The black-border-condition-pit throws even more turmoil into the storm.
That’s why, for the list of the 12 most valuable 1971 Topps baseball cards listed below, I’ve settled on looking at PSA 7 copies.
That gets us away from the scarce 8s, the super-rare 9s, and the worm’s-teeth rare 10s, and into territory that we might at least hope to trod sometime during our lifetimes.
As for the rankings themselves, those are based on the values listed in the PSA SMR Price Guide.
Now, with our warm-up pitches in the bag, let’s play ball!
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1971 Topps Thurman Munson (#5)
All of the things I said about Munson in my post on 1970 Topps baseball cards apply here as well …
New York Yankees legend …
Gone way too soon …
Strong Hall of Fame support to this day.
Of course, this card is not Munson’s rookie, like the 1970 Topps card is.
But this one is a bona fide beauty and features one of the great action shots of the 1970s.
It’s horizontal format is eye-catching, and it’s Munson’s first standalone card.
All of which adds up to a highly desired hunk of cardboard that typically trades for $750+ in PSA 7.
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1971 Topps Roberto Clemente (#630)
Clemente is another legend of the game — and of the hobby — who died much too young.
Unlike Munson, though, Clemente is already in the Hall of Fame. This is a great shot of Roberto swinging the lumber in an empty (and new) Three Rivers Stadium.
And it’s a semi-high number. Score!
Nearly as valuable as the Munson card, this one checks in at around $650 in graded NM condition.
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1971 Topps Willie Mays (#600)
Willie Mays enjoyed a bounce back in power (28 home runs) in 1970 and a in speed (23 stolen bases) in 1971.
Not bad for a guy who was 39 and 40 years old at the time, huh?
Sure, the Say Hey Kid faded quickly from that point on, but we still had solid cards like this semi-high number close-up to fall back on .
Even though Willie isn’t smiling here, his card is still a $500+ item these days.
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1971 Topps Nolan Ryan (#513)
It’s no surprise to see a Nolan Ryan pasteboard on a list of most valuable cards from any given set.
And that goes double for an early-career issue that shows The Ryan Express with his original team, the New York Mets.
It doesn’t hurt that the visuals of this one have become somewhat iconic, owing to Ryan exploding out of the Royal Crown sign in the outfield.
Like Reggie, 1971 Topps Nolan comes in around $450.
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1971 Topps Johnny Bench (#250)
Johnny Bench took a one-year hiatus from winning National League MVP awards in 1971, you know, just to give mortals like Joe Torre a shot at some hardware.
That step back was no great heartbreak for collectors, though, as they were treated to a smiling JB against a dream-away blue sky.
And besides … he’d get back on the MVP train in 1972.
All that hardware, plus the World Series trophies with the Big Red Machine in 1975 and 1976, plus the