1970 Topps #449 Jim Palmer
About Jim Palmer
A 2.34 ERA in his 1969 comeback put Palmer on #68, the American League ERA leaders card from the first series, alongside Washington's Dick Bosman and Baltimore teammate Mike Cuellar. His Orioles card is fourth-series #449. In 1970 he went 20-10 with a 2.71 ERA and made his first All-Star team, leading the league in innings and shutouts. He struck out 12 Twins on a seven-hitter in Game 3 of the playoffs, then won a World Series game as Baltimore beat Cincinnati in five.
James Alvin Palmer pitched all 19 of his major league seasons with the Baltimore Orioles (1965-1967, 1969-1984) and finished as the winningest pitcher of the 1970s with 186 wins. A right-hander whose best pitch was a high fastball, he worked on three World Series champions (1966, 1970, 1983) and six American League pennant winners, and he is the only pitcher to win a World Series game in three different decades. His Game Two shutout of Los Angeles in the 1966 Series, thrown nine days before his 21st birthday, made him the youngest man to pitch a complete-game shutout in a Series and sent Sandy Koufax off in his final appearance. Palmer won three Cy Young Awards (1973, 1975, 1976), four straight Gold Gloves (1976-1979), two ERA titles and six All-Star selections. He won 20 or more games eight times and finished 268-152 with a 2.86 ERA and 53 shutouts. Arm trouble cost him most of 1967 and all of 1968, but he came back in 1969 with the only no-hitter of his career. He was nicknamed Cakes for the pancakes he ate on the mornings he pitched. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990, his first year of eligibility.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1,367 | 5 | 86 | 477 | 308 | 194 | 141 | 156 | 0 |
| SGC | 310 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 79 | 66 | 59 | 69 | 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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Related cards
More Jim Palmer in this set: #68 League Leaders
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
- #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!
- #201 A.L. Playoff Game 3 - Birds Wrap It Up!
- #202 Orioles Celebrate: Sweep Twins In Three!
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #449 card?
It is card #449 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Palmer 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.