1971 Topps #242 Jim Ray
About Jim Ray
Ray finished 1970 with a 6-3 record, a 3.26 ERA and five saves for Houston. He struck out 67 batters in 105 innings and finished 16 games. His 1971 Topps card was #242, a second-series issue listing him with the Astros.
Jim Ray pitched in nine major-league seasons, eight with Houston before finishing with Detroit. The right-hander attended Holly High School in Michigan and signed with Baltimore in 1963. Houston selected him in the first-year minor-league draft that December, and he made his major-league debut on September 16, 1965. His first two seasons were brief, with three games in 1965 and one in 1966; from 1968 through 1974 he appeared each year. Ray worked mostly in relief, making 20 starts in 308 career games. He finished with a 43-30 record, 407 strikeouts and 25 saves. He died in Margate, Florida, in May 2005.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 380 | 0 | 22 | 212 | 106 | 29 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 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: #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
- #162 Jack Billingham
- #222 Bob Watson
- #237 Cesar Cedeno
- #264 Joe Morgan
- #291 George Culver
- #312 Harry Walker
- #337 Jesus Alou
- #371 Jack Hiatt
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #242 card?
It is card #242 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Ray 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.