1971 Topps #162 Jack Billingham
About Jack Billingham
Jack Billingham made all 33 of his 1971 appearances as a starter, going 10-16 with a 3.39 ERA for a Houston staff that got little hitting support. He struck out 139 in 228 1/3 innings and hit 16 batters, the most in the National League. He said he loved pitching in the Astrodome. His 1971 Topps card is #162, from the second series, with the Astros.
Jack Billingham was a right-handed pitcher who spent 13 major league seasons, from 1968 to 1980, with the Dodgers, Expos organization, Astros, Reds, Tigers and Red Sox. Signed by Los Angeles out of Winter Park, Florida, he broke in as a bullpen arm before Harry Walker moved him into the Houston rotation in 1970. His best years came after a 1971 trade sent him to Cincinnati as part of the deal that also brought Joe Morgan, where he won 19 games in both 1973 and 1974 and made his only All-Star team in 1973. Over three World Series with the Big Red Machine he posted a 0.36 ERA, the lowest in Series history until Madison Bumgarner passed it in 2014. He closed his career with the Tigers and briefly the Red Sox, retiring with a 145-113 record and 1,141 strikeouts.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 357 | 0 | 10 | 190 | 108 | 32 | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 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: #722 Houston Astros
More Houston Astros cards:
- #18 Norm Miller
- #44 Johnny Edwards
- #79 Wade Blasingame
- #102 Astros 1971 Rookie Stars
- #130 Denis Menke
- #148 John Mayberry
- #222 Bob Watson
- #237 Cesar Cedeno
- #242 Jim Ray
- #264 Joe Morgan
- #291 George Culver
- #312 Harry Walker
- #337 Jesus Alou
- #371 Jack Hiatt
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #162 card?
It is card #162 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jack Billingham of the Houston Astros.
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.