1971 Topps #561 Syd O'Brien
About Syd O'Brien
O'Brien played 121 games for the 1970 White Sox, with 109 hits and 8 home runs. He drove in 44 runs and scored 48. His #561, a fifth-series card, shows him with California. He hit .199 in 90 games for the 1971 Angels, 52 of them at shortstop. He added 5 home runs and 21 RBI.
Sydney Lloyd O'Brien was born in Compton, California, graduated from Millikan High School in Long Beach, and played at Long Beach City College before signing with the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1964. The Kansas City Athletics drafted him out of the minors that November, but Boston reacquired him two years later. A right-handed hitter and thrower listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds, O'Brien reached the majors with the Red Sox in 1969 at age 25. Over four seasons he played second base, third base and shortstop for Boston, the Chicago White Sox, the California Angels and the Milwaukee Brewers. His busiest year came in 1970 with the White Sox, when he set career highs in batting average, hits, RBI, runs scored, walks and steals while also leading the White Sox with a .948 fielding percentage. He moved to the Angels in a November 1970 trade that sent Jay Johnstone, Tom Egan and Tom Bradley to Chicago, and played a season and a half there, mostly at shortstop. Midway through 1972 he was traded to the Brewers, where he finished his career.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 251 | 0 | 9 | 83 | 115 | 30 | 9 | 4 | 1 |
| SGC | 13 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 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.
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: #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
- #279 Lefty Phillips
- #318 Rudy May
- #360 Jim Fregosi
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #561 card?
It is card #561 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Syd O'Brien of the California Angels.
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.