1976 Topps Traded: The Missing Cards

For their 1976 set, Topps included a 43-card series of cards of players traded after the 1975 season. Instead of airbrushing their new team's logo onto an old uniform and including that player with his new team, Topps gave him a standard card with his 1975 team, and a special "traded" card, checklisted on the same number but with a "T" suffix. (For example, Ferguson Jenkins was on #250 and his Traded card was on #250T.)

And while this was a fun inclusion for the set, 1976 proved to be a huge year for trades, free agency, and late-season pickups. Lots of stars changed teams, including Reggie Jackson, Willie McCovey, Andy Messersmith, and Ken Holtzman (twice!), and Charlie Finley, owner of the Oakland Athletics, went so far as to try to sell off the stars of his team at the June trading deadline. Guys like Vida Blue, Sal Bando, Rollie Fingers, and Joe Rudi all could've found themselves on new teams had the commissioner not stepped in and voided the sales.

So as devoted fans of this amazing series of cards and to celebrate that season of stars changing teams, here's a gallery of 43 more "Traded" cards, what we're calling "1976 Topps Traded: The Missing Cards." Think of it as an homage to the fine art of airbrushing.

Click on each image to enlarge.