1970 Topps #551 Dock Ellis
About Dock Ellis
Ellis lost 17 games in 1969 but struck out 173 batters, with eight complete games. Card #551 is a sixth-series issue showing him with the Pirates. In 1970 he finished 13-10 with a 3.21 ERA, second in the National League with four shutouts, though a sore arm in mid-August cost him over a month. He started Game 1 of the NLCS, matched Gary Nolan zero for zero through nine innings and lost 3-0 in the tenth.
Dock Ellis pitched twelve seasons in the majors (1968-1979), most of them with the Pittsburgh Pirates, going 138-119 with a 3.46 ERA and 1,136 strikeouts. A right-hander who threw hard enough to keep friends from playing catch with him, he pitched for the Pittsburgh teams that won five NL East titles and the 1971 World Series over Baltimore. On June 12, 1970, he no-hit the San Diego Padres, and he later said he pitched it under the influence of LSD. Ellis started the 1971 All-Star Game for the National League and went 19-9 with a 3.06 ERA that season. He later pitched for the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers and New York Mets before returning to Pittsburgh for his final season. Outspoken on race and player rights, Ellis battled substance abuse throughout his career and afterward became a counselor, working with others facing addiction until his death in 2008.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 494 | 10 | 156 | 249 | 39 | 18 | 7 | 15 | 0 |
| SGC | 24 | 2 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 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: #608 Pittsburgh Pirates
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- #30 Matty Alou
- #52 Bruce Dal Canton
- #61 1969 National League Batting Leaders
- #94 Fred Patek
- #110 Bob Moose
- #141 Pirates 1970 Rookie Stars
- #166 Al Oliver
- #188 Manny Sanguillen
- #216 Chuck Hartenstein
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #551 card?
It is card #551 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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.