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The 1970s were a whirlwind of groove and social changes. People from this decade witnessed many remarkable events, such as the gay liberation movement victories, the election of the first female Prime Minister in the U.K., and the rise of disco.

Alongside these successes, they were also a part of some unfortunate incidents like the Vietnam War, the Oil Crisis, and the loss of many icons like Elvis Presley, Coco Chanel, and Pablo Picasso.

The decade was an era like no other, and luckily the subreddit “The 70s are back!” has collected many images to preserve it. For Gen Z, they may already be mere relics from the past, but these images can reveal a lot about what was happening at the time. Let’s take a nostalgic journey by scrolling through the list and immersing ourselves in the spirit of the ‘70s.

#1

Early ‘70s / Early 70’s, Cheers

Early ‘70s / Early 70’s, Cheers

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Kaedyn Walsh
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love this. Seriously, I'm so in love with love. Look at them. They both found their Person. <3

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#3

If You Ever Used One Of These Perpetual Towel Contraptions To Dry Your Hands In The 1970s You’re Probably Immune To All Forms Of Viruses And Diseases Now

If You Ever Used One Of These Perpetual Towel Contraptions To Dry Your Hands In The 1970s You’re Probably Immune To All Forms Of Viruses And Diseases Now

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SM
Community Member
11 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I love that comment about being immune! But in all seriousness, I do believe that trying to "live in a germ-free environment" has caused problems for younger generations. Soap and water, and good cleaning habits, good, tying to go around killing all bacteria, bad.

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Things got pretty weird in the 1970s, especially in the US, mostly because it came after the youth and change-driven 1960s and the incoming flashy styles of disco and punk. Even though people yearned for new social possibilities, they were faced with political division (Roe v. Wade, the Watergate scandal), hostility (wars in Asia), and rejection. As they started to lose hope of reuniting as a society with a common interest in goals, many focused on issues of subgroups they belonged to based on ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, and religion.

#4

I Can Smell This Picture- When We Got Bored With Our Cap Guns We Started Bashing The Whole Rolls With A Hammer! Fun Times In The 1970s!

I Can Smell This Picture- When We Got Bored With Our Cap Guns We Started Bashing The Whole Rolls With A Hammer! Fun Times In The 1970s!

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#5

Smallpox Vaccination Scar ! Who Has One?

Smallpox Vaccination Scar ! Who Has One?

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Robin DJW
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I had two, the second because of travel to another continent.

Tiny Dancer
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yup. We travelled a LOT (parents in a band) in the '60s and '70s. I had a vax record literally an arm long before I was 20.

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Kat-Renee Kittel
Community Member
11 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I could still see my small pox vaccine scar until a few years ago. I remember that the mechanism used looked like something from outer space to me as a kid like some kind of future device in Star Trek

SM
Community Member
11 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I of course got this as a kid (born in 1957), I think even maybe as baby, but I have no memory of it and no scar.

Debby Keir
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to have a yellow certificate rubber banded into my passport, as you need them for travel.

Michael MacKinnon
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

...And yet, people complained about vaccine passports as if they were something new and outlandish (I still have my mom's from a trip to Europe in 1959...and I have a smallpox vaccination scar).

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SuperChicken
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Omg, yes. I think, mine lasted for decades. Seriously. Every time I would wear sleeveless tops, I always get asked where and how I got the scar on my left upper arm.

Annabel Wood
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

wait that needle looks really big - no wonder the scar looked like that

Loveyiii
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was a kid I was so sad that after my smallpox shot I didn't get a scar like my Mom had from her vaccine.

Dorothy Reiser
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom got them to give me this on the sole of my foot so I can wear sleeveless.

barbara barrows
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Have two, the first was a fairly large and a bit deep, had a second one, same thing happened. Matching on each arm scars

Id row
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My sister has one, but I don't. Either they stopped giving them between the time she got hers and I was ready for mine, or my parents didn't bother, which was just as possible.

Lynn Hollinger
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know they stopped sometime between 1968 and 1972 because my sister born in 68 has one and I was born in 72 and I do not.

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Nils Skirnir
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Small pox scar was because you already had some antibodies against it. Very common in early days because virus was endemic

Weird Panda
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Did these hurt? I’m mildly concerned by the size of the scar

Edward Loopyderm
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Better than scarring from smallpox, or worse. For some reason unknown to me, mine is on the sole of my right foot.

Anxious Aardvark
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Parents could request it be on the sole where it wasn't visible. Could have also been the person administering the vaccines preferred spot.

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Stephanie Did It
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Born in 1957, went to France in 1964 so I had a ton of vaccines but no smallpox scar so I'm still wondering if It "took."

TeaAndWhimsy
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks the same as a TB scar? How do you tell the difference...

Jumping Jellyfishes
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't have the scar, which made me the odd one out in my age group. They attempted to vaccinate me 3 times and none of them "took". Nobody could figure out why

MICHAEL OLIVER
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

BCG Vaccine Scar. The tuberculosis vaccine cause a blister to fill with pus, crust over, and form a scab within a few weeks. People who received the BCG vaccine in the past often have a permanent scar in the area where they received the injection. - Not Smallpox!!

MICHAEL OLIVER
Community Member
4 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

BCG Vaccine Scar- The tuberculosis vaccine cause a blister to fill with pus, crust over, and form a scab within a few weeks. People who received the BCG vaccine in the past often have a permanent scar in the area where they received the injection. Not Smallpox!

Teresa Spanics
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My late Dad had a quarter sized vaccination mark on his left shoulder. He was vaccinated when he was 4 years old when he and his parents and siblings came to Canada from Hungary.

PurpleKU77
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just looked at mine, from 63 or 64 (can still remember the shot)

Graham Berry
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Still required for certain types of travel especially if you are military.

Seadog
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember some kids were terrified of getting it. They were so convinced it would hurt. Of all I ever experienced as a child this was definitely at the top of the list of being a nothing experience.

Kim Kermes
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My pediatrician didn't want girls to have scars on their arms, so he vaccinated on the chest. My scar is neatly tucked under my boob, must where the bra goes. My high school friend had one just like it. How did he know?!

Marsha Hultberg
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mine disappeared after 60 years, though I remember it vividly -- and thrilled I don't remember getting it! 😅

Maartje
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have this, neatly hidden under my left breast. Born in 1957.

Robin Roper
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mother-in-law has two - she immigrated to the US in the late 50's

Gail Wilson Webb
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mine is on my left shoulder. Mom's shot on her left arm scarred badly and she wanted to spare me.

Kelly O'Leary
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

These vaccines predated the 70s, as do most of the numbers depicted in this post.

Janice Seagraves
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I still have mine though it's faded a bit. My husband's looks like he just got it.

Catherine Spencer-Mills
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The first two shots didn't take, so I have a third one on my thigh that left a scar. Every first grader in my town had smallpox shots.

Batwench
Community Member
Premium
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I have one but it was from having a TB vaccination

Chelle Martin
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's weird to think that someday no one on earth will have the scar.

Catharina Geerts
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This one I have. In early childhood and primary school, I had all the required vaccinations. Darn, those hurt. And the nurses always said it wouldn't hurt a bit. Left me with a trauma

IamMe
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know both of my parents had this vaccine, but only my mom had the scar. I remember as a young child, thinking she must've been bitten by a small animal.

Himory TheDreamer
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm 23 and I have a vaccine scar, not sure which one though. Think I was 6-7 when I got it.

Sunny Day
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My cousin has one on her leg, because she was wrestling with my brother right after he got his vaccine, and he bit her leg.

Elio
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My parents both did, but my mom wouldn't have any lingering immunity to it due to chemo.

TheBadHalfofHel
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My pediatrician gave me the shot on my side - not on my arm. He told my Mother I was too pretty to have that horrible scar.

John Murphy
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

so this isnt necessarilly relegated to the 70's. Ive been active duty for over 20 yrs small pox, anthrax and one other leave these scars

Cat Chat
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The early smallpox one did. It wasn't just an injection like today. Look at the picture. Although you can't see it, I believe it was multiple needles all at once (or, and I could be wrong, but I believe I heard some were a series of large needle pricks - although that may very well be a different vaccine or injection I am thinking of).

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hearditontheX
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Only vaccine I didn't get as a child. Think my Dad squashed that. Not sure & didn't realize it until I was an adult. Born in 1954

aubergine10003
Community Member
Premium
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am born in 1970 and don't have one. IIRC, they stopped giving them in NYC (where I was born) in 1969.

ॐBoyGanesh
Community Member
11 months ago

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In the US they stopped this by 1972. So like a lot of things in this list, NOT the 1970s. At least not in USA & Netherlands. I can’t speak for anywhere else but India.

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#6

Anybody Remember These Guys?

Anybody Remember These Guys?

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During this period, many American citizens witnessed indigenous people seeking to maintain their culture and improve their quality of life. For decades, they were living in poverty and discrimination. In the '70s, the average life expectancy for a Native American person was 46 years, compared to the national average of 69. Half of them lived on reservations, where employment reached 50%. After many struggles and protests, the US government restored millions of acres of tribal lands and increased funding for Native American education, healthcare, and housing.

#7

Silly Putty ! Remember Copying The Funny Pages From The News Paper?

Silly Putty ! Remember Copying The Funny Pages From The News Paper?

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#8

Only The Lucky Kids Got These In The Anonymous Christmas Gift Exchange In School

Only The Lucky Kids Got These In The Anonymous Christmas Gift Exchange In School

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The drive for gay and lesbian rights intensified as well. The activists called for any homosexual individuals to come out and reveal their orientation. Therefore, gay communities moved from the underground to the political sphere. They strongly protested against the American Psychiatric Association, which categorized homosexuality as a mental illness. This “diagnosis” often resulted in job loss, loss of custody, and other serious consequences for the LGBT community. By 1974, it was no longer considered a mental illness. The same year, Kathy Kozachenko became the first openly lesbian woman to run for office in Michigan.

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#10

If You Know, You Know. This Guy Was Sort Of Like The Steve Irwin Of The '70s

If You Know, You Know. This Guy Was Sort Of Like The Steve Irwin Of The '70s

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#11

I Now Realize Everyone Was Drunk On This Show

I Now Realize Everyone Was Drunk On This Show

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#12

Who Else Loved Underdog And His Villains?

Who Else Loved Underdog And His Villains?

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Kat-Renee Kittel
Community Member
11 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh where oh where can my Underdog be oh where oh where can he be...

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Women's liberation also continued in the 1970s. Feminists opened women’s shelters, successfully fought for protection from employment discrimination for pregnant ladies, reformed sexual assault laws, and funded schools that opposed sexist stereotypes. In 1973, the US Supreme Court, in Roe v. Wade, put in place several laws that made abortions during the first three months legal. This meant that women could seek help nationwide without needing to prove that the pregnancy was a danger to their health or that it was the result of a reported assault.

#13

Remember When Dairy Queen Was A Takeout Stand? (1970s-80s)

Remember When Dairy Queen Was A Takeout Stand? (1970s-80s)

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#14

Pizza Day Was The Best Day Of The Week In Elementary School In The 70s

Pizza Day Was The Best Day Of The Week In Elementary School In The 70s

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Growing up in the ‘70s amongst all of this was undeniably different from today. With the hippie movement in full swing and more women acquiring jobs, parents usually employed a “hands-off” approach when raising their children. Unsupervised play was still a thing, children of this era remember being told, “Be home when the street lights come on” or “Whose house are you going to, and when will you be back?” Kids between the ages of 5 and 13 would take care of themselves with no adult supervision before and after school on a regular basis.

#16

Moon Boots. If You Lived In A Cold Climate, You Wore Them

Moon Boots. If You Lived In A Cold Climate, You Wore Them

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Mad Dragon
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

With bread bags over your feet so your socks did not end up soaking wet if the snow was slushy.

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#17

What Were You Chewing Back In The Day?

What Were You Chewing Back In The Day?

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Kat-Renee Kittel
Community Member
11 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Fruit Stripe Gum!! Does anybody remember how to create chains from the chewing gum wrappers? My older brother had a friend who actually used the gum wrapper chains for curtain dividers and he showed me how to make the chains.

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#18

I’m Feeling Really Dizzy And My Cheeks Hurt Real Bad

I’m Feeling Really Dizzy And My Cheeks Hurt Real Bad

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kissmychakram
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11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember that if you inadvertently got any of this on wooden furniture it would remove any varnish it made contact with.

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One thing adding to the not-so-strict parenting was the lack of communication devices. There weren’t cell phones or smart watches back then. Getting hold of your child meant calling up your neighbors. Children would usually stay out all day, and if they needed to get in contact, they could use a payphone (ancient, we know). They got around without cell phones by making a plan days in advance and sticking to it. It’s hard to imagine doing all this planning just to go to a bowling alley with a friend after school. Nowadays, with nearly everyone having cell phones, we can make arrangements and know where someone is in an instant.

#19

Lincoln Logs Arrived At The Thrift Store Today. Imagine How Long They've Been In Someone's Closet

Lincoln Logs Arrived At The Thrift Store Today. Imagine How Long They've Been In Someone's Closet

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#20

Who Else Loved Watching, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, In 1974 & 1975 ?

Who Else Loved Watching, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, In 1974 & 1975 ?

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Kat-Renee Kittel
Community Member
11 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Every single episode! 😍 It was being re-aired recently on Comet I think.

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#21

Spencer Gifts ! My Friends And I Would Head Straight To The Poster Rack

Spencer Gifts ! My Friends And I Would Head Straight To The Poster Rack

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Some things that no longer exist in our current world but were useful in the ‘70s were services like milkmen, diaper changers, and television repairmen. Many people had metal boxes on their front porches, and the milkmen would pick up the empty glass bottles and leave milk on their doorstep. You could also leave a dirty bag of cloth diapers for someone to collect, and they would replace them with a stack of new ones. And if the TV broke, you would pay someone who came to your house in a van filled with parts and fixed it in your home. How ‘70s is that?

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#22

Pop Some Boston Into The Cassette Deck And Let's Cruise

Pop Some Boston Into The Cassette Deck And Let's Cruise

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#24

I Think These Were Created To Give 70's Children Nightmares

I Think These Were Created To Give 70's Children Nightmares

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Libstak
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So many peeps think my user name is related to these guys, Sleestak, libstak...

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Also, let's not forget that reading paper maps and looking for distinctive landmarks were the only ways to travel successfully. Watching your favorite television shows in the 1970s was like making an appointment. Recording devices didn’t exist yet, so if you missed a show, better luck next time! Even thinking about it sends shivers down your spine. Additionally, at the time, the nationwide highway speed limit was 55 miles per hour in the US (now it rarely ever goes below 65).

#25

Me And My Little Brother. Halloween - 1973

Me And My Little Brother. Halloween - 1973

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Zaphod
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Everyone wore these flammable plastic suits with cheap masks. You'd go to every house and fill your pillow case with candy on Halloween

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#26

You Are From The 70's. If You Remember The Soda Machines With The Cup And Crushed Ice Dispenser

You Are From The 70's. If You Remember The Soda Machines With The Cup And Crushed Ice Dispenser

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#27

Long John Silver’s In The Late 1970s Was Something Special

Long John Silver’s In The Late 1970s Was Something Special

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The era of the 1970s was multifaceted in many ways. From social and cultural changes to daily life without cellphones or GPS, it was a mix of challenges and significant achievements that left a lasting effect on the decades ahead. Reflecting on this period, we have to ask, dear Pandas, do you recall something from the ‘70s that no longer exists or was peculiar even to this decade?

#28

Remember “Wacky Packages” Trading Cards From Topps? (1967-77)

Remember “Wacky Packages” Trading Cards From Topps? (1967-77)

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#29

So I Have An Awesome 70s Smoking Room. Tell Me What U Think

So I Have An Awesome 70s Smoking Room. Tell Me What U Think

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Hawkmoon
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Farrah Fawcett... I think this picture must have been the best-selling poster in the world at the time. It was everywhere.

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#30

Barefoot Gas Pedal, Hurst Shifter, And Boston

Barefoot Gas Pedal, Hurst Shifter, And Boston

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#31

If You Didn't Take Him Up On The Roof, You Didn't Truly "Live" The 70s

If You Didn't Take Him Up On The Roof, You Didn't Truly "Live" The 70s

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Zaphod
Community Member
11 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You had to try and maake him jump the Snake River Canyon!

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#33

Members Of A Cult Or A Flower Selling Cartel?

Members Of A Cult Or A Flower Selling Cartel?

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#34

Am I The Only One That Had One Of These?

Am I The Only One That Had One Of These?

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#37

I Had Baseball My Brother Had Football. Did Anyone Else Have One Or Know Someone Who Did?

I Had Baseball My Brother Had Football. Did Anyone Else Have One Or Know Someone Who Did?

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