1970 Topps #525 Jerry Adair
About Jerry Adair
The Royals released Jerry Adair on May 5, 1970, as he was about to board a plane for a road trip to Baltimore. He was 4-for-27, and general manager Cedric Tallis said, "We just felt he couldn't help the club." Adair had spent much of spring training with his six-year-old daughter, Tammy, who had terminal cancer. Card #525, a fifth-series issue, lists him with Kansas City after a 1969 season in which he fielded .984 at second base, second in the American League to Dick Green's .986.
Kenneth Jerry Adair, born December 17, 1936, in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, was a sure-handed infielder across 13 major league seasons, 1958-1970, with the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals. He then spent 1971 in Japan with the Hankyu Braves. A two-sport star at Oklahoma State under basketball coach Hank Iba, he signed with Baltimore for a $40,000 bonus and debuted the same day, September 2, 1958. Called the Iceman in high school for his composure and Casper the Friendly Ghost in the majors, he made his name with the glove. He handled 458 consecutive chances at second base without an error over 89 games in 1964 and 1965, a major league record until Manny Trillo passed it in 1982. His career fielding mark at second base, .985, bettered Hall of Famers Nellie Fox, Joe Morgan and Bill Mazeroski. He coached Oakland through all three of its championship seasons, 1972-1974, then the California Angels. He died of liver cancer on May 31, 1987, in Tulsa at 50.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 121 | 0 | 29 | 59 | 20 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #525 card?
It is card #525 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jerry Adair of the Kansas City Royals.
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.