1972 Topps #121 Ed Sprague
About Ed Sprague
Sprague pitched seven games in relief for Cincinnati in 1971, going 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA over 11 innings. In 1972 he appeared in 33 games, one of them a start, and finished 3-3 with a 4.13 ERA. He struck out 25 in 56 2/3 innings. Topps #121, from the first print series of 1972, shows him as a Red.
Ed Sprague was a right-handed relief and swingman pitcher who spent eight seasons in the majors from 1968 to 1976. Born in Boston, he broke in with the Oakland Athletics, working almost entirely out of the bullpen in his first two seasons. He resurfaced with the Cincinnati Reds in 1971, again used mainly in relief, and in 1973 pitched for three clubs in one year, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Milwaukee. With the Brewers, Sprague started 10 of his 20 appearances in 1974 and had his best season, going 7-2 with a 2.39 ERA. He pitched two more seasons in Milwaukee before his career ended in 1976. In 198 career games he finished 17-23 with a 3.84 ERA and nine saves.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 318 | 26 | 88 | 154 | 31 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 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: #651 Cincinnati Reds
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- #80 Tony Perez
- #89 1971 N.L. Home Run Leaders
- #99 Ross Grimsley
- #136 Darrel Chaney
- #157 Don Gullett
- #236 Jim McGlothlin
- #256 George Foster
- #267 Dave Concepcion
- #291 Hal McRae
- #292 Hal McRae In Action
- #311 Clay Carroll
- #312 Clay Carroll In Action
- #358 Sparky Anderson
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #121 card?
It is card #121 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ed Sprague of the Cincinnati Reds.
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.