1971 Topps #491 Jim Hardin
About Jim Hardin
Jim Hardin went 6-5 with a 3.53 ERA for the 1970 Orioles, who won the World Series. He made 11 of his first 15 appearances in relief. Of his 19 starts he won three, including a five-hit shutout of Cleveland on May 26. Card #491, a fourth-series issue, shows him with Baltimore. His right arm began hurting after a September start in Cleveland in cold weather.
James Warren Hardin, a right-handed pitcher, reached the majors with the Baltimore Orioles in 1967 after signing out of Memphis State with the New York Mets for a $10,000 bonus, then moving to Baltimore in a 1965 minor-league draft. He had converted from catcher to pitcher only as a high-school senior when his team ran short of arms. Hardin battled control problems in the low minors before a strong 1967 stretch at Triple-A Rochester earned him a callup to replace an injured Jim Palmer. He stayed with the Orioles through 1970, part of the club's pennant-winning run, before arm trouble led to a May 1971 trade to the New York Yankees and a 1972 stint with the Atlanta Braves, his final major-league season. Over six seasons he went 43-32 with a 3.18 ERA. After retiring at 29 he built a career as a Xerox account representative in Miami and became an accomplished amateur golfer. Hardin died in 1991 when the small plane he was piloting crashed in Key West, Florida.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 288 | 1 | 9 | 116 | 126 | 25 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| SGC | 15 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 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: #1 1970 World Champions (Baltimore Orioles)
More Baltimore Orioles cards:
- #29 Don Buford
- #53 Paul Blair
- #63 1970 American League RBI Leaders
- #67 1970 American League ERA Leaders
- #69 1970 American League Pitching Leaders
- #99 Mark Belanger
- #122 Eddie Watt
- #137 Marcelino Lopez
- #170 Mike Cuellar
- #193 Bob Grich
- #195 1970 A.L. Playoffs Game 1: Powell Muscles Twins!
- #196 1970 A.L. Playoffs Game 2: McNally Makes It Two Straight!
- #197 1970 A.L. Playoffs Game 3: Palmer Mows 'Em Down!
- #198 1970 A.L. Playoffs: Orioles Celebrate!
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #491 card?
It is card #491 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Hardin of the Baltimore Orioles.
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.