1971 Topps #10 Claude Osteen
About Claude Osteen
The 1971 set puts Osteen at #10, a first-series card with the Dodgers. He went 14-11 with a 3.51 ERA over 259 innings in 1971 and ranked among the National League's top ten in starts and shutouts. After the season the Angels turned down a deal that included Osteen and Bill Buckner for Andy Messersmith, and Osteen remarked, "I'm not sure which is more insulting, being offered in a trade or having it turned down."
Claude Wilson Osteen was born August 9, 1939, in Caney Springs, Tennessee, the son of a country-store owner who pitched for an amateur team. He starred at Reading High School outside Cincinnati, going 23-1 in his prep career with a 16-0 senior season for the 1957 state champions. He signed with the Cincinnati Redlegs straight out of school and reached the majors at seventeen without a day in the minors first. The seasoning came afterward, at Wenatchee, Seattle and Indianapolis, since the Reds never gave him a season-long chance to start. In September 1961 the Reds traded him to the Washington Senators for pitcher Dave Sisler, and Washington gave him the rotation spot he wanted, though on a consistently sub-.500 club. In December 1964 the Senators traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the deal that brought Frank Howard, Ken McMullen and Pete Richert to Washington. Over nine Dodgers seasons alongside Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale he became a three-time All-Star, a 20-game winner twice, and the man who turned the 1965 World Series. He finished with Houston, St. Louis and the Chicago White Sox at 196-195 with a 3.30 ERA over 18 seasons, then coached big-league pitchers for decades. He is a member of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · National Baseball Hall of Fame · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 308 | 0 | 6 | 118 | 122 | 38 | 15 | 8 | 1 |
| SGC | 12 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 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: #402 Los Angeles Dodgers
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- #188 Dodgers 1971 Rookie Stars
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- #314 Jeff Torborg
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #10 card?
It is card #10 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Claude Osteen of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
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.