CGC Cards Registry Featured Set: 1974-75 Topps Basketball

Posted on 1/9/2025

This month's set features some of the greatest players in NBA and ABA history, including several Hall of Famers.

As the 2024-25 NBA season continues, CGC Cards is revisiting one of the most important vintage basketball sets ever created due to its unique modern design and checklist of legendary players. The 1970s was a period of transition for the league, with several major changes transforming the landscape of the sport. Player salaries began to increase, free agency was adopted, the NBA and ABA merged, slam dunks were popularized and the three-point line was introduced, which revolutionized basketball.

Similar to the changes across the NBA, the 1974-75 Topps Basketball set broke away from its predecessors to create something new and fresh. As the league transitioned into a modern era of basketball, Topps ushered in a new era of basketball cards. It was a pivotal series for basketball collectibles, making CGC Cards Registry set owner JohnRogers1974's 1974 basketball set historically significant, as it captures some of the greatest players of its generation, including Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Bill Walton and many more.

1974-75 Topps #39 Bill Walton graded CGC 7.5
Click images to enlarge.

Topps first introduced basketball cards in 1957, but it would be another decade before the series continued. In 1969, the company reintroduced basketball cards and, over the ensuing years, they quickly became modernized. Topps began to update its basketball sets with brighter colors and interesting fonts that reflected the groovy vibes of the 1970s. In 1974, Topps took the design one step further by introducing new backgrounds and vertical text that helped usher in a new era of modern collectibles.

Previously, player images were most often seen on solid-colored backgrounds and only featured horizontal text. For the 1974-75 set, Topps used action shots presented as is, with full game action and crowds in the background. The set also included posed shots, but for the first time Topps used color-tinted background images that didn't correspond to the players on the card. It is also the first basketball set to ever use vertical text, adding the team names in bold font running down the right side of each card. The different backgrounds and text arrangements would be used in numerous sports cards sets in the decades to come.

LEFT: 1974-75 Topps #10 Pete Maravich graded CGC 7.5
RIGHT: 1974-75 Topps #196 George Gervin graded CGC 7.5
Click images to enlarge.

The back side of the cards feature a horizontal layout that is more traditional. It contains the card number, player name and position running across the top. Below that is a cartoon on the left that pertains to the player and the player's information, such as his height, birthdate, college and hometown. To the right of the cartoon is another section that features a short biography and a breakdown of the player's pro statistics by season.

The 1974-75 Topps Basketball series is a 264-card set, and it consisted of both NBA and ABA players. Cards numbered #1-176 featured NBA players, while cards #177-264 featured ABA players. Two years later, in 1976, the two basketball leagues merged, becoming the modern NBA as we know it now.

LEFT: 1974-75 Topps #200 Julius Erving '73-74 ABA First Team All-Star graded CGC 7.5
RIGHT: 1974-75 Topps #250 Wilt Chamberlain graded CGC 8
Click images to enlarge.

The famous Topps set is also iconic due to several legendary NBA and ABA players who became Hall of Famers, including some key rookie cards that are also some of the most valuable in the set. The key rookie cards include #39 Bill Walton, #129 Doug Collins and #196 George Gervin. Other standouts in the set include #1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, #10 Pete Maravich, #55 Oscar Robertson, #176 Jerry West, #200 Julius Erving and #250 Wilt Chamberlain.

About the CGC Cards Sports Card Registry

The CGC Cards Registry is a free online platform where collectors can register and display their CGC-certified sports cards. The Registry helps you to organize your collection and interact with other collectors. Begin adding your CGC-certified cards and create CGC Cards Registry sets here. Your sets are automatically considered for the annual CGC Cards Registry Awards, where winners receive a prize package that includes a $500 CGC Cards grading credit. For more information on the CGC Cards Registry Awards, you may find the announcement here.

If you don't see a set for your cards, you may request a set. Please review our CGC Cards Registry FAQs for details on how to add requests for sets and slots.

The CGC Cards Registry team is here to help. Questions or comments? Go to the CGC Cards Registry Chat Boards.

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