1972 Topps #281 Bill Parsons
About Bill Parsons
Parsons came into 1972 after a salary dispute with new general manager Frank Lane, then started Opening Day in Cleveland and won 5-1. He finished 13-13 with a 3.91 ERA and 111 strikeouts, and a complete game over the Yankees on September 19 gave him his fourth straight victory. His rookie card, #281 from the third series, shows the Brewers and carries the Topps All-Star Rookie trophy cup.
Bill Parsons was a 6 ft 6 in right-handed starter who pitched four major league seasons, three of them with the Milwaukee Brewers and a short 1974 finish with the Oakland Athletics. A Riverside, California, product drafted in the 7th round by the Seattle Pilots in 1968, he reached Milwaukee in 1971 and went 13-17 with a 3.20 ERA. He threw four shutouts and struck out 139 in 244 2/3 innings. He finished second to Chris Chambliss in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and was named The Sporting News AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year. His last major league appearance came on September 28, 1974, against the White Sox. He finished 29-36 with a 3.89 ERA. He pitched in the Cardinals and White Sox systems in 1975 and was out of baseball in 1976, moving to Phoenix to work in insurance and securities.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 307 | 21 | 135 | 128 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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.
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Related cards
Team card: #106 Milwaukee Brewers
More Milwaukee Brewers cards:
- #12 Jose Cardenal
- #77 Ron Theobald
- #118 Skip Lockwood
- #153 Rick Auerbach
- #161 Brock Davis
- #162 Brewers 1972 Rookie Stars
- #197 Johnny Briggs
- #255 Jim Lonborg
- #321 Joe Lahoud
- #359 Don Pavletich
- #376 Andy Kosco
- #386 Jim Colborn
- #391 Ken Sanders
- #393 Curt Motton
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #281 card?
It is card #281 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bill Parsons of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Is 1972 Topps #281 a rookie card?
Yes - #281 is the 1972 Topps rookie card of Bill Parsons.
How many cards are in the 1972 Topps Baseball set?
787 cards, tracked as 794 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 787 with none skipped, in six print series (#1-132, #133-263, #264-394, #395-525, #526-656 and #657-787, the high numbers); 7 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - four Chicago Cubs cards with yellow or green under the "C" and "S" of the team name, the #251 and #478 checklists with smaller or larger print on the front, and the #604 checklist with its copyright line aligned right or left.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, 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.