Manufacturer: Topps
Set Size: 720 Cards
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Set Notes: The 1970 Topps baseball card set with its large 720 card lineup is the largest set made to this date in 1970. This years card design gets mixed reviews, many collectors feel its one of the more lackluster designs while some think it is classic and clean. The front of the cards feature a large player photo and team name on top in block lettering. The player name is under the photo in a black script type font and position next to the players name. A white boarder stroke line frames the photo with an all around gray boarder. Card backs are printed in blue and yellow ink with player stats, cartoon and other information. Many of the rookie cards continue the Topps multi-player card theme.
Key Rookies From 1970 Topps: | 21 – Vida Blue | 189 – Thurman Munson | 286 – Bill Buckner
Pricing chart includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information.
(Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
DISCLAIMER: This data is not intended as financial advice and should not be used as such. Please do your own research before making any investment or selling/buying decisions.
(–) : No Pricing Data Available | ($) USD Price Value | (¢) USD Price Under $1
1970 Topps Rookie Card Prices
| Rookie | Card # | Raw | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indians Rookies - Boyd / Nagelson | 7 | $2 | - | - | $100 | $400 | - |
| Jose Martinez | 8 | $2 | - | $20 | - | $67 | - |
| Charlie Metro | 16 | $1 | - | $13 | $35 | $92 | - |
| Athletics Rookies - Blue / Tenace | 21 | $5 | $60 | $100 | $285 | - | - |
| Reds Rookies - Breeden / Carbo | 36 | $2 | $12 | $25 | $50 | $75 | - |
| Mike Nagy | 39 | $1 | - | $18 | $40 | $70 | $535 |
| Ken Rudolph | 46 | $1 | - | $9 | $25 | $50 | $490 |
| Phillies Rookies - Lis / Reid | 56 | $2 | $8 | $10 | $20 | $44 | - |
| Angels Rookies - Washburn / Wolf | 74 | $1 | - | - | $17 | $50 | - |
| Steve Renko | 87 | $1 | - | - | $70 | - | $965 |
| Pilots Rookies - Fuentes / Baney | 88 | $1 | $10 | $20 | $75 | $110 | - |
| Cardinals Rookies - Lee / Reuss | 96 | $2 | $12 | $15 | $100 | - | - |
| Bobby Pfeil | 99 | $2 | $25 | - | $40 | $75 | $620 |
| Expos Rookies - Jestadt / Morton | 109 | $2 | - | $13 | $22 | $105 | - |
| Chuck Taylor | 119 | $1 | $12 | $15 | $20 | $32 | $250 |
| Orioles Rookies - Beene / Crowley | 121 | $2 | $12 | $20 | $32 | $110 | - |
| Dodgers Rookies - Lamb / Stinson | 131 | $2 | $7 | $13 | $25 | $44 | - |
| Danny Walton | 134 | $1 | $12 | $20 | $50 | - | $210 |
| Pirates Rookies - Cash / Jeter | 141 | $2 | $10 | $20 | $70 | $125 | - |
| Angel Hermoso | 147 | $2 | - | $7 | $20 | $60 | $1,400 |
| Billy Champion | 149 | $2 | - | $12 | $20 | $44 | $400 |
| Ike Brown | 152 | $1 | - | $8 | $20 | $50 | $245 |
| Senators Rookies - Miles / Dukes | 154 | $2 | - | $17 | $20 | $50 | $557 |
| Dave Watkins | 168 | $1 | - | $13 | $15 | $30 | $1,730 |
| Braves Rookies - Hill / Garr | 172 | $3 | $20 | $25 | $80 | $130 | - |
| Yankees Rookies - Munson / McDonald | 189 | $35 | $140 | $325 | $600 | $3,800 | - |
| Charlie Manuel | 194 | $2 | $5 | $10 | $15 | $40 | $230 |
| Tigers Rookies - McRae / Reed | 207 | $2 | - | $15 | - | $50 | $2,000 |
| Astros Rookies - Mayberry / Watkins | 227 | $2 | $10 | $20 | $23 | $75 | - |
| Royals Rookies - Fitzmorris / Northey | 241 | $2 | - | $15 | $25 | $35 | $245 |
| Lowell Palmer | 252 | $2 | - | $7 | $20 | $35 | $250 |
| Jim Spencer | 255 | $1 | - | $10 | $13 | $30 | - |
| Padres Rookies - Morales / Williams | 262 | $2 | $5 | $10 | $22 | $55 | - |
| Twins Rookies - Hill / Ratliff | 267 | $1 | $10 | - | $12 | $35 | $145 |
| Paul Doyle | 277 | $1 | - | $8 | $20 | $30 | $100 |
| Bill Lee | 279 | $3 | - | $25 | $97 | $225 | $1,060 |
| Angel Bravo | 283 | $1 | - | $12 | $16 | $38 | $105 |
| Dodgers Rookies - Jenkins / Buckner | 286 | $3 | $15 | $20 | $60 | $300 | - |
| Eddie Leon | 292 | $1 | - | $13 | $20 | $32 | $150 |
| Bill Russell | 304 | $3 | $15 | $20 | $40 | $60 | - |
| Red Sox Rookies - Conigliaro / Alvarado | 317 | $1 | $10 | - | $22 | $50 | $825 |
| Hal King | 327 | $1 | - | - | $20 | $55 | - |
| Mets Rookies - Jorgensen / Hudson | 348 | $2 | $10 | $18 | $20 | $60 | $830 |
| Pedro Borbon | 358 | $3 | - | $12 | $28 | $45 | $175 |
| Tom Shopay | 363 | $1 | - | $7 | $20 | $37 | $1,400 |
| Rod Gaspar | 371 | $1 | $5 | $8 | $16 | $90 | $160 |
| Lefty Phillips | 376 | $1 | - | $10 | $20 | $36 | $650 |
| Tom Tischinski | 379 | $1 | $10 | $15 | $16 | $60 | - |
| Athletics Rookies - Brooks / Olivo | 381 | $2 | $10 | $12 | $15 | $20 | $1,400 |
| Giants Rookies - Harrell / Williams | 401 | $2 | - | $15 | $20 | $100 | - |
| Paul Edmondson | 414 | $2 | - | $18 | $20 | $35 | $1,840 |
| Cubs Rookies - Bobb / Cosman | 429 | $1 | - | $10 | $15 | $50 | - |
| Ron Bryant | 433 | $2 | - | - | $10 | $55 | $200 |
| Al Jackson | 443 | $2 | $6 | $12 | $25 | $32 | - |
| White Sox Rookies - Farmer / Matias | 444 | $1 | $6 | $20 | $25 | $68 | $2,560 |
| Billy Grabarkewitz | 446 | $1 | $10 | - | $18 | $40 | - |
| Orioles Rookies - Severinsen / Freed | 477 | $2 | - | $12 | $15 | $60 | - |
| Bob Heise | 478 | $2 | - | $12 | $20 | - | - |
| Dick Woodson | 479 | $2 | - | $12 | $20 | $115 | $230 |
| Tom Hilgendorf | 482 | $1 | - | $9 | $15 | $40 | $732 |
| Gail Hopkins | 483 | $1 | - | $10 | $15 | $40 | $200 |
| Astros Rookies - Lampard / Spinks | 492 | $2 | - | $10 | $20 | $40 | $260 |
| Steve Hovley | 514 | $2 | $20 | $22 | $35 | $33 | $600 |
| Yankees Rookies - Ellis / Lyttle | 516 | $2 | - | $13 | $35 | $95 | - |
| Buzz Stephen | 533 | $2 | - | $20 | $30 | $45 | $560 |
| Phillies Rookies - Doyle / Bowa | 539 | $5 | $15 | $30 | $120 | $585 | - |
| Royals Rookies – O'Riley / Paepke / Rico | 552 | $2 | - | $25 | $30 | - | - |
| Tom Timmermann | 554 | $2 | $10 | $14 | - | $60 | $240 |
| Padres Rookies - Corkin / Robles / Slocum | 573 | $1 | $5 | $8 | $15 | $60 | $100 |
| Rickey Clark | 586 | $2 | $9 | - | $20 | $55 | $200 |
| Senators Rookies - Stelmaszek / Martin / Such | 599 | $3 | - | $15 | $30 | $50 | - |
| Buck Martinez | 609 | $4 | - | $6 | $35 | $52 | $200 |
| Billy Wynne | 618 | $2 | $5 | $18 | - | $40 | $520 |
| Braves Rookies - McQueen / Evans / Kester | 621 | $7 | $15 | $40 | $56 | $200 | $2,000 |
| Wayne Garrett | 628 | $5 | $20 | $22 | $60 | $150 | - |
| Angels Rookies - Garrett / Lund / Tatum | 642 | $4 | - | $10 | $20 | $25 | - |
| NL Rookie Stars – Gamble / Day / Mangual | 654 | $15 | $30 | $50 | $90 | $255 | - |
| Ken Tatum | 658 | $4 | - | - | $20 | $25 | $140 |
| Frank Lucchesi | 662 | $5 | $20 | $25 | $35 | $63 | - |
| White Sox Rookies - Johnson / Lazar / Scott | 669 | $5 | - | $10 | $15 | $85 | - |
| Bob Garibaldi | 681 | $3 | - | - | $30 | $60 | - |
| Frank Tepedino | 689 | $6 | - | $15 | $20 | $45 | - |
| Jack Billingham | 701 | $3 | $10 | - | $20 | $52 | $245 |
| AL Rookie Stars - Johnson / Klimkowski / Zepp | 702 | $10 | $50 | - | $60 | - | - |
| Lou Marone | 703 | $4 | - | $15 | $70 | $72 | $200 |
| Frank Baker | 704 | $3 | - | $10 | $18 | $70 | - |
| John McNamara | 706 | $3 | - | $12 | $30 | $45 | - |
| Cardinals Rookies - Campisi / Cleveland / Guzman | 716 | $5 | - | $12 | $20 | $24 | - |
| Data Updated: April 2026 | |||||||
Overview of 1970 Topps Baseball Cards
The 1970 Topps baseball card set is a significant and popular issue for collectors, marking a transition point in Topps’ card designs and featuring a massive checklist for its era.
Set Size and Structure: The 1970 Topps set is notable for its sheer size, consisting of 720 standard-sized cards. This was the largest Topps set produced up to that point. It was released in seven series, with the high-numbered cards (typically 634-720) generally being more challenging and expensive to acquire due to later distribution.
Card Design: The 1970 Topps cards feature a color photo of the player within a thin white frame and a gray border. The player’s team is overprinted at the top, while their name is in script and position identified at the bottom. While some find the design a bit lacking in “pizzazz” compared to other sets, it’s generally considered clean and classic.
The backs are vibrant, done in yellow, navy blue, and white, making the mini-bio and stats easy to read. A notable feature is the inclusion of a cartoon illustrating an aspect of the player’s life or career, a common and beloved element of Topps cards from this era.
Photography: Topps photographers “stepped up their game” for the 1970 set, featuring some unique photos that occasionally captured players in more natural, less posed settings, hinting at the “action photography” that would become more prominent in subsequent sets.
Key Rookie Cards: While the 1970 set is often cited as one of the few that doesn’t contain many rookie cards of future Hall of Famers, it does boast some significant ones. The most prominent rookie card is #189 Thurman Munson. Other notable rookie cards include Vida Blue (on a multi-player card with Gene Tenace), Bill Buckner, Darrell Evans, Ralph Garr, Jerry Reuss, and Bill Russell.
Variations and Collectability: As with many vintage Topps sets, the high-numbered cards (634-720) are generally tougher to find and command higher prices in good condition, as they were released later in the season. Like many cards of this era, centering can be an issue. While not part of the main set, 1970 also saw the release of rare “test issues” like the 1970 Topps Cloth Stickers, which are exceptionally scarce.
The 1970 Topps baseball card set, with its expansive checklist, clean design, and inclusion of key rookies and numerous Hall of Famers, remains a cornerstone of vintage baseball card collecting. Despite its lack of a “superstar rookie” that defined some other sets, its historical significance (like the Seattle Pilots cards) and overall aesthetic appeal make it a popular and enjoyable set to collect.
Top Rookies From 1970 Topps Baseball
