1970 Topps #658 Ken Tatum
About Ken Tatum
Tatum carried a 1.00 ERA through May 1970, then threw a pitch on May 31 at Anaheim that struck Baltimore's Paul Blair in the face, breaking his nose and cheekbone. Reluctant to pitch inside afterward, he finished 7-4 with 17 saves in 62 games. His ERA ended the season at 2.94. Card #658, from the high-number seventh series, is his rookie card and lists him with the California Angels.
Ken Tatum was a right-handed reliever who pitched in 176 games over six seasons, 1969 to 1974, for the California Angels, Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox, all but two of them in relief. A Mississippi State pitcher who was All-Southeastern Conference in 1965 and 1966, he signed with the Angels in June 1966 and was converted from starter to reliever in 1969. Called up in May of that year, he posted a 1.36 ERA with 22 saves and placed fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting. His career finished at 16-12 with 52 saves and a 2.93 ERA. He later earned a master's degree in secondary school administration at Northeastern University while with Boston, and put it to work after baseball.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 254 | 5 | 69 | 144 | 21 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 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
More California Angels cards:
- #4 Tom Egan
- #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
- #255 Jim Spencer
- #277 Paul Doyle
- #294 Jose Azcue
- #326 Bill Voss
- #351 Tom Murphy
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #658 card?
It is card #658 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ken Tatum of the California Angels.
Is 1970 Topps #658 a rookie card?
Yes - #658 is the 1970 Topps rookie card of Ken Tatum.
Why is #658 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.