1971 Topps #172 Duke Sims
About Duke Sims
Sims posted career highs in 1970 with 23 home runs and 56 RBI, hitting .264 for Cleveland while splitting time between catcher, outfield and first base behind Ray Fosse. Card #172 in the second series shows him as an Indian, though in December 1970 the club traded him to the Dodgers for Alan Foster and Ray Lamb. He is also coin #66 in that year's Topps coin inserts.
Duane "Duke" Sims grew up in Pocatello, Idaho, a three-sport star before signing with Cleveland in 1959. A left-handed hitting catcher with a strong throwing arm, he spent years in the minors sharpening his defense before breaking in with the Indians in September 1964. Sims caught behind Joe Azcue through the mid-1960s, gradually winning more playing time, and by 1969 had taken over as Cleveland's starting catcher. He was often paired with hard-throwing left-hander Sam McDowell. Traded to the Dodgers after the 1970 season, he later played for Detroit and reached the postseason with the 1972 Tigers in their ALCS loss to Oakland. He closed his career with the Yankees and Rangers, finishing with exactly 100 home runs, the most by any Utah-born major leaguer.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 256 | 0 | 8 | 110 | 101 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 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: #584 Cleveland Indians
More Cleveland Indians cards:
- #24 Rich Hand
- #41 Rick Austin
- #71 1970 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #87 Jack Heidemann
- #107 Roy Foster
- #125 Ray Fosse
- #150 Sam McDowell
- #211 Phil Hennigan
- #231 Indians 1971 Rookie Stars
- #252 Eddie Leon
- #275 Vada Pinson
- #294 Steve Dunning
- #324 Graig Nettles
- #347 Ted Uhlaender
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #172 card?
It is card #172 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Duke Sims of the Cleveland Indians.
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.