1971 Topps #2 Dock Ellis
About Dock Ellis
Ellis worked on his changeup for the 1971 season, was named Pittsburgh's Opening Day starter in 1971 and beat the Phillies 4-2. He stood 14-3 with a 2.11 ERA by July 6, which earned him an All-Star selection, and manager Sparky Anderson then chose him to start at Tiger Stadium. He won Game 2 of the NLCS over San Francisco and lasted 2 1/3 innings in the World Series opener against Baltimore. Card #2 is a first-series issue showing him with the Pirates.
Dock Ellis pitched twelve seasons in the majors (1968-1979), most of them with the Pittsburgh Pirates, going 138-119 with a 3.46 ERA and 1,136 strikeouts. A right-hander who threw hard enough to keep friends from playing catch with him, he pitched for the Pittsburgh teams that won five NL East titles and the 1971 World Series over Baltimore. On June 12, 1970, he no-hit the San Diego Padres, and he later said he pitched it under the influence of LSD. Ellis started the 1971 All-Star Game for the National League and went 19-9 with a 3.06 ERA that season. He later pitched for the New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, Texas Rangers and New York Mets before returning to Pittsburgh for his final season. Outspoken on race and player rights, Ellis battled substance abuse throughout his career and afterward became a counselor, working with others facing addiction until his death in 2008.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 490 | 0 | 14 | 145 | 173 | 83 | 42 | 32 | 1 |
| SGC | 34 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 3 | 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: #603 Pittsburgh Pirates
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #27 Pirates 1971 Rookie Stars
- #47 Johnny Jeter
- #62 1970 National League Batting Leaders
- #68 1970 National League ERA Leaders
- #73 George Brunet
- #110 Bill Mazeroski
- #143 Steve Blass
- #168 Bruce Dal Canton
- #212 Rich Hebner
- #230 Willie Stargell
- #255 Bob Robertson
- #282 Jose Pagan
- #298 Jim Nelson
- #343 Pirates 1971 Rookie Stars
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #2 card?
It is card #2 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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.