1971 Topps #15 Andy Messersmith
About Andy Messersmith
Messersmith earned his first All-Star selection in 1971 and finished fifth in American League Cy Young voting. He went 20-13 with a 2.99 ERA in 276 2/3 innings for California, completing 14 of his 38 starts and throwing 4 shutouts. He also hit 2 home runs. His Angels card was #15 in Topps' first series.
Andy Messersmith was a right-handed pitcher for the Angels, Dodgers, Braves and Yankees from 1968 through 1979. He finished 130-99 with a 2.86 ERA in 2,230 1/3 innings and won Gold Gloves in 1974 and 1975. At Western High School in Anaheim, coach Dave Hernandez taught him the slider; he later attended the University of California, Berkeley, on a baseball scholarship. Messersmith and Dave McNally challenged baseball's reserve clause in 1975. Arbitrator Peter Seitz ruled that a club could renew an unsigned player's contract without his consent for one year, not indefinitely, making both pitchers free agents. Messersmith subsequently signed a 3-year, $1 million contract with Atlanta.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 267 | 0 | 11 | 113 | 98 | 28 | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 20 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
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: #442 California Angels
More California Angels cards:
- #43 Steve Kealey
- #61 1970 American League Batting Leaders
- #67 1970 American League ERA Leaders
- #78 Jim Spencer
- #105 Tony Conigliaro
- #152 Angels 1971 Rookie Stars
- #174 Dave LaRoche
- #205 Gerry Moses
- #240 Clyde Wright
- #256 Tony Gonzalez
- #279 Lefty Phillips
- #318 Rudy May
- #360 Jim Fregosi
- #401 Tom Murphy
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #15 card?
It is card #15 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Andy Messersmith of the California Angels.
How many cards are in the 1971 Topps Baseball set?
752 cards, tracked as 761 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 752 with none skipped, issued in six print series (132/131/130/130/120/109 cards), the sixth (#644-752) the high numbers; seven cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - the #42, #265 and #306 photo pairs and the #123, #206, #369 and #619 checklists, #369 and #619 in three printings each.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA (its price guide, master set registry and set article), 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.