1972 Topps #31 Cleon Jones
About Cleon Jones
Jones platooned with John Milner in left field for the 1972 Mets and played 20 games at first base. Injuries limited him to 106 games, and he hit .245 with 5 home runs and 52 RBI. Topps gave him two cards in the first print series, #31 with the Mets and #32 in the In Action subset, also with the Mets.
Cleon Joseph Jones, born in 1942 in Plateau, a section of Mobile, Alabama, signed with the New York Mets as an amateur free agent in July 1962 after playing at Alabama A&M and for the Grambling State Tigers. A left-handed-throwing right-handed hitter with a reputation for one of the strongest arms in the National League, he spent thirteen major league seasons, twelve of them with the Mets, before finishing his career with the Chicago White Sox in 1976. Jones played left field for the Mets through the franchise's rise from losing club to 1969 World Series champion, earning an All-Star selection that season while hitting .340, a club record until 1998. He finished with a .281 batting average, 93 home runs and 524 RBIs. His 64 career outfield assists included ten in both 1966 and 1970. After retiring as a player, Jones returned to the Mets organization as a minor-league hitting instructor, helping develop future major leaguers. He was inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1991 and later into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 403 | 6 | 102 | 225 | 52 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 15 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 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.
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Related cards
More Cleon Jones in this set: #32 In Action
Team card: #362 New York Mets
More New York Mets cards:
- #16 Mike Jorgensen
- #32 Cleon Jones In Action
- #53 Bud Harrelson
- #54 Bud Harrelson In Action
- #91 1971 N.L. E.R.A. Leaders
- #93 1971 N.L. Pitching Leaders
- #95 1971 N.L. Strikeout Leaders
- #105 Gary Gentry
- #127 Duffy Dyer
- #141 Mets 1972 Rookie Stars
- #163 Tug McGraw
- #164 Tug McGraw In Action
- #181 Ed Kranepool
- #182 Ed Kranepool In Action
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #31 card?
It is card #31 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Cleon Jones of the New York Mets.
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.