1971 Topps #720 Matty Alou
About Matty Alou
Alou played 1971 for St. Louis, appearing in 149 games, 94 of them in the outfield and 57 at first base. He hit .315 with 192 hits and 74 RBI. That average was among the National League's top five that year, as it had been in 1967, 1968 and 1969. His Cardinals card is #720, a sixth-series number.
Mateo Rojas Alou, always Matty on his Topps cards, signed with the New York Giants in the winter of 1956-57 out of San Cristobal province, Dominican Republic, the middle Alou brother between Felipe and Jesus. He debuted with the San Francisco Giants in September 1960 and spent six seasons there as a part-time outfielder before the Pirates acquired him in a trade on December 1, 1965. Pirates manager Harry Walker handed him a 38-ounce bat and rebuilt his stroke to stop pulling and slap the ball the other way. His average jumped from .231 to .342, and he won the 1966 National League batting title, edging his own brother Felipe. Four straight .330-plus seasons ran through 1969, with All-Star selections in 1968 and 1969. He played all 162 games in 1969 and led the majors with 698 at-bats, then a major league record and since surpassed. His 231 hits that year were the most by a National League batter since Joe Medwick in 1937. Alou earned a World Series ring with the 1972 Oakland Athletics, after losing the 1962 World Series with the Giants. He later played three seasons in Japan for the Taiheiyo Club Lions, then managed in the Dominican Professional Baseball League, and entered the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2007.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 614 | 0 | 17 | 253 | 240 | 65 | 23 | 16 | 0 |
| SGC | 46 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
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: #308 St. Louis Cardinals
More St. Louis Cardinals cards:
- #4 Vic Davalillo
- #32 Jerry DaVanon
- #55 Steve Carlton
- #62 1970 National League Batting Leaders
- #70 1970 National League Pitching Leaders
- #72 1970 National League Strikeout Leaders
- #96 Joe Hague
- #117 Ted Simmons
- #158 Jerry Reuss
- #185 Julian Javier
- #216 Cards 1971 Rookie Stars
- #239 Red Schoendienst
- #257 Nelson Briles
- #286 Jerry McNertney
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #720 card?
It is card #720 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Matty Alou of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Why is #720 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the sixth and last print series, #644-752 - the scarce end of the set. Some of its cards were printed in larger numbers than others, so scarcity varies card by card inside the run.
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.