576 - Montreal Expos TC

About This Team
The Montreal ball club was one of four expansion clubs in 1969 and Major League Baseball's first expansion into Canada.  The Expos would finish the 1973 season with their best record at that time at 4th place in the National League East.

About This Card
The Expos had never finished higher than 5th place in the National League East through their first four seasons.  Rusty Staub, at the time, held all of the Expos batting records.  However, Staub did not have a Topps card issued in 1973 (or 1972).

191 - Detroit Tigers TC

About This Team
The Detroit ball club was first established in 1901 as one of the inaugural teams in the American League.  Throughout their 111 years, the Tigers have won ten American League pennants and four World Series. In 1972, the Tigers won the American League East, but lost to the Oakland A's in the ALCS.

About This Card
As of 1973, the Tigers had won the American League pennant seven times, as listed on the back of the card.  Their most recent pennant was in 1968 with a team managed by Mayo Smith.  In that season, the Tigers won 103 games and beat the Cardinals in seven games to win the World Series.

26 - Pittsburgh Pirates TC

About This Team
The Pittsburgh ball club was first established in 1882.  Playing as the "Pittsburgh Alleghenys," the club was a part of the American Association.  Pittsburgh joined the National League in 1887 and changed the team name to the "Pittsburgh Pirates" in 1891.  Throughout their rich history, the Pirates have won five World Series championships and nine National League pennants.  In 1972, the Pirates won the National League East and made the third of three straight playoff appearances, but lost to the Cincinnati Reds in the NLCS.

About This Card
The Pirates team card is another example of the wide range of conditions in my set.  The card is yellowed and the corners and edges are worn.  The condition is never really important to me as far as trying to build a MINT set, but it does give me a sense of history and longevity of each individual card.

389 - New York Mets TC

About This Team
The New York Mets were first established in 1962 as part of a National League expansion, along with the Houston Astros.  The Mets played their first two seasons in the Polo Grounds.  They moved into Shea Stadium in 1964 where they would play for another 45 seasons.  The Mets were abysmal early in their existence with finishing in 9th or 10th place in their first seven seasons.  However, the 1969 "Miracle Mets" shocked all of baseball by winning the league championship and then the World Series.  The Mets continued to remain competitive for a few years after.  The Mets would reach the World Series for a second time in 1973, but lose in seven games to the Oakland A's.

About This Card
This card looks to me as abysmal as the Mets' first seven seasons.  The Mets team card use black type with the black border.  Not sure if it is just my card, but the Mets' blue looks all black in the photo.

158 - Houston Astros TC

About This Team
The Houston ball club was first established in 1962 as part of a National League expansion, along with the New York Mets.  For their first three seasons, the team was called the "Houston Colt .45's."  The team changed its named to the "Houston Astros" to emphasize Houston's role in the space program in 1965 as they moved indoors to the Astrodome, baseball's first indoor stadium.

About This Card
As you can see on the back, the Astros have had a dismal first 10 seasons.  Not until 1972 would the Astros have a winning record.

219 - St. Louis Cardinals TC

About This Team
The St. Louis ball club was first established in 1882, but adopted the Cardinals moniker in 1900.  In 1972, the Cardinals finished in 4th place in the National League East.  In 1973, they finished in 2nd place.

About This Card
A couple of things to note.  First, unlike most team photos which are shot on the field, this one, comparing lighting, background and shadows, appears to have been shot in a studio.  Second, while the Cardinals had been in existence for many years, one current Cardinal at the time, Bob Gibson, as can be seen on the back of the card, had already attained team records in strikeouts, shutouts and ERA.

464 - Chicago Cubs TC

About This Team
The Chicago Cubs are one of the original National League teams established in 1876.  In 1972, the Cubs finished the season in 2nd place in the National League East.  In 1973, the Cubs would finish in 5th place.

About This Card
I enjoy the stats on the backs of cards and I enjoy especially the team stats on the back of the team cards.  In the case of 1973, the team cards show each team's all-time stat leaders and the records for each of the pennant winning teams.  Topps quit printing team cards in 1990 and brought back the team cards in 2001.  The team stats are finally appearing again in 2010.