1971 Topps #5 Thurman Munson
About Thurman Munson
The All-Star Rookie trophy on the front of #5 answers Munson's 1970 season: a .302 average and 80 assists behind the plate in 132 games. He had spent the winter hitting .333 for San Juan in Puerto Rico, where teammate Roberto Clemente told him anything under .280 was a bad season. He then landed the Yankees' starting catcher's job, and the club climbed from fifth to second in the East.
Thurman Munson caught for the New York Yankees in all 11 of his seasons, 1969 through 1979, and hit .292 with 113 home runs and 701 RBIs. The Yankees took him fourth overall in the 1968 draft out of Kent State, where he had been a College All-American. He was the 1970 American League Rookie of the Year and the 1976 MVP, won three Gold Gloves and made seven All-Star teams. Billy Martin named him captain before the 1976 season, the first Yankees captain since Lou Gehrig, and New York won three straight pennants and the 1977 and 1978 World Series. He was the second catcher, after Johnny Bench, to win a Rookie of the Year award, an MVP award, a Gold Glove and a World Series title. Munson bought a Cessna Citation jet so he could fly home to his family in Canton on off-days, and on August 2, 1979, he died at 32 when it crashed short of the runway while he practiced landings at Akron-Canton airport. The Yankees retired number 15 at once and dedicated a plaque to him in Monument Park. In 2000 he joined the inaugural class of the Cape Cod Baseball League Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 5,431 | 0 | 5 | 133 | 638 | 1,044 | 1,115 | 2,408 | 88 |
| SGC | 2,936 | 0 | 1 | 32 | 129 | 367 | 664 | 1,466 | 277 |
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: #543 New York Yankees
More New York Yankees cards:
- #28 Ron Klimkowski
- #51 Steve Kline
- #111 Yankees 1971 Rookie Stars
- #131 Curt Blefary
- #146 Ralph Houk
- #184 Stan Bahnsen
- #213 Frank Baker
- #234 Jim Lyttle
- #263 John Ellis
- #277 Gary Waslewski
- #303 Lindy McDaniel
- #342 Frank Tepedino
- #358 Danny Cater
- #382 Jake Gibbs
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #5 card?
It is card #5 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Thurman Munson of the New York Yankees.
Is #5 Thurman Munson a rookie card?
No. #5 carries the Topps All-Star Rookie trophy, which honors the previous season's rookie class, but it is not his rookie card.
What are the key cards in the 1971 Topps set?
#5 Thurman Munson and #630 Roberto Clemente are the headline cards. The headline rookie cards are #26 Bert Blyleven, #341 Steve Garvey and #709, the Outfielders Rookie Stars card shared by Dusty Baker, Tom Paciorek and Don Baylor, with #14 Dave Concepcion and #117 Ted Simmons among the other rookie cards. The high numbers (#644-752), the sixth and last series, are the scarce end of the set.
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.