1970 Topps #656 Jim Hardin
About Jim Hardin
Jim Hardin's 1970 Topps card, #656, is a seventh-series high number that shows him with the Orioles. On July 27, 1969, he gave up two hits to the White Sox in a 17-0 Baltimore win and homered off Gary Bell. In 1970 he pitched 145 1/3 innings over 36 games with 78 strikeouts. On August 6 he threw a five-hit complete game against Cleveland and tripled in two runs.
James Warren Hardin, a right-handed pitcher, reached the majors with the Baltimore Orioles in 1967 after signing out of Memphis State with the New York Mets for a $10,000 bonus, then moving to Baltimore in a 1965 minor-league draft. He had converted from catcher to pitcher only as a high-school senior when his team ran short of arms. Hardin battled control problems in the low minors before a strong 1967 stretch at Triple-A Rochester earned him a callup to replace an injured Jim Palmer. He stayed with the Orioles through 1970, part of the club's pennant-winning run, before arm trouble led to a May 1971 trade to the New York Yankees and a 1972 stint with the Atlanta Braves, his final major-league season. Over six seasons he went 43-32 with a 3.18 ERA. After retiring at 29 he built a career as a Xerox account representative in Miami and became an accomplished amateur golfer. Hardin died in 1991 when the small plane he was piloting crashed in Key West, Florida.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 192 | 3 | 41 | 112 | 29 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 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
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- #64 1969 American League RBI Leaders
- #68 1969 American League ERA Leaders
- #70 1969 American League Pitching Leaders
- #81 Dave May
- #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!
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #656 card?
It is card #656 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Hardin of the Baltimore Orioles.
Why is #656 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the seventh and last series, #634-720 - the high numbers, and the toughest series of the set to find.
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.