1970 Topps #81 Dave May
About Dave May
Dave May was a pinch-hitter and spot starter for the American League champion Orioles in 1969. Sent to the outfield against the Yankees on May 3, he hit an eighth-inning home run that gave Baltimore a 5-4 win, and he batted .299 in August and September. He had one at-bat in the ALCS and one in the World Series. His 1970 Topps card, #81 in the first series, shows him with the Orioles.
Dave May was a left-handed-hitting outfielder who spent 12 major league seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1967 to 1978. A native of New Castle, Delaware, he broke in with Baltimore and was a reserve outfielder on the pennant-winning 1969 Orioles. Traded to Milwaukee in mid-1970, he became an everyday center fielder, capped by a 1973 All-Star season in which he hit .303 with 25 home runs and 93 RBI and led the American League in total bases. After 1974 he was traded to Atlanta in a deal that sent Hank Aaron to Milwaukee, then moved on to Texas and back to Milwaukee before finishing with Pittsburgh. Over his career he batted .251 with 96 home runs and 422 RBI in 1,252 games. He was inducted into the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame, a state honor separate from Cooperstown.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 147 | 0 | 27 | 87 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
Team card: #387 Baltimore Orioles
More Baltimore Orioles cards:
- #20 Dave McNally
- #45 Dave Johnson
- #64 1969 American League RBI Leaders
- #68 1969 American League ERA Leaders
- #70 1969 American League Pitching Leaders
- #101 Bobby Floyd
- #121 Orioles 1970 Rookie Stars
- #148 Earl Weaver
- #182 Dick Hall
- #199 A.L. Playoff Game 1 - Orioles Win a Squeaker!
- #200 A.L. Playoff Game 2 - Powell Scores Winning Run!
- #201 A.L. Playoff Game 3 - Birds Wrap It Up!
- #202 Orioles Celebrate: Sweep Twins In Three!
- #213 Andy Etchebarren
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #81 card?
It is card #81 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Dave May of the Baltimore Orioles.
How many cards are in the 1970 Topps Baseball set?
720 cards, tracked as 726 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 720 with none skipped, issued in seven series - #1-132, #133-263, #264-372, #373-459, #460-546, #547-633 and the high numbers, #634-720; 6 cards, all of them checklists, carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, BaseballCardPedia, Cardboard Connection, 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 2026-10-25.