1965 Topps #74 Red Sox Rookie Stars - Rico Petrocelli / Jerry Stephenson
On this card: Rico Petrocelli, Jerry Stephenson
The back calls Rico Petrocelli a switch-hitting shortstop, which was true when the card was printed: he had taken up switch-hitting at Triple-A Seattle in 1964 and opened his 1965 rookie season that way, then dropped it after 20 games. Some hobby catalogs list the card as an error.
About this card
This is one of the 55 Rookie Stars cards in the 1965 Topps set, each picturing two to four young players - 126 players in all - under a team banner, except #577 and #581, which carry American League and National League banners over players from three clubs. Joe Morgan (#16), Steve Carlton (#477), Jim (Catfish) Hunter (#526) and Tony Perez (#581) make their Topps debuts on these cards.
The story on this card
1965 Topps #74 comes from Rico Petrocelli's rookie season, when he became Boston's starting shortstop and made 93 starts in 103 games, batting .232 with 13 home runs and 33 RBIs. The card is part of a multi-player Rookie Stars subset and is shared with fellow Red Sox rookie Jerry Stephenson. It is a recognized rookie card for Petrocelli, drawn from the set's first print series. Boston Red Sox shortstop and later third baseman who set a shortstop home run record with 40 in 1969 and starred for the 1967 "Impossible Dream" pennant winners.
Stephenson made the Red Sox out of spring training and stuck with the club all year, though he was used sparingly, appearing in 15 games with a 1-5 record and 6.23 ERA over 52 innings. This 1965 Topps card is a Rookie Stars issue from the set's first series, pairing him with fellow Red Sox rookie Rico Petrocelli. Boston Red Sox right-hander of the mid-to-late 1960s, son of longtime Red Sox scout Joe Stephenson, who later spent decades as a big-league scout himself.
Sources: Wikipedia (Rico Petrocelli) · Wikipedia (Jerry Stephenson) · SABR BioProject (Rico Petrocelli) · SABR BioProject (Jerry Stephenson)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 725 | 6 | 62 | 260 | 157 | 117 | 62 | 60 | 1 |
| SGC | 96 | 1 | 3 | 15 | 29 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 3 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. The two checklist variations, #79 and #508, are listed under the wording PSA uses for each state.
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Related cards
Team card: #403 Boston Red Sox
More Boston Red Sox cards:
- #5 American League 1964 RBI Leaders
- #29 Felix Mantilla
- #42 Earl Wilson
- #55 Tony Conigliaro
- #88 Jack Lamabe
- #111 Lee Thomas
- #142 Bill Monbouquette
- #147 Dennis Bennett
- #162 Russ Nixon
- #178 Dalton Jones
- #199 Bob Heffner
- #222 Bob Tillman
- #251 Billy Herman
- #272 Chuck Schilling
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1965 Topps #74 card?
It is card #74 of the 598-card 1965 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rico Petrocelli and Jerry Stephenson. This is one of the 55 Rookie Stars cards in the 1965 Topps set, each picturing two to four young players - 126 players in all - under a team banner, except #577 and #581, which carry American League and National League banners over players from three clubs. Joe Morgan (#16), Steve Carlton (#477), Jim (Catfish) Hunter (#526) and Tony Perez (#581) make their Topps debuts on these cards.
Is 1965 Topps #74 a rookie card?
Yes - #74 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Rico Petrocelli and Jerry Stephenson.
How many cards are in the 1965 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 600 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 598 with no gaps and no printed-number collisions, and two checklist cards - #79 and #508 - carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball Almanac, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-11.