1971 Topps #249 Chico Salmon
About Chico Salmon
Salmon was the Orioles' lone spare infielder in 1970 and hit .250 with 7 home runs in 63 games, his most with Baltimore. He sat at .483 at the end of May after a four-hit game against Cleveland on May 26. In the World Series against Cincinnati he pinch-hit a single and scored in Game 2. His card is #249, a second-series number, with Baltimore.
Ruthford Eduardo Salmon, known as Chico, was a Panamanian utility man who spent nine big league seasons, 1964 to 1972, with the Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles. Signed out of Colon, Panama, he worked his way up through the minors before Cleveland called him up in June 1964, when their regular third baseman fell seriously ill and opened a spot. He never claimed one position, playing all four infield spots plus the outfield over his career, which earned him the nickname Super Sub. He hit .307 as a rookie in 1964, his highest season average, and from May 22 to July 5 in 1966 he hit .313 after taking over second base from the injured Larry Brown. Traded to Baltimore in 1969, he became Earl Weaver's top reserve infielder on three straight pennant winners and the 1970 World Series champions. He was widely known for his fear of ghosts, which led him to sleep with the lights on. He died in Panama in 2000.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 301 | 1 | 15 | 147 | 104 | 22 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 12 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 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: #1 1970 World Champions (Baltimore Orioles)
More Baltimore Orioles cards:
- #29 Don Buford
- #53 Paul Blair
- #63 1970 American League RBI Leaders
- #67 1970 American League ERA Leaders
- #69 1970 American League Pitching Leaders
- #99 Mark Belanger
- #122 Eddie Watt
- #137 Marcelino Lopez
- #170 Mike Cuellar
- #193 Bob Grich
- #195 1970 A.L. Playoffs Game 1: Powell Muscles Twins!
- #196 1970 A.L. Playoffs Game 2: McNally Makes It Two Straight!
- #197 1970 A.L. Playoffs Game 3: Palmer Mows 'Em Down!
- #198 1970 A.L. Playoffs: Orioles Celebrate!
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #249 card?
It is card #249 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Chico Salmon of the Baltimore Orioles.
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.