Has there ever been a better cardboard representation of an era than the psychedelic funk 1972 Topps baseball cards dropped on collectors way back when?
I mean, here you had wild colors … starburst team names … arched borders … mutton chops and handlebars and fu manchus and long hair and afros and chest hair like shag carpet even if you couldn’t really see it.
You knew it was there.
Add in superstars and rookies and Hall of Famers and a huge checklist and scarce high numbers, and you have a set that’s stoked collectors for decades.
So which of these classic cards are the most valuable?
Glad you asked …
What follows are the most valuable 1972 Topps baseball cards, as listed in the PSA Sports Market Report Price Guide for PSA 8 copies.
(Note: The following sections contain affiliate links to eBay and Amazon listings for the cards being discussed.)
1972 Topps Nolan Ryan (#595)
Ryan and Carlton Fisk (below) both retired after the 1993 season, but Ryan started his Big League career a couple seasons before Pudge did.
And Ryan was dominant just about all along the way, save for some wild early years with the New York Mets. A December 1971 trade to the California Angels ended all that and set Ryan on his way to legend status.
By the time this semi-high series card was issued, Topps knew it had to show The Ryan Express with his new team, so they airbrushed on the Halos’ garb.
Not an artistic masterpiece, but not bad enough to keep Ryan from taking top honors here, either.
Value: $500-550
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1972 Topps Hank Aaron (#299)
As the 1972 season dawned, so did a realization for fans who hadn’t been following Hank Aaron closely for the previous 18 seasons … this was the man who would make a serious run at Babe Ruth‘s all-time home run record.
After all, Mickey Mantle was three years in the rearview mirror, and Willie Mays was fading fast.
But not Hammering Hank, who clubbed 47 homers in 1971 to sail into ’72 with 639 to his credit, less than 80 shy of the Bambino.
This card shows Hank doing what he did best — holding a bat — against a blue sky. It’s a posed shot, but you get the feeling Henry still may tie into one somehow.
Value: $375-450
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1972 Topps Willie Mays In Action (#50)
Mays was trotting toward the finish line of his storied career by 1972, but he had somehow coaxed 23 stolen bases out of his 40-year-old legs in 1971. That was his highest steal total since 1960, and it seemed to have caught Topps’ attention, as evidenced by this dusty, sunny In Action card of Say Hey sliding in the dirt.
Value: $350-375
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1972 Topps Roberto Clemente (#309)
This is Clemente’s last regular Topps card issued before his death in the winter of 1972 (more on “lasts” later), and it’s a straight-up beauty.
In fact, this shot of a contemplative legend tossing a baseball against a backdrop of the Pittsburgh faithful, all swaddled in that 1972 powder blue and accentuated by the “PIRATES” starburst usually scores high on “best card of all-time” lists.
Value: $325-360
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1972 Topps Hank Aaron In Action (#300)
As Aaron entered his mid 30s, his game shifted from one of all-around excellence to more of a focus on hitting, and hitting for power in particular.
Gone were the days of league-leading doubles, double-digit triples, and regualr visits to the 20-20 club (with one trip to 30-30 Land). In were the days of big bombs and scant few other extra-base hits, coupled with a handful of stolen base attempts most years.
So it’s not too surprising to see Hammer looking a bit hitchy, maybe even gimpy, as he navigates the bases on this In Action card … which is still a pretty cooll hunk of cardboard.
Value: $300-350
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