1971 Topps #50 Willie McCovey
About Willie McCovey
McCovey tore knee cartilage in the final spring exhibition game of 1971 and played that season without surgery. He hit .277 with 18 home runs in 105 games, then went 6-for-14 with two homers in the National League Championship Series against Pittsburgh. His 1971 Topps Giants card was #50, from the first series.
Willie McCovey went 4-for-4 with two triples off Robin Roberts in his major league debut on July 30, 1959. He hit .354 with 13 home runs in 52 games and won National League Rookie of the Year. The Giants had signed him at a Florida tryout camp in 1955, after scout Alex Pompez followed a recommendation from Mobile playground director Jesse Thomas. McCovey's height and long arms earned the first baseman the nickname 'Stretch.' He played 22 major league seasons, 19 of them with San Francisco, and also played for San Diego and Oakland. A six-time All-Star, he homered off both John Odom and Denny McLain in the 1969 All-Star Game and won its MVP award. He retired in 1980 with 521 home runs, 1,555 RBI and a .270 average. The Giants retired his number 44, and he entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 on the first ballot. The inlet beyond the right-field wall at San Francisco's new ballpark was named McCovey Cove in his honor.
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 | 2,062 | 0 | 18 | 397 | 627 | 435 | 267 | 314 | 4 |
| SGC | 561 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 140 | 149 | 115 | 89 | 30 |
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: #563 San Francisco Giants
More San Francisco Giants cards:
- #19 Skip Pitlock
- #70 1970 National League Pitching Leaders
- #108 John Cumberland
- #128 Frank Johnson
- #140 Gaylord Perry
- #155 Ken Henderson
- #181 Hal Lanier
- #224 Alan Gallagher
- #251 Frank Reberger
- #276 Giants 1971 Rookie Stars
- #295 Bobby Bonds
- #325 Juan Marichal
- #354 Don McMahon
- #378 Tito Fuentes
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #50 card?
It is card #50 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants.
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.