1971 Topps #250 Johnny Bench
About Johnny Bench
Bench spent the 1970-71 winter on Bob Hope's USO tour of Vietnam. He appears on first-series leaders #64 for RBI and #66 for home runs, each with Reds teammate Tony Perez and Chicago's Billy Williams; #250 is his second-series Cincinnati card. Bench hit .238 with 27 home runs and 61 RBI in 1971 and homered off Vida Blue in the All-Star Game at Tiger Stadium.
Johnny Bench spent all 17 of his major-league seasons with Cincinnati, catching for the Reds from his 1967 arrival through most of the Big Red Machine years. He grew up in Binger, Oklahoma, played baseball and basketball, and graduated as his high school class valedictorian. Cincinnati selected him 36th overall in the second round of the 1965 amateur draft. A broken right thumb in the minors helped change his catching technique: he adopted a hinged mitt and kept his throwing hand out of the way while receiving pitches. Bench won the 1968 National League Rookie of the Year award, becoming the first catcher to win the NL honor. He was the league's MVP in 1970 and 1972, made 14 All-Star teams and won ten consecutive Gold Gloves from 1968 through 1977. He played on Cincinnati's 1975 and 1976 World Series championship clubs. Over his career he collected 2,048 hits and batted .267. He hit 389 home runs and drove in 1,376 runs. In his final three seasons he played chiefly at first and third base. His last home run came on Johnny Bench Night at Riverfront Stadium in September 1983. He entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989, his first year of eligibility.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 2,956 | 0 | 9 | 192 | 564 | 687 | 537 | 952 | 15 |
| SGC | 1,060 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 88 | 198 | 282 | 357 | 114 |
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
More Johnny Bench in this set: #64 League Leaders, #66 League Leaders
Team card: #357 Cincinnati Reds
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #14 Dave Concepcion
- #40 Lee May
- #64 1970 National League RBI Leaders
- #66 1970 National League Home Run Leaders
- #68 1970 National League ERA Leaders
- #75 Gary Nolan
- #100 Pete Rose
- #124 Don Gullett
- #164 Reds 1971 Rookie Stars
- #177 Hal McRae
- #190 Bob Tolan
- #199 1970 N.L. Playoffs Game 1: Cline Pinch-Triple Decides It!
- #200 1970 N.L. Playoffs Game 2: Tolan Scores For Third Time!
- #201 1970 N.L. Playoffs Game 3: Cline Scores Winning Run!
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #250 card?
It is card #250 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds.
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.