Vintage Graded Basketball Cards

Vintage Graded Basketball Cards

  • Home
  • About Vintage Graded Basketball Cards
  • Contact
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
You are here: Home / Vintage Basketball Card Stories / 1973-74 Topps Basketball

Leave a Comment

1973-74 Topps Basketball

1973-74 Topps Basketball

Card collectors had plenty of big name rookie cards in earlier basketball sets but starting with the 1973-74 Topps basketball set,  the impact rookies didn’t appear as frequently for the remainder of the decade. Bob McAdoo and Paul Westphal could score, Fred Brown and Chris Ford could shoot from range, Kevin Porter could pass the basketball, but their rookie cards have low prices.

McAdoo’s rookie cards sell for around $40-45 in PSA 8 condition (nr mint-mint). That should be a bargain for a player with two NBA championships and three scoring titles but McAdoo never really stayed in one place long enough to develop a fan base. He had several seasons scoring over 30 points a game for Buffalo before a trade to the New York Knicks. That was followed by brief stops in Boston, Detroit and New Jersey. He was then Kareem’s backup at the Lakers for four seasons. He ended his career with a season with the 76ers and then six high-scoring years in the Italian league.

1973-74 Topps Basketball Set a Vintage Bargain

Many of the cards in the 1973-74 Topps basketball set are very affordable, even graded examples of star players.  A Bill Bradley shouldn’t cost more than $35, an amazing bargain for an old card of a great player who served in the U.S. Senate as well.  You can usually find an ungraded near mint card of future Hall of Fame coach Phil Jackson –then a player for the Knicks–for less than $20.

Ungraded Paul Westphal rookie cards sell for $3 to $6.  As a player he won a title with Boston, and after three seasons there was traded to the Suns where he doubled his scoring average. Westphal had five seasons in Phoenix and averaged more than 20 points every season. His playing career finished with a year in Seattle, two in New York and then one more in Phoenix. His best coaching season was his first, he took a team built on Charles Barkley, Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle to the NBA Finals.

Fred Brown had a nickname and the right skill but arrived too early to be a star. Downtown Freddie Brown could hit the outside shot, but the NBA only had 3-pointers for the second half of his career. The NBA added the 3-pointer for season 1979-80, and Brown led the NBA that season for 3-point percentage. He was also an important player off the Seattle bench the season before when they won the NBA title.

Chris Ford started at guard for the Celtics when they won the title in 1980-81, and was also a coach there a decade later, but he isn’t going to be on many want lists of collectors. Plenty of his rookie cards are selling, at around one dollar each. A Kevin Porter rookie card sold for $3.55 on eBay. Porter averaged 8.1 assists during his career with the Bullets, Pistons and Nets.

The All-Stars

Something that some collectors find amusing is the design of the All-Stars cards in the set, there is a “floating head” on the card fronts as a second close-up picture is on the cards but for different players it takes up a different position. Maravich’s head is floating just above his head of the main picture, Jerry West is passing the basketball just over his floating head, Dan Issel seems to be staring at the rim of the main picture, while the Artis Gilmore is the best of the bunch as not only does it look like Gilmore is holding his floating head but might be disagreeing with it as well.

Some of the stars to look for in the set are Erving, Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar, Maravich, Havlicek and West. High grade PSA 9 type quality cards can run more than $100, depending on how many exist.  Complete sets vary based on condition but can be found for $200-300 in the EX-MT range grade.

1973-74 Topps #121 NBA Checklist 1-176 BVG 4 VG-EX 1973-74 Topps #121 NBA Checklist 1-176 BVG 4 VG-EX
0 bids - Price: $22.00 - Watchers:
Item #193918389009
1973-74 TOPPS SIGNED CARD ABDUL-RAHMAN WALT HAZZARD SONICS LAKERS UCLA PSA # 193 1973-74 TOPPS SIGNED CARD ABDUL-RAHMAN WALT HAZZARD SONICS LAKERS UCLA PSA # 193
0 bids - Price: $74.99 - Watchers:
Item #274694525252
1973-74 Topps #22 George Trapp (MINT) Set Break (PSA Worthy) 1973-74 Topps #22 George Trapp (MINT) Set Break (PSA Worthy)
0 bids - Price: $3.00 - Watchers:
Item #303897114097
1973-74 Topps #42 Lee Winfield (MINT) Set Break (PSA Worthy) 1973-74 Topps #42 Lee Winfield (MINT) Set Break (PSA Worthy)
0 bids - Price: $3.00 - Watchers:
Item #303897114427
1973-74 Topps #16 Clifford Ray (MINT) Set Break (PSA Worthy) 1973-74 Topps #16 Clifford Ray (MINT) Set Break (PSA Worthy)
0 bids - Price: $3.00 - Watchers:
Item #303897114777
1973-74 Topps #14 Dave Sorenson (NM-MT+) Set Break (PSA Worthy) 1973-74 Topps #14 Dave Sorenson (NM-MT+) Set Break (PSA Worthy)
0 bids - Price: $3.00 - Watchers:
Item #303897117519
1973-74 topps basketball #111 FRED CARTER bvg 4 PROOF card Philadelphia 76 1973-74 topps basketball #111 FRED CARTER bvg 4 PROOF card Philadelphia 76'ers
0 bids - Price: $25.00 - Watchers:
Item #353403907930

Filed Under: Vintage Basketball Card Stories Tagged With: 1973-74 Topps basketball, Bill Bradley, Phil Jackson, rookie cards

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Vintage Graded Basketball Cards

  • Investing in Basketball Cards
  • Best Old Basketball Cards to Buy
  • Guide to Basketball Card Holders and Cases
  • 1980s Basketball Rookie Cards: 10 of the Best
  • Complete Guide to Julius Erving Basketball Cards
  • 1970s Knicks Featured Dave Stallworth, Phil Jackson Rookie Cards
  • 1976-77 Topps Basketball
  • 1986-87 Fleer Basketball
  • 1980-81 Topps Basketball
  • 1979-80 Topps Basketball
  • 1978-79 Topps Basketball
  • 1977-78 Topps Basketball
  • 1975-76 Topps Basketball
  • 1974-75 Topps Basketball
  • 1973-74 Topps Basketball
  • 1972-73 Topps Basketball
  • 1971-72 Topps Basketball
  • 1970-71 Topps Basketball
  • 1969-70 Topps Basketball
  • 1961-62 Fleer Basketball
  • 1957-58 Topps Basketball
  • Five Cheap Vintage Graded Basketball Cards To Consider
  • 10 Most Iconic Basketball Rookie Cards
  • 1980s Basketball Cards Chronicle Rise of Great Careers, Rivalries
  • History of Basketball Card Sets
  • The Market for Vintage Basketball Cards
  • Sports Card Grading Services for Basketball Cards
  • Should I Get My Basketball Cards Graded?
  • Most Expensive Basketball Cards
  • Basketball Cards Pricing Guide is Easy Choice
  • Star Company Basketball sets: A Look Back

RSS Sports Collectors Daily

  • Vintage Card Records Obliterated in Heritage Auction
  • Shop Talk: Retail Rules and Baseball Box Busts
  • Saving the Best for Last: Vintage Basketball Break Yields a Doozy
  • Photo of the Day: Harry Steinfeldt Arrives
  • Trout’s First Game Jersey, Modern Cards, Ruth Items Among Key Pieces at Lelands
  • Historic Items from Al Tapper Collection Coming to SCP Auctions
  • 1-of-a-Kind Mike Mowrey Photo Was Used for His T206 Card
  • LeBron Chrome Rookie Refractor is First Card Graded by CSG
  • 9-11 Inspired Shoes Gifted by Kobe to Young LeBron at Auction
  • Thanks, Uncle Jimmy: Family Members Reflect on Humble Relative’s 7-Figure Collection

Vintage Graded Basketball Card Deals

Copyright © 2021 · VintageGradedBasketballCards.com