1972 Topps #256 George Foster
About George Foster
Foster platooned in right field with Cesar Geronimo in 1972 and hit .200 with two home runs in 59 games. His most memorable moment of the season came in Game 5 of the NLCS against Pittsburgh, when he pinch ran for Tony Perez and scored the winning run on Bob Moose's wild pitch. #256 comes from the second series and shows him with the Reds.
George Foster was the left fielder and cleanup hitter of Cincinnati's Big Red Machine. The San Francisco Giants, the club of his boyhood hero Willie Mays, drafted him in the third round in 1968 out of El Camino Junior College and later sent him to the Reds for Frank Duffy and Vern Geishert. After years as a reserve, he took over left field in 1975 and helped Cincinnati win the 1975 and 1976 World Series. In Game 6 of the 1975 Series he caught Fred Lynn's drive and threw Denny Doyle out at the plate to send the game to extra innings. He won the 1977 National League MVP award and was a five-time All-Star. Foster was traded to the New York Mets on February 10, 1982, and signed a five-year, $10 million contract the next day. The Mets released him in August 1986, and he finished with the White Sox. He retired with 348 home runs and 1,239 RBI, and was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 2003.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 615 | 12 | 132 | 308 | 64 | 48 | 19 | 32 | 0 |
| SGC | 59 | 0 | 3 | 21 | 13 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 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
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #3 Bob Tolan
- #80 Tony Perez
- #89 1971 N.L. Home Run Leaders
- #99 Ross Grimsley
- #121 Ed Sprague
- #136 Darrel Chaney
- #157 Don Gullett
- #236 Jim McGlothlin
- #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 #256 card?
It is card #256 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing George Foster 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.