1971 Topps #55 Steve Carlton
About Steve Carlton
Carlton produced his first 20-win season in 1971, going 20-9 with a 3.56 ERA in 273 1/3 innings. He completed 18 games, four of them shutouts, and made his third All-Star team. On June 22 he struck out 12 Dodgers; eleven days later he walked 10 Giants. His first-series Topps card, #55, listed St. Louis.
Steve Carlton, known as Lefty, pitched 24 major league seasons from 1965 through 1988 for the Cardinals, Phillies, Giants, White Sox, Indians and Twins. Following a salary dispute, St. Louis traded him to Philadelphia for Rick Wise in February 1972. That season he went 27-10 with a 1.97 ERA and 310 strikeouts for a Phillies team that won 59 games. By leading the National League in wins, ERA and strikeouts, Carlton earned the pitching Triple Crown. He became the first pitcher to win four Cy Young Awards, taking the honor in 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1982. A ten-time All-Star, he also won a Gold Glove in 1981. Carlton pitched for the 1967 Cardinals and 1980 Phillies championship teams; against Kansas City in the 1980 World Series he won both his starts and struck out 17 in 15 innings. He and Nolan Ryan exchanged the career strikeout lead during 1983 and 1984, with Carlton ending 1983 ahead, 3,709 to 3,677. He finished his career with 329 wins, a 3.22 ERA and 4,136 strikeouts. Carlton was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1994, his first year on the ballot.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · National Baseball Hall of Fame · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 2,021 | 0 | 15 | 301 | 622 | 465 | 290 | 321 | 7 |
| SGC | 470 | 0 | 2 | 33 | 95 | 115 | 92 | 84 | 49 |
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: #308 St. Louis Cardinals
More St. Louis Cardinals cards:
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- #32 Jerry DaVanon
- #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
- #322 Jim Beauchamp
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #55 card?
It is card #55 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Steve Carlton of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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.