1971 Topps #88 Hal King
About Hal King
King won Atlanta's catching job in spring training over Bob Didier and Earl Williams and started the opener, going 2-for-4 with a double and a run. He started the first 11 games before Williams, the eventual National League Rookie of the Year, moved ahead of him. King hit .207 with 5 home runs in 86 games. Card #88 comes from the first series.
Hal King was a left-handed-hitting catcher with a power bat who played for the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1974. Born in Oviedo, Florida, he began in 1962 with the barnstorming Indianapolis Clowns, and the Angels bought his contract for $8,000. After the Astros drafted him, he led the Carolina League with 30 home runs at Asheville in 1967 and debuted on September 6 with a pinch-hit groundout against Gaylord Perry. On April 15, 1968, he caught all 24 innings of Houston's 1-0 win over the Mets at the Astrodome. His best-known moment came on July 1, 1973. Pinch-hitting for Bill Plummer against Don Sutton with the Reds trailing the Dodgers in the ninth, he hit a three-run homer for a 4-3 win. Sparky Anderson called it a turning point, and Cincinnati overtook Los Angeles for the division title. He then played in the Mexican League through 1979.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 337 | 0 | 15 | 161 | 131 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 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: #652 Atlanta Braves
More Atlanta Braves cards:
- #8 Mike McQueen
- #30 Phil Niekro
- #52 Braves 1971 Rookie Stars
- #62 1970 National League Batting Leaders
- #81 Felix Millan
- #147 Bob Priddy
- #173 Gil Garrido
- #194 Mike Lum
- #223 Cecil Upshaw
- #244 Bob Tillman
- #270 Rico Carty
- #306 Jim Nash
- #346 Lum Harris
- #359 Ron Reed
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #88 card?
It is card #88 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Hal King of the Atlanta Braves.
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.