Not too long ago I profiled the mystery surrounding the 1972 Topps
Dick Allen card, which used a photo of him that was already used on his
1970 card. The image used for both cards showed Allen from the late
'60's as a Phillies player, so technically this
photo was outdated for BOTH the 1972 AND the 1970 card.
In 1970 he was playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, while by 1972
he was on his way to an M.V.P. award with the Chicago White Sox.
In addition to all of this, back in 1970 he was still being called
"Rich" or "Richie", before baseball came around (according to Allen
himself) and began calling him by his preferred "Dick" nickname that he
grew up with.
Anyway, for that original post I redesigned his 1972 card with a
proper image of him, but it still left his 1970 card to deal with.
Today I correct that 1970 card, and add a little historical twist while doing so.
One of my earliest posts was about how Richie Allen's 1971 card was
the first one Topps ever produced that showed a player with a mustache.
Believe it or not, it's true.
However, if Topps would have used a "current" photo of Allen for his 1970 issue, this would have actually been the first.
I do realize that to many, this really doesn't carry too much
historical weight. But to a card nerd like me, it actually matters, and I
am at peace with it…
So without further delay, here's a redesigned 1970 Topps Richie
Allen card showing him as a St. Louis Cardinal, and a historic mustache.
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| 1970 "Rich" Allen as-issued by Topps using old photo. |
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| My redesign using a smiling, mustached Allen in a Cardinal uniform. |