With the 2012 Summer Olympics underway, I figured I'd take a look an Olympic card set within my collection. Check out the 1983 Topps Greatest Olympians set put out for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Here are scans of both the front and reverse of every card in the set; except the checklist. There are a total of 100 cards and it consist of mostly American medalist.
Just about every star you've heard of is in it, as well as many who are probably totally foreign to you. In the above photos are noted athletes Dorothy Hamill and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Bradley.
As you can see, the reverse of the cards have a short biography of each person. BTW, I don't think this set is particularly rare. If memory serves me right, rack packs of the cards were available at local stores for well over a year after the '84 Olympics, so there is likely plenty of stock laying around somewhere.
Check out the rest of the set below. Click on any pic to embiggen.
The inventor of that magic grill, George Foreman, is below. So is legendary surfer and five-time medalist in swimming, Duke Kahanamoku.
Check out two members of the 1980 Winter Olympic Team USA hockey team- goalie Jim Craig and the "erupting volcano" Mike Eruzione.
Jim Thorpe is probably one of America's greatest male athletes, while Babe Didrikson is considered one of America's greatest female athletes. See their card below.
I had to make note of the Jesse Owens and Bruce Jenner cards below. Also, did you know there was a champion American javelin thrower by the name of Cy Young?
This is probably the best page in the whole set. You can't go wrong with Ali, Jerry West, Wilma Rudolph, and Joe Frazier.
This is beautiful! Great set.
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