1971 Topps #544 Vida Blue
About Vida Blue
On July 9 against the California Angels, Blue struck out 17 over 11 scoreless innings but got no decision, and Oakland won in 20 innings. In Game 1 of the ALCS he took a 3-0 lead into the fourth inning but lost the game, and Baltimore swept the series. Topps #544 pictures him with the Athletics.
Vida Blue was a left-handed power pitcher who worked for the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals between 1969 and 1986. His fastball sat near 94 miles per hour and could reach 100. In 1971 he went 24-8 with a 1.82 ERA and 301 strikeouts and won both the American League Cy Young Award and the MVP Award. He was part of the Oakland club that took five straight AL West titles from 1971 to 1975 and three consecutive World Series, 1972 through 1974. Blue made six All-Star teams and was the first of five pitchers to start the All-Star Game for both leagues, the AL in 1971 and the NL in 1978. He finished 209-161 with a 3.27 ERA and 2,175 strikeouts. Born in Mansfield, Louisiana, he was a quarterback recruited by Notre Dame, Purdue and Houston before he signed with the Athletics in 1967. After pleading guilty to attempting to buy cocaine, he was suspended for the 1984 season, then returned to the Giants for 1985 and 1986. He died in 2023.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 837 | 0 | 34 | 267 | 259 | 111 | 70 | 94 | 2 |
| SGC | 191 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 30 | 58 | 40 | 28 | 7 |
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: #624 Oakland Athletics
More Oakland Athletics cards:
- #20 Reggie Jackson
- #45 Jim Hunter
- #67 1970 American League ERA Leaders
- #84 Marcel Lachemann
- #109 Steve Hovley
- #135 Rick Monday
- #178 Dave Duncan
- #215 Diego Segui
- #238 Chuck Dobson
- #258 Dick Green
- #285 Sal Bando
- #317 Athletics 1971 Rookie Stars
- #338 Gene Tenace
- #356 Bob Locker
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #544 card?
It is card #544 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Vida Blue of the Oakland Athletics.
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.