In 1974, the interest in Topps baseball cards was at a very high level.
It was full of stars from that era of baseball, including Nolan Ryan, Johnny Bench, and perhaps most notably Hank Aaron – who had a storming season in 1973 in terms of his home run record.
There are 678 cards altogether which could today be considered a classic baseball set. Among them there are some great cards that you shouldn’t miss out on, so we’ll focus on those in this article.
If you love the 70s card design and are a bit of a retro aficionado, then you’ll love the design of these cards.
Best 1974 Topps Baseball Cards
These are the best cards that you can get from the 1974 Topps baseball set.
1. 1974 Topps Hank Aaron HR King #1
Considering the nature of the set and Hank Aaron’s achievement in the 1973 season, there’s probably no better card to start the set other than this.
Hank Aaron is one of the all-time greats of baseball. In 1973, he managed to score his 713th home run in his career, meaning he was just one home run shy of Babe Ruth’s record of 714 by the start of the 1974 season.
And since Aaron still had a couple of years of his career to run at this point, it was clear that he was going to overcome Ruth’s record this coming season.
As you can imagine, the hype for this card was huge.
Aaron ended his career with 755 total home runs, which, to this day, is still an admirable record that’s going to be celebrated for decades to come.
And this card caps the historic moment in baseball that you can now get for yourself. It is the most valuable card from the set, as it can cost thousands of dollars in the best conditions.
2. 1974 Topps Dave Winfield RC #456
In the second place, we have Dave Winfield’s rookie card from 1974. This too is a memorable baseball card, considering Winfield went on to become a 12-time All-Star inductee and a Hall of Famer.
He was the #4 pick in the 1973 draft pick by the San Diego Padres.
Winfield was ready to play with the big boys straight away. At the age of just 22, he was ready to compete with some of the biggest baseball legends without having to enter minor leagues, which is the case with the vast majority of players.
He batted an admirable .277 in his first 56 games, which is a decent achievement for a rookie.
In his later years with the Padres, Winfield developed into a superstar as he was first inducted into the All-Star team in 1977.
Winfield continued his career with five other teams, including the Yankees, Angels, Blue Jays, Twins, and the Indians.
This card will cost you thousands in the best conditions.
3. 1974 Topps Nolan Ryan #20
Almost any 70s or 80s Topps set would simply not be complete without a Nolan Ryan card in it.
He served a record 27-year career in baseball, which is the longest career in history. And 1973 was one of the best seasons for Ryan overall, as he was included in 1972 as well as the 1973 All-Star teams.
In 1974, he finished third in the Cy Young awards while also collecting a whopping 367 strikeouts.
The years between 1972 and 1975 were some of the best in Ryan’s career and this is why this card is so special.
Of course, Nolan Ryan is also a Hall of Famer, which is not at all surprising given the career he’s had.
4. 1974 Topps Johnny Bench #10
Johnny Bench was one of the best cards from the 1974 set overall.
The image on this card is not the best, to be honest with you. It’s grainy and somewhat blurry, but it’s the player on the card that counts.
Bench was one of the biggest baseball stars in 1974. He also had a great season, finishing third in the MVP voting for the year. This is certainly an impressive feat for Johnny Bench, who was a 14-time All-Star player.
Compared to some other cards we’ve seen on this list so far, Bench’s card is not as valuable, but it can still cost several hundred dollars for the best-graded cards.
Your best bet with this one is to go for the ungraded options. It’s a bit of a double-edged sword since you don’t know the condition of the card, but you’ll also save some money in the process.
5. 1974 Topps Mike Schmidt #283
Mike Schmidt’s card also stands out as one of the most valuable cards from the 1974 set. It can be worth several hundred dollars if it’s graded well.
One of the pet peeves that many people have with this card is the grainy image. It’s not the best of images, but it’s something you might be willing to compromise on if you’re set on getting this card.
Schmidt’s rookie season came a season earlier in 1973. It was not his best season, but he broke out in 1974 and had a storming season that kicked his career off.
And this is the card that commemorates the great season he had in 1974.
6. 1974 Topps Tom Seaver #80
Last but not least, let’s not forget to mention Tom Seaver’s 1974 Topps card, which comes in as one of the most valuable cards from the set.
Again, the image on the card is not the best. We cannot see Seaver’s face clearly as the image shows him in action.
On a more positive note, Seaver was one of the top players until the 1974 season, when he had a bit of a struggling season.
Still, Tom Seaver is one of the top picks from the 1974 Topps card set and you should look into buying it if you can afford it.
1974 Topps Baseball Card Checklist
1 Hank Aaron
2 Hank Aaron 1954-57
3 Hank Aaron 1958-61
4 Hank Aaron 1962-65
5 Hank Aaron 1966-69
6 Hank Aaron 1970-73
7 Jim Hunter
8 George Theodore RC
9 Mickey Lolich
10 Johnny Bench
11 Jim Bibby
12 Dave May
13 Tom Hilgendorf
14 Paul Popovich
15 Joe Torre
16 Orioles Team
17 Doug Bird RC
18 Gary Thomasson RC
19 Jerry Moses
20 Nolan Ryan
21 Bob Gallagher RC
22 Cy Acosta
23 Craig Robinson RC
24 John Hiller
25 Ken Singleton
26 Bill Campbell RC
27 George Scott
28 Manny Sanguillen
29 Phil Niekro
30 Bobby Bonds
31 Preston Gomez MG
32a Johnny Grubb RC
32b Johnny Grubb RC
33 Don Newhauser RC
34 Andy Kosco
35 Gaylord Perry
36 Cardinals Team
37 Dave Sells RC
38 Don Kessinger
39 Ken Suarez
40 Jim Palmer
41 Bobby Floyd
42 Claude Osteen
43 Jim Wynn
44 Mel Stottlemyre
45 Dave Johnson
46 Pat Kelly
47 Dick Ruthven RC
48 Dick Sharon RC
49 Steve Renko
50 Rod Carew
51 Bob Heise
52 Al Oliver
53a Fred Kendall
53b Fred Kendall
54 Elias Sosa RC
55 Frank Robinson
56 Mets Team
57 Darold Knowles
58 Charlie Spikes
59 Ross Grimsley
60 Lou Brock
61 Luis Aparicio
62 Bob Locker
63 Bill Sudakis
64 Doug Rau
65 Amos Otis
66 Sparky Lyle
67 Tommy Helms
68 Grant Jackson
69 Del Unser
70 Dick Allen
71 Danny Frisella
72 Aurleio Rodriguez
73 Mike G. Marshall
74 Twins Team
75 Jim Colborn
76 Mickey Rivers
77a Rich Troedson
77b Rich Troedson
78 Charlie Fox MG
79 Gene Tenace
80 Tom Seaver
81 Frank Duffy
82 Dave Giusti
83 Orlando Cepeda
84 Rick Wise
85 Joe Morgan
86 Joe Ferguson
87 Fergie Jenkins
88 Freddie Patek
89 Jackie Brown
90 Bobby Murcer
91 Ken Forsch
92 Paul Blair
93 Rod Gilbreath RC
94 Tigers Team
95 Steve Carlton
96 Jerry Hairston RC
97 Bob Bailey
98 Bert Blyleven
99 Del Crandall MG
100 Willie Stargell
101 Bobby Valentine
102a Bill Greif
102b Bill Greif
103 Sal Bando
104 Ron Bryant
105 Carlton Fisk
106 Harry Parker RC
107 Alex Johnson
108 Al Hrabosky
109 Bobby Grich
110 Billy Williams
111 Clay Carroll
112 Davey Lopes
113 Dick Drago
114 Angels Team
115 Willie Horton
116 Jerry Reuss
117 Ron Blomberg
118 Bill Lee
119 Danny Ozark MG
120 Wilbur Wood
121 Larry Lintz RC
122 Jim Holt
123 Nelson Briles
124 Bob Coluccio RC
125a Nate Colbert
125b Nate Colbert
126 Checklist 1-132
127 Tom Paciorek
128 John Ellis
129 Chris Speier
130 Reggie Jackson
131 Bob Boone
132 Felix Millan
133 David Clyde RC
134 Denis Menke
135 Roy White
136 Rick Reuschel
137 Al Bumbry
138 Ed Brinkman
139 Aurelio Monteagudo
140 Darrell Evans
141 Pat Bourque
142 Pedro Garcia
143 Dick Woodson
144 Walt Alston MG
145 Dock Ellis
146 Ron Fairly
147 Bart Johnson
148a Dave Hilton
148b Dave Hilton
149 Mac Scarce
150 John Mayberry
151 Diego Segui
152 Oscar Gamble
153 Jon Matlack
154 Astros Team
155 Bert Campaneris
156 Randy Moffitt
157 Vic Harris
158 Jack Billingham
159 Jim Ray Hart
160 Brooks Robinson
161 Ray Burris RC UER
162 Bill Freehan
163 Ken Berry
164 Tom House
165 Willie Davis
166 Jack McKeon MG
167 Luis Tiant
168 Danny Thompson
169 Steve Rogers RC
170 Bill Melton
171 Eduardo Rodriguez RC
172 Gene Clines
173a Randy Jones RC
173b Randy Jones RC
174 Bill Robinson
175 Reggie Cleveland
176 John Lowenstein
177 Dave Roberts
178 Garry Maddox
179 Yogi Berra MG
180 Ken Holtzman
181 Cesar Geronimo
182 Lindy McDaniel
183 Johnny Oates
184 Rangers Team
185 Jose Cardenal
186 Fred Scherman
187 Don Baylor
188 Rudy Meoli RC
189 Jim Brewer
190 Tony Oliva
191 Al Fitzmorris
192 Mario Guerrero
193 Tom Walker
194 Darrell Porter
195 Carlos May
196 Jim Fregosi
197a Vicente Romo
197b Vicente Romo
198 Dave Cash
199 Mike Kekich
200 Cesar Cedeno
201 Batting Leaders LL
202 Home Run Leaders LL
203 RBI Leaders LL UER
204 Stolen Base Leaders LL
205 Victory Leaders LL
206 ERA Leaders LL
207 Strikeout Leaders LL
208 Leading Firemen LL
209 Ted Sizemore
210 Bill Singer
211 Cubs Team
212 Rollie Fingers
213 Dave Rader
214 Billy Grabarkewitz
215 Al Kaline UER
216 Ray Sadecki
217 Tim Foli
218 Johnny Briggs
219 Doug Griffin
220 Don Sutton
221 Chuck Tanner MG
222 Ramon Hernandez
223 Jeff Burroughs
224 Roger Metzger
225 Paul Splittorff
226a Padres Team
226b Washington Nat’l Tea
227 Mike Lum
228 Ted Kubiak
229 Fritz Peterson
230 Tony Perez
231 Dick Tidrow
232 Steve Brye
233 Jim Barr
234 John Milner
235 Dave McNally
236 Red Schoendienst MG
237 Ken Brett
238 Fran Healy
239 Bill Russell
240 Joe Coleman
241a Glenn Beckert
241b Glenn Beckert
242 Bill Gogolewski
243 Bob Oliver
244 Carl Morton
245 Cleon Jones
246 A’s Team
247 Rick Miller
248 Tom Hall
249 George Mitterwald
250a Willie McCovey
250b Willie McCovey
251 Graig Nettles
252 Dave Parker RC
253 John Boccabella
254 Stan Bahnsen
255 Larry Bowa
256 Tom Griffin
257 Buddy Bell
258 Jerry Morales
259 Bob Reynolds
260 Ted Simmons
261 Jerry Bell
262 Ed Kirkpatrick
263 Checklist 133-264
264 Joe Rudi
265 Tug McGraw
266 Jim Northrup
267 Andy Messersmith
268 Tom Grieve
269 Bob Johnson
270 Ron Santo
271 Bill Hands
272 Paul Casanova
273 Checklist 265-396
274 Fred Beene
275 Ron Hunt
276 Bobby Winkles MG
277 Gary Nolan
278 Cookie Rojas
279 Jim Crawford RC
280 Carl Yastrzemski
281 Giants Team
282 Doyle Alexander
283 Mike Schmidt
284 Dave Duncan
285 Reggie Smith
286 Tony Muser
287 Clay Kirby
288 Gorman Thomas RC
289 Rick Auerbach
290 Vida Blue
291 Don Hahn
292 Chuck Seelbach
293 Milt May
294 Steve Foucault RC
295 Rick Monday
296 Ray Corbin
297 Hal Breeden
298 Roric Harrison
299 Gene Michael
300 Pete Rose
301 Bob Montgomery
302 Rudy May
303 George Hendrick
304 Don Wilson
305 Tito Fuentes
306 Earl Weaver MG
307 Luis Melendez
308 Bruce Dal Canton
309a Dave Roberts
309b Dave Roberts
310 Terry Forster
311 Jerry Grote
312 Deron Johnson
313 Barry Lersch
314 Brewers Team
315 Ron Cey
316 Jim Perry
317 Richie Zisk
318 Jim Merritt
319 Randy Hundley
320 Dusty Baker
321 Steve Braun
322 Ernie McAnally
323 Richie Scheinblum
324 Steve Kline
325 Tommy Harper
326 Sparky Anderson MG
327 Tom Timmermann
328 Skip Jutze
329 Mark Belanger
330 Juan Marichal
331 All-Star Catchers
332 All-Star First Basemen
333 All-Star Second Basemen
334 All-Star Third Basemen
335 All-Star Shortstops
336 All-Star Left Fielders
337 All-Star Center Fielders
338 All-Star Right Fielders
339 All-Star Pitchers
340 Thurman Munson
341 Dan Driessen RC
342 Jim Lonborg
343 Royals Team
344 Mike Caldwell
345 Bill North
346 Ron Reed
347 Sandy Alomar Sr.
348 Pete Richert
349 John Vukovich
350 Bob Gibson
351 Dwight Evans
352 Bill Stoneman
353 Rich Coggins
354 Whitey Lockman MG
355 Dave Nelson
356 Jerry Koosman
357 Buddy Bradford
358 Dal Maxvill
359 Brent Strom
360 Greg Luzinski
361 Don Carrithers
362 Hal King
363 Yankees Team
364a Cito Gaston
364b Cito Gaston
365 Steve Busby
366 Larry Hisle
367 Norm Cash
368 Manny Mota
369 Paul Lindblad
370 Bob Watson
371 Jim Slaton
372 Ken Reitz
373 John Curtis
374 Marty Perez
375 Earl Williams
376 Jorge Orta
377 Ron Woods
378 Burt Hooton
379 Billy Martin MG
380 Bud Harrelson
381 Charlie Sands
382 Bob Moose
383 Phillies Team
384 Chris Chambliss
385 Don Gullett
386 Gary Matthews
387a Rich Morales
387b Rich Morales
388 Phil Roof
389 Gates Brown
390 Lou Piniella
391 Billy Champion
392 Dick Green
393 Orlando Pena
394 Ken Henderson
395 Doug Rader
396 Tommy Davis
397 George Stone
398 Duke Sims
399 Mike Paul
400 Harmon Killebrew
401 Elliott Maddox
402 Jim Rooker
403 Darrell Johnson MG
404 Jim Howarth
405 Ellie Rodriguez
406 Steve Arlin
407 Jim Wohlford
408 Charlie Hough
409 Ike Brown
410 Pedro Borbon
411 Frank Baker
412 Chuck Taylor
413 Don Money
414 Checklist 397-528
415 Gary Gentry
416 White Sox Team
417 Rich Folkers
418 Walt Williams
419 Wayne Twitchell
420 Ray Fosse
421 Dan Fife RC
422 Gonzalo Marquez
423 Fred Stanley
424 Jim Beauchamp
425 Pete Broberg
426 Rennie Stennett
427 Bobby Bolin
428 Gary Sutherland
429 Dick Lange RC
430 Matty Alou
431 Gene Garber RC
432 Chris Arnold
433 Lerrin LaGrow
434 Ken McMullen
435 Dave Concepcion
436 Don Hood RC
437 Jim Lyttle
438 Ed Herrmann
439 Norm Miller
440 Jim Kaat
441 Tom Ragland
442 Alan Foster
443 Tom Hutton
444 Vic Davalillo
445 Doc Medich
446 Len Randle
447 Frank Quilici MG
448 Ron Hodges RC
449 Tom McCraw
450 Richie Hebner
451 Tommy John
452 Gene Hiser
453 Balor Moore
454 Kurt Bevacqua
455 Tom Bradley
456 Dave Winfield RC
457 Chuck Goggin RC
458 Jim Ray
459 Reds Team
460 Boog Powell
461 Johnny Odom
462 Luis Alvarado
463 Pat Dobson
464 Jose Cruz
465 Dick Bosman
466 Dick Billings
467 Winston Llenas
468 Pepe Frias
469 Joe Decker
470 A.L. Playoffs
471 N.L. Playoffs
472 World Series Game 1
473 World Series Game 2
474 World Series Game 3
475 World Series Game 4
476 World Series Game 5
477 World Series Game 6
478 World Series Game 7
479 World Series Summary
480 Willie Crawford
481 Jerry Terrell RC
482 Bob Didier
483 Braves Team
484 Carmen Fanzone
485 Felipe Alou
486 Steve Stone
487 Ted Martinez
488 Andy Etchebarren
489 Danny Murtaugh MG
490 Vada Pinson
491 Roger Nelson
492 Mike Rogodzinski RC
493 Joe Hoerner
494 Ed Goodson
495 Dick McAuliffe
496 Tom Murphy
497 Bobby Mitchell
498 Pat Corrales
499 Rusty Torres
500 Lee May
501 Eddie Leon
502 Dave LaRoche
503 Eric Soderholm
504 Joe Niekro
505 Bill Buckner
506 Ed Farmer
507 Larry Stahl
508 Expos Team
509 Jesse Jefferson
510 Wayne Garrett
511 Toby Harrah
512 Joe Lahoud
513 Jim Campanis
514 Paul Schaal
515 Willie Montanez
516 Horacio Pina
517 Mike Hegan
518 Derrel Thomas
519 Bill Sharp RC
520 Tim McCarver
521 Ken Aspromonte MG
522 J.R. Richard
523 Cecil Cooper
524 Bill Plummer
525 Clyde Wright
526 Frank Tepedino
527 Bobby Darwin
528 Bill Bonham
529 Horace Clarke
530 Mickey Stanley
531 Gene Mauch MG
532 Skip Lockwood
533 Mike Phillips RC
534 Eddie Watt
535 Bob Tolan
536 Duffy Dyer
537 Steve Mingori
538 Cesar Tovar
539 Lloyd Allen
540 Bob Robertson
541 Indians Team
542 Rich Gossage
543 Danny Cater
544 Ron Schueler
545 Billy Conigliaro
546 Mike Corkins
547 Glenn Borgmann
548 Sonny Siebert
549 Mike Jorgensen
550 Sam McDowell
551 Von Joshua
552 Denny Doyle
553 Jim Willoughby
554 Tim Johnson RC
555 Woodie Fryman
556 Dave Campbell
557 Jim McGlothlin
558 Bill Fahey
559 Darrel Chaney
560 Mike Cuellar
561 Ed Kranepool
562 Jack Aker
563 Hal McRae
564 Mike Ryan
565 Milt Wilcox
566 Jackie Hernandez
567 Red Sox Team
568 Mike Torrez
569 Rick Dempsey
570 Ralph Garr
571 Rich Hand
572 Enzo Hernandez
573 Mike Adams RC
574 Bill Parsons
575 Steve Garvey
576 Scipio Spinks
577 Mike Sadek RC
578 Ralph Houk MG
579 Cecil Upshaw
580 Jim Spencer
581 Fred Norman
582 Bucky Dent RC
583 Marty Pattin
584 Ken Rudolph
585 Merv Rettenmund
586 Jack Brohamer
587 Larry Christenson RC
588 Hal Lanier
589 Boots Day
590 Rogelio Moret
591 Sonny Jackson
592 Ed Bane RC
593 Steve Yeager
594 Leroy Stanton
595 Steve Blass
596 Rookie Pitchers
597 Rookie Shortstops
598 Rookie Outfielders
599a Rookie Pitchers
599b Rookie Pitchers
599c Rookie Pitchers
600 Rookie Infielders
601 Rookie Outfielders
602 Rookie Pitchers
603 Rookie Catchers
604 Rookie Infielders
605 Rookie Pitchers
606 Rookie Outfielders
607 Rookie Shortstops
608a Rookie Pitchers ERR
608b Rookie Pitchers COR
609 Rico Petrocelli
610 Dave Kingman
611 Rick Stelmaszek
612 Luke Walker
613 Dan Monzon
614 Adrian Devine RC
615 Johnny Jeter UER
616 Larry Gura
617 Ted Ford
618 Jim Mason
619 Mike Anderson
620 Al Downing
621 Bernie Carbo
622 Phil Gagliano
623 Celerino Sanchez
624 Bob Miller
625 Ollie Brown
626 Pirates Team
627 Carl Taylor
628 Ivan Murrell
629 Rusty Staub
630 Tommie Agee
631 Steve Barber
632 George Culver
633 Dave Hamilton
634 Eddie Mathews MG
635 Johnny Edwards
636 Dave Goltz
637 Checklist 529-660
638 Ken Sanders
639 Joe Lovitto
640 Milt Pappas
641 Chuck Brinkman
642 Terry Harmon
643 Dodgers Team
644 Wayne Granger
645 Ken Boswell
646 George Foster
647 Juan Beniquez RC
648 Terry Crowley
649 Fernando Gonzalez RC
650 Mike Epstein
651 Leron Lee
652 Gail Hopkins
653 Bob Stinson
654a Jesus Alou ERR
654b Jesus Alou COR
655 Mike Tyson RC
656 Adrian Garrett
657 Jim Shellenback
658 Lee Lacy
659 Joe Lis
660 Larry Dierker
