Card back countdown: #28 - 1970 Topps

I know, I know, I said we'd stay in the 1960s for awhile. But, I'll let you in on a little secret. The card back countdown isn't set in stone. Although there is a basic layout and plan, the individual pieces shift around a bit. There is a lot of fine-tuning going on!

Besides, I consider the 1970 Topps set to be part of the '60s. Although the gray borders were completely different from what a lot collectors knew at the time, and signaled a new decade in collecting, the backs were similar to a lot of the 1960s Topps cards.

No, Alex Rodriguez is "rich."

Card backs in the '60s contained bright colors, and Topps extended that trend one more year with the 1970 set, before entering the "dark-colors card back era" for the rest of the decade.

The 1970 card back is certainly bright, one of the brightest around. It would fit very well with the 1972 or 1975 Topps sets. But Topps chose to pair it up with one of the duller card fronts that it would produce.

I didn't see many 1970 cards when I was a kid. The set came out about five years before I started collecting. But I do remember the first 1970 card that I saw. It was Fred Norman of the Dodgers. I was visiting my friend's house and he had the card.

I remember turning the card over and having to pull my head back at the bright blue and yellow coming off the cardboard. Wow, what a switch from the card front!

The best part of the card back, for me, is how the colors separate each section of the card back. Yellow for the stats and the card number, blue for the vital stats and write-up. And both colors for the cartoon.

I like this cartoon. The cartoon bubble gives you added information!

One drawback to this set is a problem for several sets. Topps dropped the cartoon for players with lengthy careers. Boooooo!

All-in-all, this is a nice card back effort from 1970 Topps (it'll be hard for me to find anything negative to say about the cards from herein out). The two-tone back was certainly different, as different as the card fronts if you ask me.

Best of the set:

My interest in collecting this set is zero, so I only have Dodgers. No best of the set today.

(previous card back countdown selections):

50. 1978 SSPC Yankee Yearbook
49. 1993 Score
48. 1999 Skybox Thunder
47. 2000 Upper Deck
46. 1999 Skybox Premium
45. 1953 Johnston Cookies Braves
44. 1995 Topps
43. 1997 Fleer
42. 1992 Pinnacle
41. 1989 Bowman
40. 1977 Kellogg's
39. 2004 Topps
38. 2004 Topps Total
37. 1992 Topps
36. 1992 Donruss
35. 2008 Upper Deck Documentary
34. 1963 Fleer
33. 1955 Bowman
32. 2006 Topps
31. 1961 Topps
30. 1955 Topps
29. 1967 Topps