1970 Topps #159 Tommy Helms
About Tommy Helms
Helms drove in 40 runs in 1969, with 129 hits and one home run. Card #159, from the second series of 1970 Topps, shows him with Cincinnati. On November 29, 1969, he married Rita Johnson in Los Angeles. In 1970 he hit the first Reds home run at Riverfront Stadium on July 1, off Atlanta's Ron Reed, his only one of the year.
Tommy Helms played second base, third base and shortstop for Cincinnati, Houston, Pittsburgh and Boston during a 14-season major-league career. Growing up in North Carolina, he served as batboy for a semipro team managed by his father. Cincinnati signed him in 1959, and he advanced through Palatka, Topeka, Macon and San Diego before reaching the Reds in September 1964. Helms finished with 1,342 hits and a .269 average in 1,435 games. He hit 34 home runs and drove in 477 runs. His postseason appearances came with the 1970 Reds: he had three hits in 11 at-bats in the NLCS sweep of Pittsburgh and four in 18 against Baltimore in the World Series. After his playing career, he coached for Texas in 1981 and 1982 and returned to Cincinnati's staff in 1983. As interim manager he went 12-15 during Pete Rose's 1988 suspension and 16-21 after replacing Rose in 1989. The Reds inducted Helms into their Hall of Fame in 1979.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 198 | 3 | 43 | 109 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #159 card?
It is card #159 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tommy Helms of the Cincinnati Reds.
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.