1972 Topps #529 Dave Nelson
About Dave Nelson
Recalled from Denver on June 15, 1971, after batting .307 there, Nelson started at third base the next night and hit his first major league home run on June 18, off Boston's Sonny Siebert at RFK Stadium. It ended 419 at-bats without one. By July 15 he was batting .327 with three home runs. He closed the year with 5 home runs and 17 stolen bases. His Rangers card in the 1972 Topps set is #529, from the fifth series.
David Earl Nelson was born June 20, 1944, in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and starred in football, baseball, basketball and track at Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California, before playing at Compton Junior College and Los Angeles State College. Signed by Cleveland Indians scout Bob Mattick, he climbed the minor-league ladder as a prolific base stealer and reached the majors with Cleveland in 1968, earning a spot on the Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team at second base. He played for the Washington Senators in 1970 and 1971, then moved with the franchise to Texas as it became the Rangers, shifting to third base and then back to second. His best year came in 1973, when he hit .286, stole 43 bases and made his only All-Star Game appearance. He spent the 1976-77 seasons with the Kansas City Royals, reaching the postseason in the 1976 ALCS. Nelson later coached and broadcast in the majors for decades, including as Milwaukee Brewers first base coach, before his death in 2018.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 198 | 5 | 70 | 91 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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
Team card: #668 Texas Rangers
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- #231 Casey Cox
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- #317 Rich Hand
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #529 card?
It is card #529 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Dave Nelson of the Texas Rangers.
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.