1971 Topps #279 Lefty Phillips
About this card
Every club has its own manager card this year, separate from its team card, and every one pictures the manager alone. Nine of the 24 managers are Hall of Famers: Bob Lemon (#91), Gil Hodges (#183), Red Schoendienst (#239), Ted Williams (#380), Earl Weaver (#477), Walt Alston (#567), Leo Durocher (#609), Sparky Anderson (#688) and Dick Williams (#714).
About Lefty Phillips
Phillips's manager card is #279, from the third series. The Angels slipped to 76-86 and fourth place in 1971. He suspended Alex Johnson five times for lack of hustle, the last a suspension beginning June 26 that ran the rest of the year. Johnson was traded after the season.
Lefty Phillips was a Los Angeles native who became a highly respected scout before managing the California Angels from 1969 to 1971. A left-handed pitcher whose sore arm ended his career after fewer than five games with the Bisbee Bees in 1939, he scouted for the St. Louis Browns, the Reds (1947-50) and the Dodgers (1952-64). In Southern California he signed Don Drysdale, Larry Sherry and Ron Fairly, and gave Sparky Anderson his first playing contract in 1953. He was the Dodgers' pitching coach from 1965, working with Drysdale, Sandy Koufax and Don Sutton through two pennants and the 1965 World Series. He moved to the Angels' front office after 1968 and replaced Bill Rigney as manager on May 27, 1969, with no earlier managing experience. His Angels went 222-225. He was fired after 1971, returned to scouting, and died in June 1972 at age 53. He was elected to the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2000.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 289 | 0 | 15 | 157 | 91 | 13 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 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: #442 California Angels
More California Angels cards:
- #15 Andy Messersmith
- #43 Steve Kealey
- #61 1970 American League Batting Leaders
- #67 1970 American League ERA Leaders
- #78 Jim Spencer
- #105 Tony Conigliaro
- #152 Angels 1971 Rookie Stars
- #174 Dave LaRoche
- #205 Gerry Moses
- #240 Clyde Wright
- #256 Tony Gonzalez
- #318 Rudy May
- #360 Jim Fregosi
- #401 Tom Murphy
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #279 card?
It is card #279 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Lefty Phillips of the California Angels. Every club has its own manager card this year, separate from its team card, and every one pictures the manager alone. Nine of the 24 managers are Hall of Famers: Bob Lemon (#91), Gil Hodges (#183), Red Schoendienst (#239), Ted Williams (#380), Earl Weaver (#477), Walt Alston (#567), Leo Durocher (#609), Sparky Anderson (#688) and Dick Williams (#714).
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.