From My Collection: Seven 1974 Topps Cards

The first year that I have any significant number of cards from is 1978.  For the years before that, if I have cards (and I do have cards from all years 1965-1994, but before 1965 it's hit or miss), I mostly have an assortment of stars that I deliberately collected, with a small assortment of additional cards.  From 1974, for instance,  I have about 10-20 cards that are not players I went out of my way to acquire.  Here's a sample in seven cards.

1974 Topps Red Schoendienst.

I have two 1974 manager cards, and this Red Schoendienst, manager of the Cardinals, is one of them.  These were the first Topps cards I ever saw which featured any coaches.  Now that I've seen more than I had back in the day, I see that some years this is what Topps did, and it wasn't unique to 1974.  I haven't heard of any of the coaches, but Schoendienst I have heard of; he is a Hall-of-Famer, after all, although his accomplishments both as player and manager were significantly before my time.

1974 Topps Grant Jackson.

I'm sure I didn't know when I picked up this card that Jackson was one of the main relief pitchers on the 1979 Pirates championship team.  He was near the end of his career, and retired after the 1982 season.  He pitched on some good teams, and his career including playing with the Orioles in the World Series in 1971 against the Pirates, and in the 1976 World Series for the Yankees against the Reds.  The 1979 Pirates were his only World Series win; he even was the winning pitcher in Game 7.

1974 Topps Cincinnati Reds team photo.

Here is the team picture of the Reds.  I never liked cards like this -- I can't see who anyone at all is.  They literally could put anyone in a picture like this and I wouldn't be able to tell if they're really part of the team or not.

1974 Topps Bob Moose.

Moose was with the Pirates 1967-1976, his whole career, including the 1971 championship team.  I have his 1972 card, too, and he looks pretty different.  His Wikipedia page features his 1976 card, and that, too, looks pretty different from this.  With his hair and his mustache, he looks like he was going all in on enjoying the 1970s styles.

1974 Topps Darrell Evans.

Darrell Evans is one of the near-Hall-of-Famers I like so much.  It's possible that I acquired this card intentionally, although it's hard to say.  The most striking feature of this card is how happy Darrell is to be pretending to field a ground ball.

1974 Topps Pittsburgh Pirates.

Here are the Pirates, and like with the Reds card, I can't tell who anyone is.  Willie Stargell must be in there, and Manny Sanguillen, and a few others I might know.  But I really can't see who anyone is.

1974 Topps Steve Yeager.

I'll close the post with this card of long-time Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager.  I have a number of Yeager's cards; he was catcher for the Dodgers from late 1972 through 1985, so this card is from the beginning of his stretch.  His time with the Dodgers included being World Series MVP from their win in 1981.