1972 Topps #181 Ed Kranepool
About Ed Kranepool
Second-series #181 and the In Action #182 both list Kranepool with the Mets. He held first base through 1972, playing there in 108 of his 122 games. He batted .269 with 8 home runs and 34 RBI. In 1973 John Milner took over the position, and Kranepool backed up Milner at first and Cleon Jones in left field. In the pennant-clinching fifth game of the NLCS against Cincinnati he drove in the first two runs.
Ed Kranepool was born November 8, 1944, in the Bronx and starred at James Monroe High School before the expansion Mets signed him on June 27, 1962 for an $80,000 bonus. He debuted that September 22 at seventeen and was still on the roster in 1979 as the last man left from the original 1962 Mets. A left-handed first baseman who also worked the outfield, he spent all eighteen of his major league seasons in New York. He remains the Mets' all-time leader in games played with 1,853, and he finished with 1,418 hits and 118 home runs. He was New York's lone All-Star representative in 1965 and homered in Game Three of the 1969 World Series, then reached the Series again with the 1973 National League champions. From 1974 through 1978 'Steady Eddie' hit .396 as a pinch hitter. His 17-for-35 in 1974 gave him a .486 mark, still the major league single-season record for pinch-hit average over 30 at-bats. He later worked as a stockbroker and restaurateur, joined the New York Mets Hall of Fame in 1990, and died September 8, 2024, in Boca Raton, Florida.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · MLB.com · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 386 | 10 | 102 | 214 | 41 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 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
More Ed Kranepool in this set: #182 In Action
Team card: #362 New York Mets
More New York Mets cards:
- #16 Mike Jorgensen
- #31 Cleon Jones
- #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
- #182 Ed Kranepool In Action
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #181 card?
It is card #181 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ed Kranepool 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.