When collectors started ripping open wax packs of 1974 Topps football cards that fall, they were plunged right into the depths of the modern gridiron world.
It all started with the basic card design, which featured a full-color player image framed by a goalpost that extended to the card bottom. On either side of that bottom post were the player’s name and position, and below all that was a simple box with the team name.
Photos ranged from posed waist-up shots to staged passing tableaus to gritty, in-game action.
And, with a whopping 528 cards, this set offered something for everyone — retiring legends, in-their-prime superstars, and up-and-coming rookies who would roam NFL fields for the next decade or more.
But among all the joys of 1974 Topps football cards, these 12 have emerged as the most valuable today (as determined from prices for PSA 8 copies listed in the PSA Sports Market Report Price Guide).
Let’d check ’em out!
1974 Topps Ray Guy Rookie Card (#219)
It may have seemed strange to Raiders fans when Al Davis and John Madden selected a 23-year-old punter with their first pick in the 1973 NFL Draft, but it’s hard to argue with the results in retrospect.
In a 14-year career, Ray Guy helped the Men in Black win three Super Bowl rings, and he still holds the record for most postseason punts with 111.
Guy was almost synonymous with the 1970s Raiders, and he was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014.
Today, his rookie card sells for around $100 in PSA 8 condition.
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1974 Topps Greg Pruitt Rookie Card (#110)
If you’re confused by the idea that the Cleveland Browns featured two running backs in the mid-to-late 1970s, and that they shared the same last name … yet weren’t related … and that each reeled off multiple 1000-yard seasons …
Well, stand in line, buddy.
But here in the 1974 Topps set, we only have to worry about the older of the two Pruitts — that would be Greg, a second-round pick out of Oklahoma in 1973.
Before going for a thousand each year from 1975-77, Pruitt spent time on special teams, and he did even more of that work late in his career.
In 1983, he led the NFL with 58 punt returns, 666 punt return yards, and a TD. Oh, yeah — he added 31 kick returns for 604 yards, just for good measure.
The 1974 Topps rookie card of this versatile and popular Cleveland running back checks in at $60 in PSA 8 these days.
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1974 Topps John Hannah Rookie Card (#383)
The early 1970s weren’t a great time to be playing for the New England Patriots, but they had a few guys who were working hard to pull the franchise out of their losing ways.
One of those was their 1973 first-round pick out of Alabama, left guard John Hannah.
Hannah did his part …
During his 13-year career, he was an All-Pro seven times and helped the Pats make it to the playoffs in 1976, 1978, 1982, and 1985.
That last year, when they got trounced by the Bears in Super Bowl XX, was also Hannah’s last in the NFL. Six years later, he took his place in Canton.
Today, Hannah’s rookie card is a $50 item in PSA 8.
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1974 Topps Ken Stabler (#451)
The great 1970s Oakland Raiders teams were built on defense, hard hits, and a balanced, gritty offense that featured the likes of Cliff Branch, Fred Biletnikoff, and Mark van Eeghen.
Ken Stabler was just about the perfect guy to line up under center in this scheme, because he was always improvising and seemed to take advantage of just the right “weapon” at just the right time.
The Gambler led the Raiders to a Super Bowl title in 1976 and scrambled his way into Canton in 2016.
Today, his 1974 Topps issue is a $40 card in PSA 8.
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1974 Topps Super Bowl VIII (#463)
In January of 1974, the Miami Dolphins squared off against the Minnesota Vikings at Rice Stadium in Houston for all the NFL marbles — Super Bowl VIII, in this case.
Led by bruising fullback Larry Csonka, who rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns, the Fins picked up an easy 24-7 victory.
It was their second consecutive championship and capped a dominant two-year run that included a perfect season in 1972.
Csonka’s big performance is immortalized on this 1974 Topps card, which sells for around $40 in graded NM-MT condition.
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1974 Topps Terry Bradshaw (#470)
For a stretch there in 1974, it looked like Bradshaw’s days in Pittsburgh might be numbered, what with losing the starting QB job to Joe Gilliam and all.
But, by season’s end, Terry was back in the driver’s seat, and he drove the team all the way to their first Super Bowl title ever.
Three more would ensue before the end of the decade, and Bradshaw became a legend.
This card, from the year everything clicked in Pittsburgh, is a $40 buy in PSA 8 condition.