The release of the 1970 Topps Football card set marked the beginning of a new era for the Topps Company. Topps had made the decision to cut back on expenses by forgoing the licensing fee required by the NFL to use team logos on trading cards or to depict player images displaying team names and logos. As a result, the technique of airbrushing become widely used in Topps Football card sets throughout the decade and beyond. 1970 marked the first year of an eleven-year run of logo-less football cards. It would also be the first year of the "new" NFL with the merger of the AFL and NFL. This merger, combined with a new national TV contract, allowed professional football to take a major step forward.

The checklist for the 1970 Topps Football card set consists of 263 total cards, each measuring the standard 2-1/2 by 3-1/2 inches. The set's major claim to fame is that it contains the rookie card of O.J. Simpson, card number 90. The set as a whole, and Simpson's RC card in particular, has decreased in value as a result of the personal affairs in Simpson's tumultuous life. Other rookie cards included in the set are those of eventual Hall of Famer's, Alan Page (#59), Elvin Bethea (#43), Jan Stenerud (#25), Lem Barney (#75) and Tom Mack (#151). Other notable rookies include future actors, Fred Dryer (#247) and Bubba Smith (#114).

Loaded with veteran Hall of Fame players, the 1970 Topps Football card set is a "who's who" of Canton inductees, including Gale Sayers (#70), Bart Starr (#30), Johnny Unitas (#180), Fran Tarkenton (#80), Dick Butkus (#190), Ray Nitschke (#55), Len Dawson (#1), Larry Csonka (#162), and Bob Griese (#10), to name a few.

Design

The card fronts use an oval-shaped frame matting the player's picture, similar to the design used in 1958. This time, however, there is a solid-colored banner that tails off of the oval. This area contains the player's name and team. A football in the lower right gives his position. A tan/brown color surrounds the player's photo and a white border surrounds the entire card. There are two styles of card backs, depending on the player. For most, a white circle contains the card number, and a box extending across the top gives year and lifetime statistics. For linemen, there are no stats, so the card number is moved down and placed inside a purple ball. The player's name is rendered in a script format, with some vital stats to the right. The rest of the card is split into two parts. The left side features a short biographical write-up, while the right side features a cartoon about the player. A few cards have the cartoon covered so a coin's edge is needed to reveal it.

Printing and Distribution

The 1970 Topps Football card set was printed in two series, with a checklist card #132 printed in each series. Since there were no variations with the checklist card as in the past couple years, the card is considered to be a double-printed. The first series consists of card #'s 1-132 and the second series includes #'s 133-263. Cards were distributed at retail in 10c wax packs.

Insert Sets and Ancillary Products

Both series of 1970 Topps Football cards were distributed with a unique insert set. Series One contained paper posters measuring approximately 8x10 inches. Consisting of a total of 24 different players, the bigger names in the set include Sayers and Butkus. Series Two packs contained one Super Glossy card from a checklist of 33 total players. Notable among them are Unitas, Starr, Namath and Simpson.

That same year, Topps also released a separate product called Topps Supers. These over-sized cards measured 3-1/8 by 5-1/4 inches. The Supers contained the same card back design and information as cards from the regular issue but feature a different image. Showcasing rounded corners and a super thick layered cardboard stock, the 35-card set were distributed in 10c wax packs with three cards in each pack.

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