1972 Topps Football Cards
To my knowledge, 1972 Topps cards were the only vintage football cards to be released in three series. The first series contained cards 1-132, the second contained cards 79 and 133-263, and the third contained cards 264-361. Topps included card number 79, the second series checklist, in both the first and second series, so it is a double print.
Third series 1972 Topps cards were released late in the football season (I remember getting a pack from my brother for Christmas), and apparently many of them went unsold. Because relatively few of them made in into circulation in 1972, the price guides have them valued much higher than cards from the first two series. However, many (or most) of the excess third series cards were not destroyed in 1972; rather, a large dealer bought them from Topps and stored them. The dealer has been selling the unopened cards in recent years, and the cards are no longer difficult to find. Of course, since the cards were recently opened, most of them are in top condition. There are still plenty of unopened third series cards available, and their prices continue to decline. Perhaps because the multiple series did not work well in 1972, Topps released its 1973 football cards--all 528 of them--in a single series.
Rookie cards of Pro Football Hall of Famers in the 1972 Topps set: Charlie Joiner, Emmitt Thomas, Gene Upshaw, John Riggins, Larry Little, Rayfield Wright, Roger Staubach, Ron Yary, Ted Hendricks.
Rookie cards of Heisman Trophy winners in the 1972 Topps set: Jim Plunkett, Steve Owens, Steve Spurrier.
To see a large picture of any card, pick the small picture or the card title.
| Picture | Set | # | Card | Team | Position | College | Honors | Notes | Est. NM Value (?) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 1972 Topps | 1 | 1971 AFC Rushing Leaders | $4 | |||||
| Floyd Little | Denver Broncos | running back | Syracuse | Broncos Ring of Fame 1984, College Hall of Fame 1983, Hall of Fame 2010 | |||||
| Larry Csonka | Miami Dolphins | fullback | Syracuse | College Hall of Fame 1989, Dolphins Honor Roll 1990, Hall of Fame 1987 | |||||
| Marv Hubbard | Oakland Raiders | running back | Colgate | ||||||
![]() | 1972 Topps | 2 | 1971 NFC Rushing Leaders | $4 | |||||
| John Brockington | Green Bay Packers | running back | Ohio State | Packers Hall of Fame 1984 | |||||
| Steve Owens | Detroit Lions | running back | Oklahoma | College Hall of Fame 1991, Heisman Trophy 1969 | |||||
| Willie Ellison | Los Angeles Rams | running back | Texas Southern | ||||||
![]() | 1972 Topps | 3 | 1971 AFC Passing Leaders | $4 | |||||
| Bob Griese | Miami Dolphins | quarterback | Purdue | College Hall of Fame 1984, Dolphins Honor Roll 1990, Hall of Fame 1990 | |||||
| Len Dawson | Kansas City Chiefs | quarterback | Purdue | Chiefs Hall of Fame 1979, Hall of Fame 1987 | |||||
| Virgil Carter | Cincinnati Bengals | quarterback | Brigham Young | ||||||
![]() | 1972 Topps | 4 | 1971 NFC Passing Leaders | $6 | |||||
| Roger Staubach | Dallas Cowboys | quarterback | New Mexico Military Institute, Navy | College Hall of Fame 1981, Cowboys Ring of Honor 1983, Hall of Fame 1985 | |||||
| Greg Landry | Detroit Lions | quarterback | Massachusetts | ||||||
| Bill Kilmer | Washington Redskins | quarterback, halfback | UCLA | College Hall of Fame 1999, Redskins Ring of Fame, Saints Hall of Fame 1990 | |||||
![]() | 1972 Topps | 5 | 1971 AFC Receiving Leaders | $4 | |||||
| Fred Biletnikoff | Oakland Raiders | end | Florida State | College Hall of Fame 1991, Hall of Fame 1988 | |||||
| Otis Taylor | Kansas City Chiefs | end | Prairie View | Chiefs Hall of Fame 1982 | |||||
| Randy Vataha | New England Patriots | wide receiver | Stanford | ||||||
![]() | 1972 Topps | 6 | 1971 NFC Receiving Leaders | $4 | |||||
| Bob Tucker | New York Giants | tight end | Bloomsburg State | ||||||
| Ted Kwalick | San Francisco 49ers | tight end | Penn State | College Hall of Fame 1989 | |||||
| Harold Jackson | Philadelphia Eagles | wide receiver | Jackson State | ||||||
| Roy Jefferson | Washington Redskins | wide receiver | Utah | ||||||
![]() | 1972 Topps | 7 | 1971 AFC Scoring Leaders | $4 | |||||
| Garo Yepremian | Miami Dolphins | kicker | none | ||||||
| Jan Stenerud | Kansas City Chiefs | kicker | Montana State | Chiefs Hall of Fame 1992, Hall of Fame 1991, Packers Hall of Fame 1991 | |||||
| Jim O'Brien | Baltimore Colts | kicker, wide receiver | Cincinnati | ||||||
![]() | 1972 Topps | 8 | 1971 NFC Scoring Leaders | $4 | |||||
| Curt Knight | Washington Redskins | kicker | Coast Guard | ||||||
| Errol Mann | Detroit Lions | kicker | North Dakota | ||||||
| Bruce Gossett | San Francisco 49ers | kicker | Richmond | ||||||
![]() | 1972 Topps | 9 | Jim Kiick | Miami Dolphins | running back | Wyoming | $2 | ||
![]() | 1972 Topps | 10 | Otis Taylor | Kansas City Chiefs | end | Prairie View | Chiefs Hall of Fame 1982 | $2 | |
![]() | 1972 Topps | 11 | Bobby Joe Green | Chicago Bears | kicker | Florida | $2 | ||
![]() | 1972 Topps | 12 | Ken Ellis | Green Bay Packers | defensive back | Southern | Packers Hall of Fame 1998 | $4 | |
![]() | 1972 Topps | 13 | John Riggins | New York Jets | running back | Kansas | Hall of Fame 1992, Redskins Ring of Fame | Rookie card | $25 |
![]() | 1972 Topps | 14 | Dave Parks | New Orleans Saints | end, flanker | Texas Tech | College Hall of Fame 2008 | $2 | |
![]() | 1972 Topps | 15 | John Hadl | San Diego Chargers | quarterback | Kansas | Chargers Hall of Fame 1983, College Hall of Fame 1994 | $4 | |
![]() | 1972 Topps | 16 | Ron Hornsby | New York Giants | linebacker | Southeast Louisiana | Rookie card | $2 | |
![]() | 1972 Topps | 17 | Chip Myers | Cincinnati Bengals | wide receiver | Northwest Oklahoma State | Rookie card | $2 | |
![]() | 1972 Topps | 18 | Bill Kilmer | Washington Redskins | quarterback, halfback | UCLA | College Hall of Fame 1999, Redskins Ring of Fame, Saints Hall of Fame 1990 | $2 | |
![]() | 1972 Topps | 19 | Fred Hoaglin | Cleveland Browns | center | Pittsburgh | Rookie card | $2 | |
![]() | 1972 Topps | 20 | Carl Eller | Minnesota Vikings | defensive end | Minnesota | College Hall of Fame 2006, Hall of Fame 2004, Vikings Ring of Honor 2002 | $4 | |
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Show all eBay listings for 1972 Topps cards.
| Listing Title | Listing Type | Price | Time Left | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 TOPPS F/B HI SERIES WAX BOX GIA 9.5 GEM MINT | Fixed Price | 15000.00 obo | 18 days 7 hrs |




















