1972 Topps #74 Cecil Upshaw
About Cecil Upshaw
Upshaw's comeback began with soft tossing in July 1970 and batting practice by mid-August, and that fall he pitched for the Braves' team in the Arizona Instructional League, allowing one unearned run in 11 innings. Of Atlanta's first seven victories in 1971 he won four and saved another, and he struck out 56 in 82 innings that year. Topps put him in the first series of 1972 as #74, with the Braves.
Cecil Upshaw was a 6-foot-6 sidearm relief pitcher who spent nine seasons in the majors, beginning with the Atlanta Braves. Signed by the Milwaukee Braves out of Centenary College for a $30,000 bonus, he debuted in October 1966. He ranked among the National League's top ten in saves four times between 1968 and 1972, including a career-high 27 in the Braves' 1969 division-winning season. A hand injury in April 1970 nearly derailed his career, and he returned to form in 1971 after months of rehabilitation. He was later traded to the Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and finally the Chicago White Sox, retiring after the 1975 season with 86 career saves and a 3.13 ERA over 348 games. He died in 1995 at age 52.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 257 | 8 | 66 | 135 | 33 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 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: #21 Atlanta Braves
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- #89 1971 N.L. Home Run Leaders
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- #149 Gary Neibauer
- #171 Darrell Evans
- #172 Darrell Evans In Action
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #74 card?
It is card #74 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Cecil Upshaw of the Atlanta Braves.
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.