November 18, 2021: Fall Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/18/2021
What the 1974 Topps Baseball Series may have lacked in rookie card star power (Dave Winfield being the most notable rookie of this series) was overwhelmingly overshadowed by the changes that Topps made in 1974 in an attempt to expand market exposure and add to their customer base. Topps made 2 significant business model changes in 1974 with the first change being that all 660 cards were released in one single series, which can be seen advertised at the bottom portion of the pack being offered here. The second major change that Topps attempted in 1974 was the introduction of the “Factory Set”. Prior to 1974, many collectors living in rural areas of the country were finding little to no success in finding new Topps products. Meanwhile another rapidly growing market base was forming in Hawaii. Due in large part to constant consumer mail requests and unrelenting phone calls claiming that “merchandise is hard to get”, in late 73’ Topps announced a partnership with the JCPenney and Sears department stores to sell a “Factory Set” thru mail catalogues beginning with the 1974 season. This change lasted only 1 year before Topps pulled the plug on “Factory Sets”, however in 1982 the company began producing them again successfully. Acquiring this wax pack is adding critical hobby history to your collection.
1974 Topps Baseball Wax Pack (Graded PSA 6)
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