1967 Topps #597 Ted Abernathy
About Ted Abernathy
Abernathy's 1967 Topps card, #597, is a high number from the set's seventh series, issued the year he had the best season of his career with the Cincinnati Reds. He led the major leagues with 28 saves and a career-best 1.27 ERA over 106.1 innings, going 6-3 in 70 appearances. The performance earned him a second Sporting News NL Fireman of the Year award and a 20th-place finish in NL MVP voting.
Ted Abernathy was a submarine-style relief pitcher who spent 14 major league seasons, from 1955 to 1972, with seven clubs. Born in Stanley, North Carolina, he broke into the big leagues with the Washington Senators, but a serious arm injury in 1956 forced him to abandon a conventional delivery. After elbow surgery and years of rehab in the minors, he adopted an underhand submarine motion learned from a Senators teammate, and returned reinvented as a full-time relief specialist. Pitching for the Indians, Cubs, Braves, Reds, Cardinals and Royals, Abernathy became one of the game's most durable firemen, twice leading the National League in saves, in 1965 and 1967, and winning The Sporting News NL Fireman of the Year award both years. He set a then-record for games pitched in a season with 84 appearances in 1965. Over his career he compiled a 63-69 record, 148 saves and a 3.46 ERA in 1,147.2 innings across 681 games. He finished his playing days with the Royals in 1972 at age 39, closing out a career built on reinvention and workload.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 345 | 6 | 37 | 138 | 100 | 38 | 17 | 9 | 0 |
| SGC | 28 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
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. PSA registers a row for every one of the 624 states; SGC lists no separate row for the #149 white-streak state.
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Related cards
Team card: #407 Cincinnati Reds
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #6 Dick Simpson
- #21 Dave Bristol
- #44 Joe Nuxhall
- #61 Gordy Coleman
- #80 Jim Maloney
- #96 Art Shamsky
- #114 Jack Baldschun
- #120 Floyd Robinson
- #135 Deron Johnson
- #158 Jimmy Coker
- #176 Sammy Ellis
- #202 Johnny Edwards
- #222 Reds 1967 Rookie Stars
- #254 Milt Pappas
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1967 Topps #597 card?
It is card #597 of the 609-card 1967 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ted Abernathy of the Cincinnati Reds.
Why is #597 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the seventh and last print series, #534-609 - the scarce end of the set, holding both Hall of Fame rookies (Carew #569, Seaver #581). Twenty-two of the 76 are accepted double prints, so scarcity varies card by card inside the run.
How many cards are in the 1967 Topps Baseball set?
609 cards, tracked as 624 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 609 without a gap - no number was skipped and none was used twice - and 15 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-12.