1970 Topps #252 Lowell Palmer
About Lowell Palmer
Palmer's first Topps card, #252, a rookie card in the second series, shows him with the Phillies after a 1969 debut that began June 21 against Pittsburgh at Connie Mack Stadium. He held the Pirates scoreless through six innings, then allowed five earned runs in the seventh and eighth and took the 8-2 loss. He ended 1969 at 2-8 with a 5.20 ERA over 26 games.
Lowell Palmer was a right-handed pitcher from Sacramento who appeared in 106 major league games between 1969 and 1974 for the Phillies, Cardinals, Indians and Padres, finishing 5-18 with a 5.29 ERA. He attended Norte Del Rio High School and American River College, and Philadelphia made him the sixth overall pick of the 1966 secondary draft. He arrived after going 36-17 in three and a half minor league seasons with 534 strikeouts in 516 innings. Wildness was one of his main problems: he walked 202 batters in 316 2/3 innings while striking out 239. He was fourth in the National League with 14 wild pitches in 1970 and eighth with 10 in 1974. His career included two complete games, one of them a three-hit shutout of Montreal in 1969. His last professional season was 1977.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 162 | 4 | 35 | 91 | 19 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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: #436 Philadelphia Phillies
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- #28 Billy Wilson
- #56 Phillies 1970 Rookie Stars
- #90 Tim McCarver
- #125 Deron Johnson
- #149 Billy Champion
- #168 Dave Watkins
- #186 Rick Joseph
- #218 Ron Stone
- #270 Chris Short
- #288 Larry Hisle
- #302 Jeff James
- #324 Tony Taylor
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #252 card?
It is card #252 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Lowell Palmer of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Is 1970 Topps #252 a rookie card?
Yes - #252 is the 1970 Topps rookie card of Lowell Palmer.
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.