The 1968 Topps issue features rookies of two of the greatest players of the 1970s - Johnny Bench and Nolan Ryan. Even at release, the cards met with indifference among fans. This was due to a tan brown border with patterning that looks like a cross between burlap and an old-fashioned television set.
In addition, the 1968 set is visually inconsistent, with series one featuring much wider spacing in the patterning and more washed-out colors than series two. Unlike contemporary sets, many players appear in a close-up photo without a cap, with no accurate, non-posed action shots. At spring training, many shots show other players milling about and chatting in the background.
Despite all these flaws, the set reigns supreme for collectors in the late 1960s. Highlights include Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Bob Gibson. The true chase cards of the series are the Nolan Ryan/Jerry Koosman Mets Rookie Stars and the Johnny Bench/Ron Tompkins Reds Rookie Stars. In graded near-mint PSA 8 condition, the Ryan rookie goes for more than $7,000, while the Johnny Bench rookie in the same grade fetches just under $2,000.
