1970 Topps #255 Jim Spencer
About Jim Spencer
On May 8, 1970, after a 9-for-11 run, Spencer sat atop the American League at .391, and his fast start helped the Angels hold first place through May 16. A cracked rib suffered on September 7 dragged down his finish, yet he batted .274 over 146 games for a club that won a franchise-best 86. He led the league's first basemen with 1,212 putouts and a .995 fielding percentage and took his first Gold Glove. His rookie card is #255, issued in the second series with the California Angels.
Jim Spencer was a left-handed first baseman who played 15 major-league seasons, 1968 to 1982, with the Angels, Rangers, White Sox, Yankees and Athletics. As a boy he asked Brooks Robinson for fielding tips and was told to keep his glove down near the dirt, and he retired with the highest lifetime fielding percentage of any first baseman. His grandfather, Ben Spencer, had a brief stint in the outfield for the 1913 Washington Senators. Out of Andover High School in suburban Baltimore, he was the Angels' first pick, 11th overall, in the first amateur draft in June 1965. In 1968 he led the Texas League in runs, home runs, RBIs and total bases for El Paso, shared MVP honors and earned a September call-up. He finished with a .250 average, 146 home runs and 599 RBIs. In 1980 he signed a four-year Yankees contract carrying a stipulation that became known as the Spencer Clause. A spring 1981 trade to Pittsburgh for Jason Thompson was voided by Commissioner Bowie Kuhn, and on May 20 the Yankees sent him to Oakland with Tom Underwood. The A's released him early in 1982. He died of a heart attack in Fort Lauderdale on February 10, 2002, at 54, the night after playing first base in a charity game.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 196 | 7 | 49 | 103 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 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: #522 California Angels
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- #29 Sandy Alomar
- #72 1969 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #74 Angels 1970 Rookie Stars
- #132 Jim McGlothlin
- #156 Eddie Fisher
- #173 Jim Hicks
- #203 Rudy May
- #228 Aurelio Rodriguez
- #277 Paul Doyle
- #294 Jose Azcue
- #326 Bill Voss
- #351 Tom Murphy
- #376 Lefty Phillips
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #255 card?
It is card #255 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Spencer of the California Angels.
Is 1970 Topps #255 a rookie card?
Yes - #255 is the 1970 Topps rookie card of Jim Spencer.
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.