1972 Topps #598 Hal King
About Hal King
Texas acquired King for Paul Casanova at the Winter Meetings on December 2, 1971, and Ted Williams planned to use him against right-handers. He was the starting catcher in the franchise's first game as the Rangers, April 15, 1972, and walked twice. After hitting .180 with 4 home runs in 50 games he was sent to Denver in July. #598, from the fifth series, shows him with the Rangers.
Hal King was a left-handed-hitting catcher with a power bat who played for the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers and Cincinnati Reds from 1967 to 1974. Born in Oviedo, Florida, he began in 1962 with the barnstorming Indianapolis Clowns, and the Angels bought his contract for $8,000. After the Astros drafted him, he led the Carolina League with 30 home runs at Asheville in 1967 and debuted on September 6 with a pinch-hit groundout against Gaylord Perry. On April 15, 1968, he caught all 24 innings of Houston's 1-0 win over the Mets at the Astrodome. His best-known moment came on July 1, 1973. Pinch-hitting for Bill Plummer against Don Sutton with the Reds trailing the Dodgers in the ninth, he hit a three-run homer for a 4-3 win. Sparky Anderson called it a turning point, and Cincinnati overtook Los Angeles for the division title. He then played in the Mexican League through 1979.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 231 | 5 | 62 | 118 | 29 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 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: #668 Texas Rangers
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #598 card?
It is card #598 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Hal King 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.