Description

Rare 1972 Topps Football 3rd series card of Alan Page, number 300 graded SGC 5 (EX). From Tom Bartsch, Sports Collectors Digest: Only in Milwaukee and a few other areas did Topps test-market the 1972 third series of cards. Unable to sell much of his Series 3 cases, a Wisconsin-based Topps sales representative called up Larry Fritsch of Stevens Point, Wis., to see if the longtime collector-turned-dealer had any interest in them. As he said in an interview from the mid-2000s, Fritsch (1936-2007) bought “something like 50 wax cases,” in the deal. “Roughly $5 per case, (for only) the freight cost,” to acquire the load of 1972 Topps Football high numbers. Each case contained 15 wax boxes. Without a doubt, many, if not most, of the ’72 Topps Football 3rd Series that circulate in the hobby today, certainly the top condition samples, likely came from Larry Fritsch Cards and that transaction. Over a few decades, Fritsch sold several of the packs and opened many to have singles, full sets and complete runs of the high series to sell, according to his son, Jeff, who has owned the business and has headed up the day-to-day operations for years. “Not too many of those packs are left (with Fritsch Cards) from the deal,” said the younger Fritsch. Depending on how lucky one is, if they buy a Series 3 pack, originally 10 cents at retail, and open it, they just might find one of the highest-demand cards in the set, the Joe Namath “Pro-Action” pasteboard (No. 343). Even if a collector does not find a “Broadway Joe” action shot in a pack, other possibilities of note include rookie cards of Steve Spurrier and Rayfield Wright, and a Dick Butkus “Pro-Action,” to name just a few. Recalling the ’72 high number case transaction from the early ’70s, Jeff, 54, said it was not as earthshaking as the average collector might think. “From what I remember, it was not that big of a deal, since we were buying so much back then,” he said. Ultimately, after cracking open many of those packs and sorting the cards over the years, Jeff said a few cards from the tough third series stand out as much more challenging than others: Jack Pardee, Horst Muhlmann, Rayfield Wright and Mercury Morris. Lucky for the hobby, the elder Fritsch bought those 3rd Series cases over four decades ago, otherwise they may have been dumped at sea, just like some excess 1952 Topps Baseball high number cases were when they did not sell. Crunching some numbers Most collectors in 1972 only saw the first two series of football cards (263 total cards) and thought that was the complete set. The third series, meanwhile, is only 88 cards (Nos. 264-351) and even the mention that they existed came as a surprise to the average collector late in 1972 or even the next year, as very few packs hit retail shelves. The 1972 set also marked the last time of the era the company distributed cards in series. The first 24 cards in Series 3 are an “All-Pro” subset, which includes several Hall of Famers such as the series-starter Charlie Sanders, as well as Paul Warfield, Bob Griese, Carl Eller and Bob Lilly, all in an old-style picture frame-like border. At the end of the issue is a 14-card “Pro-Action” subset, where the Namath card (No. 343) shows up the most of any high number.