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Vintage Spotlight: The Best Rookie And Star 1978 Topps Baseball Cards

1978 topps

The 1970s were a wild ride and that extended to the baseball diamond.

In 1978, the movie Grease took pop culture by storm. The comic Garfield made its debut. Smallpox was eradicated worldwide.

1978 saw the death of two popes, Norman Rockwell, and Keith Moon. Jim Rice and Dave Parker won the AL and NL MVP awards, respectively and the New York Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series.

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Topps produced some classic sets in the 1970s, with some amazing rookie cards. Less modern production and quality assurance processes, plus the ravages of time have made some of these cards challenging and valuable in top condition.

In this series, we’ll look at the top cards for each set, including key rookie cards and other valuable cards, with info on their PSA populations and recent values. Come hop in the way back machine and relive the glory that was 1970s Topps baseball.

We’ll look today at the 1978 Topps baseball cards.

1978 Topps Baseball Cards

The basics of 1978 Topps baseball cards

The 1978 Topps set consists of 726 cards, all released in one series. 66 cards from the set were double-printed.

Wax boxes contained 36 packs of 14 cards each plus one stick of gum. They sold for 20 cents. 1978 Topps was also available in rack packs, cello packs, and vending boxes. Cello packs contained 21 cards and sold for 30 cents. Rack packs contained 39 cards, and cost 59 cents. Vending boxes contained 500.

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1978 Topps Baseball Cards

PSA has graded 207,642 1978 Topps cards. Of those, there are 19,922 PSA 10s, or roughly 9.6% of the total.

1978 Topps Baseball Cards

1978 Topps Baseball cards – design & subsets

1978 Topps card fronts feature a clean design. A thin colored line frames a player photo on a white-bordered card.

The player’s team name (without city) is located in the lower left corner in a colored script that breaks the colored line border. The player’s name appears in the lower right corner in black text underneath the colored line. The abbreviation for the player’s position appears in the upper right corner of a baseball icon.

The back features gray card stock, with blue ink for the text and statistical information on an orange background. The card back contains a baseball game that can be played with a series of cards.

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Of note is that after switching to a very thin card stock for 1977 Topps, Topps returned to a thicker, more traditional stock for 1978, making the set less condition-sensitive than its predecessor.

In addition to the standard cards, 1978 Topps features several interesting subsets. These include:

  • Record Breakers (cards 1-7)
  • League Leaders (201-208)
  • Postseason (411-413)
  • Rookie Prospects (701-711)

Additionally, you’ll find Checklists, Team cards, Manager cards, and more. All-Stars are denoted on their regular card, while there is no separate All Star subset.

1978 Topps baseball cards – Key rookies

The 1978 Topps baseball card set features the rookie cards of four members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, two on the same card. There’s another card that features a player who belongs in the Hall of Fame, and hopefully gets there in the next few years. Fans of catchers will appreciate one additional multi-player rookie card of note.

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1978 Topps Eddie Murray #36

If it’s possible for a first-ballot Hall of Famer to be underrated, Eddie Murray fits the bill. He played for a part of 21 seasons and is one of only 7 players ever to finish their career with over 500 home runs and 3,000 hits.

Murray was an 8-time All-Star, 3-time Silver Slugger winner, and 3-time Gold Glove winner. He was worth 68.7 WAR in his career and ranks 12th all-time among first baseman.

On the power of winning the 1977 American League Rookie of the Year award, Murray got a rare solo rookie card in 1978 Topps.

PSA has graded 14,252 copies of the 1978 Topps Eddie Murray #36 rookie card. Only 19 copies are in PSA 10 slabs, and 698 are in PSA 9 slabs. PSA 7’s and PSA 8’s are more plentiful and are a nice combination of grade and price point. In a PSA 8 slab, expect to pay $150-185. In a PSA 9, the price jumps to around $1,500.

1978 Rookie Pitchers (Larry Andersen / Tim Jones / Mickey Mahler / Jack Morris) #703

Jack Morris may not be the most popular Hall of Fame selection, but his induction in Cooperstown has given his cards extra attention. Morris finished his career 254-186 with a 3.90 ERA (105 ERA+). He was at his best in the playoffs, finishing as a three-time World Series champ and won the World Series MVP in 1991.

PSA has graded 5,680 copies of the 1978 Topps Rookie Pitchers #703 featuring Jack Morris. There are 113 PSA 10s and 1,110 PSA 9s. In a PSA 9 slab, the card sells for between $65-95.

1978 Rookie Second Basemen (Garth Iorg / Dave Oliver / Sam Perlozzo / Lou Whitaker) #704

Lou Whitaker is not a Hall of Famer. He was less flashy than he was consistent, but he was consistently very good, like his former long-term teammate who appears on the next card.

Over parts of 19 seasons, Whitaker, who won the 1978 AL Rookie of the Year Award, hit .276/.363/.426 with an OPS of.789 and OPS+ of 117. He was a 5-time All-Star, 4-time Silver Slugger, and 3-time Gold Glove winner.

Whitaker’s career WAR of 75.1 ranks 7th all-time among second baseman, well above the 69.7 average WAR of a Hall of Famer at the position. Whitaker made just one appearance on the Hall of Fame ballot, dropping off the ballot with only 2.9% of the vote.

That makes him one of the best “one-and-done” players ever. Modern statistics and time to reflect on Whitaker’s contributions make him a likely player to eventually get elected by the Hall of Fame committees.

Whitaker’s rookie card has been graded 3,054 times by PSA, the lowest total of all the key rookies. There are 58 PSA 10s and 540 PSA 9s. A PSA 8 will cost $40-60, with a PSA 9 costing $150-175.

1978 Topps 1978 Rookie Shortstops (Mickey Klutts / Paul Molitor / Alan Trammell / U.L. Washington) #707

That teammate of Whitaker mentioned earlier, would be his long-time double-play partner Alan Trammell. The card a second Hall of Famer in long time Milwaukee Brewer Paul Molitor. In the late 1980s, as a young collector, this was a grail card for sure.

Molitor finished his career with over 3,300 career hits and over 500 stolen bases. Molitor was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Trammell, whose 70.6 career WAR trails both Molitor and Whitaker, spent 15 years on the Hall of Fame ballot maxing out at 40.9% of the vote in his last year.

But he made the Hall of Fame in 2018 via the Modern Era Committee (the same year as Morris, who was a teammate for quite some time). His eventual election is a good sign for Whitaker eventually joining him.

PSA has graded 9,380 of the Molitor/Trammell rookie card. There are only 30 PSA 10s and 447 in PSA 9 slabs. They are more plentiful in a PSA 8, where they sell for between $150-225. In a PSA 9 slab, the card sells for $1,250 to $1,350.

1978 Rookie Catchers (Bo Diaz / Dale Murphy / Lance Parrish / Ernie Whitt) #708

While it doesn’t feature a Hall of Famer, the 1978 Topps Rookie Catchers card #708 is worth a mention. It features one player who wouldn’t stay behind the dish long, and several long-time catchers.

Dale Murphy hit 398 home runs and accumulated 46.5 WAR in his career. Murphy was a 7-time All Star and 5-time Gold Glove winner who won back-to-back MVP awards. A steep decline after age 31 has hurt Murphy’s Hall of Fame candidacy, although he certainly has his proponents.

The card is not actually a rookie card of Murphy, however, as he appears on another multi-catcher rookie card in 1977 Topps.

While not Hall of Famers, Lance Parrish, Ernie Whitt, and Bo Diaz had careers of 19, 15, and 13 years each, respectively. That’s a lot of years of catching experience! PSA has graded 3,643 copies of the 1978 Rookie Catchers #708.

Of those, 87 are in PSA 10 slabs and there are 746 PSA 9’s. In a PSA 8, these sell for $35-50. In a PSA 9, these sell for around $110.

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By the Numbers: 1978 Topps baseball cards – Key rookies

CardTotal PSA PopRecent Sale PopRecent Sale Price
1978 Topps Eddie Murray #3614,252PSA 8 = 3,710PSA 8 = $150-185
1978 Rookie Pitchers (Larry Andersen / Tim Jones / Mickey Mahler / Jack Morris) #7035,680PSA 8 = 2,115PSA 8 = $20-30
1978 Rookie Second Basemen (Garth Iorg / Dave Oliver / Sam Perlozzo / Lou Whitaker) #7043,054PSA 8 = 1,171PSA 8 = $40-60
1978 Topps 1978 Rookie Shortstops (Mickey Klutts / Paul Molitor / Alan Trammell / U.L. Washington) #7079,380PSA 8 = 2,234PSA 8 = $150-225
1978 Rookie Catchers (Bo Diaz / Dale Murphy / Lance Parrish / Ernie Whitt) #7083,643PSA 8 = 1,389PSA 8 = $35-50

1978 Topps Baseball cards – other key cards

Beyond the rookies, there are plenty of cards within the 1978 Topps set worth chasing. The set features all the biggest stars of the era. While the big names of the 1960s such as Hank Aaron and Willie Mays had retired by 1978, but were being replaced by the next generation of stars.

The pricing of cards is primarily driven by player popularity and card condition sensitivity over the total population count. As you’ll see from our examples below, the range in prices for stars can be quite different from player to player in high-grade slabs.

The perfect example here is Nolan Ryan. His card #400 in the 1978 Topps set is among the most graded non-rookie cards, with 5,444 total PSA copies. Yet there are only 139 copies in PSA 9 slabs (there are only 3 PSA 10s). In that grade, they sell for $1,800-2,000. For whatever reason, perhaps its position on the printing sheets, the Ryan is tough to find in high grade.

On the other end of the spectrum is Robin Yount, an all-time great and Hall of Famer in his own right. His 1978 Topps #173 has been graded 2,652 times by PSA, or under half as many as the Nolan Ryan. Yet 813 of those are in PSA 9 slabs, so the going rate is only $40-$45.

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In between you’ll find cards like the 1978 Topps George Brett #100, where the PSA 9 pop is only 229 and sells for between $350-450. A Reggie Jackson, with a slightly higher percentage of PSA 9s, will set you back around $250.

The 1978 Topps Thurman Munson #60 has about 625 PSA 9s out there, and sells for around $70-100.

So, the takeaway is that many of these cards are very affordable. If you’re a big Yount fan, there are not many reasons you shouldn’t grab a copy of his 1978 Topps card. But as high-grade populations go down, prices go up.

CardTotal PSA PopRecent Sale PopRecent Sale Price
1978 Topps Thurman Munson #602,774PSA 9 = 625PSA 9 = $70-100
1978 Topps George Brett #1002,758PSA 9 = 229PSA 9 = $350-450
1978 Topps Robin Yount #1732,652PSA 9 = 813PSA 9 = $40-45
1978 Topps Reggie Jackson #2002,537PSA 9 = 360PSA 9 = $240-260
1978 Topps Nolan Ryan #4005,444PSA 9 = 139PSA 9 = $1,800-2,000

Companion offerings to 1978 Topps baseball cards

1978 O-Pee-Chee (OPC), the bilingual Canadian version of Topps, contained 242 cards. The only major rookie card it included was the Eddie Murray.  PSA has graded 11,186 cards from 1978 O-Pee-Chee, with 712 total PSA 10’s. The Eddie Murray has been graded 1,013 times by PSA, with 5 PSA 10’s.

Team Checklist Mail-In Sheet was available via a wrapper redemption that featured versions of team checklist cards. The sheets were designed to be cut apart. These were printed on thinner, whiter stock than the standard cards.

1978 Topps Burger King was a series of four different 23-card team sets that were regionally distributed via Burger King restaurants. Guests at BK received a 3-card pack of cards from their local team with the purchase of any sandwich. The teams produced were the Astros, Rangers, Tigers, and Yankees.

The cards shared designs with the standard 1978 Topps set. PSA grading totals are generally low, with only 119 Astros cards graded, 294 Rangers, 1,068 Yankees, and 2,485 Tigers. The Tigers total is higher due to the inclusion of rookie cards of Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, and Lou Whitaker.

These are notable as all three appear on individual cards, NOT the multi-player cards like in the base set. If you’re a fan of these players, these cards are well worth chasing.

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Final thoughts on the best rookie and star 1978 Topps Baseball Cards

1978 Topps is a classic vintage set with a two-HOF rookie card and a couple of other Hall of Fame rookie cards, and one that may join them in the hall soon. There are plenty of other valuable cards that are well worth a look.

The cards are not difficult to find, but several are a challenge to find in top condition. There are even a few companion products well worth exploring, as well.

Overall, 1978 Topps has some fun subsets and cards. Whether you’re a builder of vintage sets or a collector of high-grade Hall of Fame rookie cards, there’s something for everyone in 1978 Topps.

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Other 1970s Topps baseball sets

Mike D.

Mike D

Mike D. has collected cards for over 35 years, since he bought his first pack of Topps at the corner store in 1987. His fandom,  collecting interests, and contributions to Cardlines center around baseball in general and the Baseball Hall of Fame specifically.

Mike's collecting focus is centered on graded cards, mostly rookie cards, of Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers. Lately, he's been enjoying dabbling in graded minor league cards. A collector/investor with a "buy and hold" approach, Mike takes the long-term view with his collection.
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