1971 Topps #655 Mike Epstein
About Mike Epstein
Mike Epstein hit .256 with 20 home runs and 56 RBI for the 1970 Senators. He was hit by a pitch 13 times, second in the American League, and led AL first basemen in range factor at 10.08. His #655 card, a sixth-series number, is printed with Washington; in May 1971 the Senators sent him and Darold Knowles to Oakland for Frank Fernandez, Don Mincher, Paul Lindblad and cash.
Mike Epstein was a power-hitting first baseman from the Bronx who starred at Fairfax High and the University of California, Berkeley before giving up football for baseball. Rival manager Rocky Bridges tagged him "Super Jew" during an MVP minor league season at Stockton, and Topps and The Sporting News both named him Minor League Player of the Year after he hit 29 home runs with 102 RBI at Rochester in 1966. He broke in with Baltimore in 1966 but was blocked by Boog Powell and dealt to Washington in 1967. Managed by Ted Williams in 1969-70, Epstein posted career highs in batting average, home runs and RBI in 1969. He was traded to Oakland in 1971 and played for the 1972 World Series champion Athletics before moving on to Texas and California. Over nine seasons he hit .244 with 130 home runs. He was later inducted into the United States National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the California Athletics Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 381 | 0 | 5 | 96 | 190 | 58 | 20 | 12 | 0 |
| SGC | 16 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 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: #462 Washington Senators
More Washington Senators cards:
- #11 Elliott Maddox
- #33 Del Unser
- #60 Dick Bosman
- #63 1970 American League RBI Leaders
- #65 1970 American League Home Run Leaders
- #82 Casey Cox
- #93 Senators 1971 Rookie Stars
- #139 Paul Casanova
- #167 Tom Grieve
- #217 Ed Stroud
- #241 Dave Nelson
- #261 Darold Knowles
- #283 Dick Such
- #307 Don Wert
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #655 card?
It is card #655 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mike Epstein of the Washington Senators.
Why is #655 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.