Completely Red: 1976 Topps

Today let's check out the first Topps release after the Big Red Machine's 1975 World Series triumph over the Red Sox. The '76 Topps set is pretty simple. Multi-colored stripe with the name/team/position and a miniature avatar of the player's position (or an All Star star, if warranted). Clean and crisp. Left ample room for a photo. The set had a mix of posed, candid, and action shots, mostly the former two. The few action shots are pretty great. Note the Concepcion and an all-time great Topps card of Johnny Bench. The Reds set is obviously loaded with stars since this team, coming off the '75 World Series win, would win another in '76, sweeping the Yankees. This is arguably the best offensive roster in the history of baseball (apologies to the '27 Yankees). One more note: That is not a Ron Guidry rookie card toward the end. It's a Pat Zachry rookie card. Let's check the stats.

STATS:

Cards - (36)

RC's - 3 (Doug Flynn, Santo Alcala, Pat Zachry)

All Stars - 15 (Dave Concepcion, Gus Bell, Ken Griffey, Jack Billingham, George Foster, Clay Carroll, Johnny Bench x2, Tony Perez x2, Joe Morgan x2, Pete Rose, Gary Nolan, Pat Zachry)

Hall of Famers - 6 (Johnny Bench x2, Tony Perez x2, Joe Morgan x2)

Reds Hall of Famers - 17 (Gus Bell, Clay Carroll, Gary Nolan, Jack Billingham, Johnny Bench x2, Joe Morgan x2, Tony Perez x2, Dave Concepcion, Don Gullett, George Foster, Ken Griffey, Cesar Geronimo, Pedro Borbon, Dan Driessen)

Sweet Shades - 2 (Pete Rose, Bill Plummer)

Catchers Emerging from a Cloud of Dust - 1 (Johnny Bench)

Checklist:

24 Cesar Geronimo

48 Dave Concepcion 

66 Gus Bell & Buddy Bell

77 Pedro Borbon

104 Sparky Anderson

128 Ken Griffey

155 Jack Billingham

179 George Foster 

195 NL RBI Leaders 

197 NL Stolen Base Leaders 

211 Clay Carroll

240 Pete Rose

259 Darrel Chaney

283 Merv Rettenmund

300 Johnny Bench

325 Tony Perez

362 Will McEnaney

390 Don Gullett

420 Joe Morgan

444 Gary Nolan 

461 NL & AL Championship

462 1975 World Series

469 Rawly Eastwick

491 Terry Crowley

514 Dan Driessen

518 Doug Flynn

538 Pat Darcy

561 Tom Carroll

579 Clay Kirby

589 Rookie Pitchers

599 Rookie Pitchers 

609 Fred Norman

627 Bill Plummer

652 Ed Armbrister 

Go Reds.