1971 Topps #523 John Odom
About John Odom
Odom made 25 starts for the 1971 Athletics and went 10-12 with a 4.29 ERA. He completed three games, one of them a shutout, and hit a home run. Oakland won the American League West that year before the Orioles swept it in the ALCS. His #523, from the fourth print series, shows him with the Oakland Athletics.
Johnny Lee Odom grew up in Macon, Georgia, where a fifth-grade classmate started calling him Blue Moon because his round face looked like the moon. He went 42-2 at Ballard-Hudson High with eight no-hitters and led the school to two straight state titles. He then signed with Kansas City for a $75,000 bonus and reported to the Double-A Birmingham Barons in 1964, a Deep South assignment that put him in the middle of the era's racial hostility. He reached the majors that September at nineteen, and six days after a battering by the Yankees he shut out Baltimore on two hits. More seasoning at Lewiston and Mobile followed. Odom's arrival as a quality starter coincided with the franchise's move to Oakland: he went 16-10 with a 2.45 ERA in 1968 and 15-6 in 1969, making the All-Star team both years. He was on the roster for all three of Oakland's consecutive championships starting in 1972, working mostly in relief by 1974. He hit 12 home runs, unusual production for a pitcher, and finished 84-85 with a 3.70 ERA over 13 seasons. Cleveland, Atlanta and the Chicago White Sox followed; he was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 369 | 0 | 19 | 188 | 126 | 23 | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| SGC | 13 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1971 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #624 Oakland Athletics
More Oakland Athletics cards:
- #20 Reggie Jackson
- #45 Jim Hunter
- #67 1970 American League ERA Leaders
- #84 Marcel Lachemann
- #109 Steve Hovley
- #135 Rick Monday
- #178 Dave Duncan
- #215 Diego Segui
- #238 Chuck Dobson
- #258 Dick Green
- #285 Sal Bando
- #317 Athletics 1971 Rookie Stars
- #338 Gene Tenace
- #356 Bob Locker
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #523 card?
It is card #523 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Odom of the Oakland Athletics.
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.