Manufacturer: Topps
Set Size: 752 Cards
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Set Notes: The most condition sensitive baseball card set of all time… 1971 Topps baseball achieved two records this year. The first being the large amount of cards a whopping 752 cards in the set, and second the full black boarders make these cards nearly impossible to find in Gem Mint condition. The 1971 Topps baseball cards feature a color player image with large team name at top. Player name and position are also near the top with signature style name printed over image. A full black boarder frames it all and makes sharp corners and edges tough. Backs feature a black and white headshot and stats on an olive green background. This set is plagued with centering issues and miscuts. Keeping all this in mind, 1971 Topps is a highly sought after set in high grade and valuable for specifically high grade cards.
Key Rookies From 1971 Topps: | 14 – Dave Concepcion | 26 – Bert Blyleven | 117 – Ted Simmons | 341 – Steve Garvey
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
1971 Topps Rookie Card Prices
| Rookie | Card # | Raw | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Holt | 7 | $2 | $10 | $45 | $260 | - |
| Elliott Maddox | 11 | $1 | $10 | $43 | $265 | - |
| White Sox Rookies - Brinkman / Moloney | 13 | $2 | $10 | $25 | $385 | - |
| Dave Concepcion | 14 | $8 | $86 | $250 | $2,500 | - |
| Ken Singleton | 16 | $3 | $32 | $50 | $600 | - |
| Skip Pitlock | 19 | $2 | $10 | $32 | $185 | - |
| Rich Hand | 24 | $2 | $13 | $40 | $570 | - |
| Bert Blyleven | 26 | $9 | $240 | $985 | $4,000 | - |
| Pirates Rookies - Cambria / Clines | 27 | $1 | $16 | $165 | $420 | - |
| Sandy Vance | 34 | $1 | $42 | $70 | $1,000 | - |
| Rich McKinney | 37 | $1 | $13 | $33 | $385 | - |
| Jim Colborn | 38 | $2 | $11 | $80 | - | - |
| Tigers Rookies - LaGrow / Lamont | 39 | $2 | $20 | $65 | $1,000 | - |
| Rick Austin | 41 | $2 | $14 | $40 | - | - |
| Steve Kline | 51 | $1 | $15 | $25 | $235 | - |
| Braves Rookies - Brown / Williams | 52 | $2 | $14 | $40 | $1,860 | - |
| Von Joshua | 57 | $1 | $15 | $25 | $1,460 | - |
| Twins Rookies - Hamm / Nettles | 74 | $1 | $25 | $35 | $3,720 | - |
| Mike Compton | 77 | $2 | $14 | $65 | $2,500 | - |
| Mets Rookies - Foli / Bobb | 83 | $1 | $16 | $335 | - | - |
| Marcel Lachemann | 84 | $1 | $12 | $60 | - | - |
| Jack Heidemann | 87 | $1 | $12 | $72 | - | - |
| Senators Rookies - McRae / Riddleberger | 93 | $2 | $12 | $30 | $1,300 | - |
| Don Hahn | 94 | $1 | $13 | $53 | $960 | - |
| Joe Decker | 98 | $1 | $8 | $30 | $400 | - |
| Astros Rookies - Forsch / Howard | 102 | $1 | $14 | $30 | $400 | - |
| Rich Severson | 103 | $2 | $13 | $35 | - | - |
| Roy Foster | 107 | $2 | $16 | $30 | $215 | - |
| Yankee Rookies - Colson / Mitchell | 111 | $1 | $12 | $70 | - | - |
| Ted Simmons | 117 | $7 | $212 | $740 | $4,600 | - |
| Cubs Rookies - Dunegan / Skidmore | 121 | $2 | $10 | $35 | $400 | - |
| Don Gullett | 124 | $2 | $20 | $53 | $385 | - |
| Danny Thompson | 127 | $2 | $20 | $50 | $420 | - |
| Phillies Rookies - Lis / Montanez | 138 | $2 | $23 | $220 | - | - |
| Angels Rookies - Allen / Llenas | 152 | $1 | $15 | $35 | - | - |
| Reds Rookies - Duffy / Wilcox | 164 | $2 | $20 | $45 | - | - |
| Tom Grieve | 167 | $2 | $10 | $40 | $575 | - |
| Dave LaRoche | 174 | $2 | $10 | $50 | $750 | - |
| Red Sox Rookies - Montgomery / Griffin | 176 | $2 | $28 | $160 | $2,250 | - |
| Bob Spence | 186 | $2 | $10 | $32 | - | - |
| Dodgers Rookies - Valentine / Strahler | 188 | $2 | $20 | $90 | $1,000 | - |
| Bobby Grich | 193 | $3 | $130 | $400 | $3,200 | - |
| Larry Gura | 203 | $2 | $14 | $45 | $800 | - |
| Brewers Rookies - Smith / Kopacz | 204 | $1 | $13 | $42 | $1,500 | - |
| Phil Hennigan | 211 | $2 | $10 | $25 | $200 | - |
| Frank Baker | 213 | $1 | $15 | $50 | $800 | - |
| Cards Rookies - Cleveland / Melendez | 216 | $1 | $25 | $50 | - | - |
| Alan Gallagher | 224 | $1 | $15 | $30 | $580 | - |
| Indians Rookies - Colbert / Lowenstein | 231 | $2 | $20 | $85 | $1,440 | - |
| John Strohmayer | 232 | $1 | $25 | $40 | $1,000 | - |
| Cesar Cedeno | 237 | $3 | $32 | $140 | - | - |
| Royals Rookies - Cram / Splittorff | 247 | $2 | $8 | $32 | $255 | - |
| Padres Rookies - Williams / Robinson | 262 | $2 | $15 | $33 | $485 | - |
| Giants Rookies - Davison / Foster | 276 | $5 | $62 | $155 | $3,300 | - |
| Steve Dunning | 294 | $1 | $30 | $185 | - | - |
| Jim Nelson | 298 | $2 | $8 | $35 | - | - |
| Fred Scherman | 316 | $3 | $15 | $20 | $250 | - |
| Athletics Rookies - Driscoll / Mangual | 317 | $2 | $12 | $40 | $560 | - |
| Steve Garvey | 341 | $15 | $150 | $450 | $3,850 | - |
| Pirates Rookies - Acosta / May | 343 | $2 | $12 | $30 | $170 | - |
| Orioles Rookies - Adamson / Freed | 362 | $2 | $14 | $70 | $330 | - |
| Expos Rookies - Mashore / McAnally | 376 | $2 | $14 | $20 | $175 | - |
| Twins Rookies - Brye / Nash | 391 | $2 | $14 | $110 | $1,800 | - |
| Astros Rookies - Harris / Metzger | 404 | $1 | $14 | $30 | - | - |
| Tigers Rookies - Saunders / Marting | 423 | $1 | $15 | $45 | $800 | - |
| Phillies Rookies - Luzinski / Reid | 439 | $3 | $20 | $95 | $1,035 | - |
| Cesar Geronimo | 447 | $2 | $20 | $85 | $700 | - |
| White Sox Rookies - Lolich / Lemonds | 458 | $1 | $20 | $27 | $250 | - |
| Braves Rookies - Garr / Kester | 494 | $2 | $15 | $26 | $300 | - |
| Horacio Pina | 497 | $2 | $12 | $40 | - | - |
| Ken Wright | 504 | $2 | $8 | $40 | $2,000 | - |
| Red Sox Rookies - Mills / Garman | 512 | $2 | $10 | $30 | $165 | - |
| Charlie Fox | 517 | $1 | $16 | $28 | - | - |
| NL Rookie Stars - Hernandez / Buckner / Perez | 529 | $5 | $30 | $158 | $800 | - |
| AL Rookie Pitchers - Cox / Gogolewski / Jones | 559 | $3 | $28 | $85 | - | |
| Cubs Rookies - Garrett / Davis / Jestadt | 576 | $2 | $12 | $200 | $1,200 | - |
| Ron Cook | 583 | $2 | $10 | $45 | $1,000 | - |
| Tom Bradley | 588 | $2 | $32 | $380 | $2,000 | - |
| Jackie Brown | 591 | $2 | $20 | $35 | $255 | - |
| Cards Rookies - Chlupsa / Stinson / Hrabosky | 594 | $7 | $45 | $50 | - | - |
| Indians Rookies - Camilli / Ford / Mingori | 612 | $3 | $18 | $50 | - | - |
| AL Rookie Outfielders - Brooks / Koegel / Northey | 633 | $3 | $20 | $40 | $400 | - |
| Mets Rookies - Folkers / Martinez / Matlack | 648 | $20 | $58 | $135 | $900 | - |
| Rookie Pitchers - Reynolds / Reynolds / Reynolds | 664 | $10 | $40 | $270 | - | - |
| Ed Crosby | 672 | $6 | $20 | $40 | $455 | - |
| Gerry Janeski | 673 | $4 | $42 | $125 | - | - |
| AL Rookie Pitchers - Haydel / Moret / Twitchell | 692 | $15 | $38 | $63 | $300 | - |
| Milt Ramirez | 702 | $2 | $40 | $65 | - | - |
| Rookie Outfielders – Baker / Paciorek / Baylor | 709 | $60 | $350 | $1,350 | $6,800 | - |
| NL Rookie Outfielders - Redmond / Lampard / Williams | 728 | $3 | $13 | $40 | $180 | - |
| Dick Billings | 729 | $2 | $20 | $70 | - | - |
| NL Rookie Pitchers - Severinsen / Spinks / Moore | 747 | $3 | $20 | $35 | $217 | - |
| Ken Szotkiewicz | 749 | $3 | $32 | $92 | $930 | - |
| Data Updated: March 2026 | ||||||
Overview of 1971 Topps Baseball Cards
The 1971 Topps baseball card set is a classic for collectors, instantly recognizable due to its striking and challenging design. It’s often referred to as the “black-bordered set” or “black beauties,” and it stands out as a unique entry in the decade of 1970s Topps issues.
The Black Borders: This is the defining characteristic of the 1971 set. Each card features a vibrant color photograph of the player, but it’s encased in a thin white inner border, which is then surrounded by a prominent black outer border. While visually appealing, this black border is notoriously prone to chipping and wear. Even cards straight from wax packs often show some degree of edge wear, making high-grade examples (especially PSA 9 or PSA 10) extremely difficult and valuable.
Card Backs: The back of each card features a black-and-white headshot of the player, along with biographical information and career statistics. This black-and-white photo on the back is an unusual feature for Topps at the time.
Set Size: The set is quite large, consisting of 752 cards, making it a considerable undertaking to complete.
Series Release: Like many Topps sets, it was released in several series. The high-number cards (#524-752) are generally more difficult to find and are often short-printed (especially cards #644-752), leading to higher values in the secondary market.
Action Photography: 1971 Topps was notable for introducing a significant number of color action shots on its regular issue cards for the first time, breaking away from the more common posed portraits.
Key Rookies: The 1971 Topps set boasts a strong rookie class, featuring several future Hall of Famers and key players:
- Bert Blyleven (#26)
- Ted Simmons (#117)
- Steve Garvey (#341)
- Dave Concepcion (#14)
- Dusty Baker / Don Baylor (#709): This multi-player “Rookie Stars” card.
- George Foster (#276)
- Bill Russell (#226)
- Ron Cey (#761)
The 1971 Topps set is a challenging but incredibly rewarding set to collect, representing a distinctive aesthetic moment in baseball card history and featuring a wealth of future Hall of Fame talent. Its condition sensitivity ensures that high-grade examples will always be highly prized by collectors.
Top Rookies From 1971 Topps Baseball
