1971 Topps #498 John Kennedy
About John Kennedy
John Kennedy opened 1970 with Milwaukee as a part-timer and spent about a month at Triple-A before Boston purchased him. He reached the Red Sox on June 26, a stay that lasted until October 1974. For the year he hit .255 with 6 home runs and 23 RBI in 68 games. His 1971 Topps card is #498, in the fourth series, with Boston.
John Edward Kennedy played twelve major league seasons (1962-1974) as a third baseman, shortstop and second baseman for the Washington Senators, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots/Milwaukee Brewers and Boston Red Sox. Born in Chicago on May 29, 1941, he shared his name and birthdate with President John F. Kennedy, a coincidence that drew headlines. He homered in his first big league at bat, on September 5, 1962, off Dick Stigman of the Minnesota Twins. His only season as a full-time regular came in 1964 with Washington under manager Gil Hodges, when he hit .230 with seven home runs in 148 games. Traded to the Dodgers after that season, he later replaced Jim Gilliam at third base in the eighth inning of Sandy Koufax's perfect game on September 9, 1965, and appeared in the 1965 and 1966 World Series. He finished his career as a utility infielder with the Red Sox, retiring in 1974 with 856 games played. He later scouted, managed and coached in the minor leagues, earning Can-Am League Manager of the Year in 2006.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 246 | 1 | 9 | 111 | 87 | 27 | 4 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 11 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 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: #386 Boston Red Sox
More Boston Red Sox cards:
- #9 George Scott
- #31 Eddie Kasko
- #58 Bill Lee
- #61 1970 American League Batting Leaders
- #63 1970 American League RBI Leaders
- #65 1970 American League Home Run Leaders
- #89 Ken Brett
- #114 Billy Conigliaro
- #159 Jarvis Tatum
- #176 Red Sox 1971 Rookie Stars
- #191 Mike Andrews
- #225 Gary Peters
- #254 Cal Koonce
- #287 Mike Fiore
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #498 card?
It is card #498 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Kennedy of the Boston Red Sox.
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.