1971 Topps #601 Ken Tatum
About Ken Tatum
The Angels traded Tatum to Boston in a six-player deal for Tony Conigliaro. In his April 8 Red Sox debut he blew a 2-1 ninth-inning lead for Sonny Siebert in a loss to Cleveland. A line drive in Baltimore batting practice on May 23 fractured his cheekbone and cost him a month. His only start, on August 17, lasted a third of an inning. He ended at 2-4 with nine saves and a 4.19 ERA. Card #601, from the fifth series, lists him with the Red Sox.
Ken Tatum was a right-handed reliever who pitched in 176 games over six seasons, 1969 to 1974, for the California Angels, Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox, all but two of them in relief. A Mississippi State pitcher who was All-Southeastern Conference in 1965 and 1966, he signed with the Angels in June 1966 and was converted from starter to reliever in 1969. Called up in May of that year, he posted a 1.36 ERA with 22 saves and placed fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting. His career finished at 16-12 with 52 saves and a 2.93 ERA. He later earned a master's degree in secondary school administration at Northeastern University while with Boston, and put it to work after baseball.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 499 | 2 | 36 | 288 | 135 | 27 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 27 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 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.
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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 #601 card?
It is card #601 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ken Tatum 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.