1971

 

As a known enthusiast for the 1970s, I've got the history of the decade down pretty well.

I didn't follow the news much during that decade -- I was just a kid -- but a lot of what happened was around me, on the TV here and there, the gas lines and the peace talks and the disco scene. I was aware of what went on in the back half of the decade more than the front half.

 

The first part, I don't know a lot, just what the history chroniclers tell me. The year 1971, in particular, is the most mysterious to me.

 

I recall listening on the radio to a decade wrap-up music show that was popular around the close of 1979/early 1980. Mixed in with the music from each year was a news highlight from that year. I can't recall each one, except for 1971, which recounted the tale of "D.B. Cooper" and the hijacking of a Boeing 727, Northwest Orient Flight 305, out of Portland, Oregon in November of that year. 

It remains the most mysterious hijacking in U.S. history. Cooper -- or whatever his real name was/is -- has never reappeared after jumping out of that plane. Even more baffling, no relatives or acquaintances has ever revealed anything about him.

I'm not one to get sucked into conspiracy theories but it's pretty fascinating still. (Some of the ransom money he took with him when he parachuted was found washed up on a beach in 1980).

It fits in well with the mystery of '71.

I've mentioned many times that the 1971 Topps set has been among the most mysterious sets for me. It's less so now since I've completed it and written a full set blog on it. But the reason I did both was because I was so fascinated with what I didn't know. Why the black borders? Why the single line of stats on the back after all those years of full treatment? Why the lower-case lettering? Why the weird airbrushing?

I still don't have a lot of answers to those questions (although I'm much clearer on the airbrushing) but that's OK, it just keeps me collecting '71.

For example:

I grabbed several 1971 O-Pee-Chee Dodgers.

I know I'm supposed to be chasing the '75 OPC Dodgers I still need but I got sidetracked by a post from Wrigley Wax and now I'm on the '71 kick.

The '71s are challenging because of the high numbers, not sure I'll ever get that Richie Allen, but that just fits into that '71 card mystery. The fronts are mostly the same. I do notice an orange glow to some of the cards I got, not sure if that's a regular thing with '71 OPCs.

But the most interesting part of those '71 OPCs is the glow on the back! In stark contrast to the dark green 1971 Topps card backs, the OPCs are yellow for who knows why. Mystery! Plus you get floating heads! There are a few floating heads in the '71 Topps set, but most of the back shots are straight photos.

 

Most of the information on the back is the same, except for the usual French writing.

So there's plenty of work to do there, just as there's plenty of work to do with these '71s:

I posted about these when I received my first lot. They are from the 1971 Ticketron Dodgers set. I'm not 100 percent sure how these were issued (mystery!), I'm guessing they were available at Ticketron sites in Southern California. There's also a Giants Ticketron set from the same year.

Not that I paid attention to these much but I assumed they were regular card size until getting my first ones. They're not. To add a little mystery -- and frustration -- they are 6 x 4, which does not fit into the usual four-pocket pages. The ones I have are floating in two-pocket pages.

These four arrived from HeavyJ, a known Dodger fan and custom-card creator. The Claude Osteen is an extra in case anyone wants one.

I enjoy seeing the 1971 Dodgers schedule for all eternity. Scheduled doubleheaders!

There's a bunch of work to do on this set, too. There's still the Dick Allen, the Steve Garvey rookie, the Vin Scully/Jerry Doggett. I probably should just find the full set to land all at once, like HeavyJ did.

How will I get the rest of them? When will I get them? More mystery!

 

Topps is also fascinated with mystery. The D.B. Cooper case has been the subject of two Allen & Ginter mini insert sets and a Heritage insert set.

This card isn't anything great -- the Heritage one is better -- but I've always liked that it was issued on the 40th anniversary of the event.

 

The '71 Topps set is complete but there's still plenty to collect from that year, the O-Pee-Chee, the Kellogg's cards, the Dell Stamps, the Milk Duds, the Laughlin World Series cards and probably a few others.

As for other card mysteries from '71, here is one: Will I ever land a Topps Greatest Moments card?

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A different Cooper is the topic of the most recent 1993 Upper Deck post.