1971 Topps #645 Jim Maloney
About Jim Maloney
Maloney's final Cincinnati season, 1970, consisted of seven games, three of them starts. He went 0-1 with an 11.34 ERA in 16 2/3 innings, closing out 11 seasons with the Reds. That December the Reds traded him to the California Angels for Greg Garrett, and sixth-series #645 lists him with his new club.
James William Maloney was born in Fresno, California, on June 2, 1940, and was scouted as a shortstop by all sixteen major league clubs before Reds scout Bobby Mattick talked him into pitching. He signed with Cincinnati on April 1, 1959 for a reported $100,000 bonus and reached the majors on July 27, 1960. Over twelve seasons with the Reds (1960-1970) and the California Angels (1971) he went 134-84 with a 3.19 ERA and 1,605 strikeouts. He threw 74 complete games, 30 of them shutouts. He struck out more than 200 batters every year from 1963 through 1966, threw two no-hitters, and lost a third no-hit bid in the eleventh inning. Chronic arm and shoulder trouble wore him down, and a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered running out a ground ball early in 1970 finished him as a winning pitcher just as the Big Red Machine was taking shape. He retired in 1972 at 32 and was elected in 1973 to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, the club's own honor.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 313 | 1 | 7 | 95 | 143 | 44 | 17 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 23 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 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: #442 California Angels
More California Angels cards:
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- #43 Steve Kealey
- #61 1970 American League Batting Leaders
- #67 1970 American League ERA Leaders
- #78 Jim Spencer
- #105 Tony Conigliaro
- #152 Angels 1971 Rookie Stars
- #174 Dave LaRoche
- #205 Gerry Moses
- #240 Clyde Wright
- #256 Tony Gonzalez
- #279 Lefty Phillips
- #318 Rudy May
- #360 Jim Fregosi
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #645 card?
It is card #645 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Maloney of the California Angels.
Why is #645 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the sixth and last print series, #644-752 - the scarce end of the set. Some of its cards were printed in larger numbers than others, so scarcity varies card by card inside the run.
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.