1972 Topps #117 Cleo James
About Cleo James
James appeared in 54 games for the 1971 Cubs, 48 of them in the outfield and two at third base. He hit .287 with 2 home runs and 13 RBI. His 1972 Topps card, #117, is his rookie card. It is one of four Series One Cubs cards printed with yellow or green under the C and S of CUBS.
Cleo James was the Cubs outfielder who started in left field on September 3, 1970, in place of Billy Williams, ending Williams's then National League record streak of 1,117 consecutive games played. Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, James starred in baseball and football at Riverside Junior College in California before choosing professional baseball. He got into 10 games with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1968, returned to the minors, and made the Pacific Coast League All-Star team in 1969, finishing third in the league in batting average. The Cubs acquired him in the December 1969 Rule 5 draft. He played 100 games as a 1970 rookie, first as a late-inning defensive replacement in center field and by June as the starter there, until the Cubs acquired Joe Pepitone in July. His last major league game came on September 26, 1973. He finished with a .228 average and 5 home runs in 208 major league games.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Print variations
Two states of #117 are tracked individually: 117a - Yellow Under C and S and 117b - Green Under C and S. The difference is on the front of the card (team letter color).
States catalogued by the PSA master set registry and the Trading Card Database; each is tracked here individually.
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Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 117a - Yellow Under C and S | |||||||||
| PSA | 223 | 5 | 46 | 117 | 27 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 117b - Green Under C and S | |||||||||
| PSA | 158 | 0 | 20 | 50 | 37 | 27 | 15 | 9 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 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. Where a grader registers a variation separately its population is listed under that variation.
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Related cards
Team card: #192 Chicago Cubs
More Chicago Cubs cards:
- #18 Juan Pizarro
- #29 Bill Bonham
- #45 Glenn Beckert
- #46 Glenn Beckert In Action
- #61 Cubs 1972 Rookie Stars
- #85 1971 N.L. Batting Leaders
- #93 1971 N.L. Pitching Leaders
- #95 1971 N.L. Strikeout Leaders
- #145 Don Kessinger
- #208 Milt Pappas
- #258 Randy Hundley
- #271 Ken Rudolph
- #303 Joe Pepitone
- #304 Joe Pepitone In Action
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #117 card?
It is card #117 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Cleo James of the Chicago Cubs.
Is 1972 Topps #117 a rookie card?
Yes - #117 is the 1972 Topps rookie card of Cleo James.
Does 1972 Topps #117 have variations?
Yes. Two states are catalogued and tracked individually: 117a - Yellow Under C and S (Yellow under the bottom of the "C" and "S" of the Cubs team name - the base state and the more common printing of the pair. A rookie card in either state) and 117b - Green Under C and S (Green under the bottom of the "C" and "S" of the Cubs team name - the less common printing, priced above the yellow card. A rookie card in either state). Owning any one of them fills the #117 slot; the master set counts each state.
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.