1972 Topps #534 Jim Hickman


About Jim Hickman
Hickman played 117 games for the 1971 Cubs, among them May 4, when he pinch-hit for Ernie Banks, the first time Banks had been lifted for a pinch hitter since April 21, 1954. Card #534 is his Cubs card in the fifth series of the 1972 Topps set. His first home start of 1972 came April 28, when he replaced the ailing Joe Pepitone at first base and hit two three-run homers off Jack Billingham in a 10-8 win over Cincinnati.
James Lucius Hickman, an outfielder and first baseman known as "Gentleman Jim," was born May 10, 1937, in Henning, Tennessee, and signed with the St. Louis Cardinals before the 1956 season. After six years in their farm system, he was claimed by the expansion New York Mets with their 18th selection in the October 10, 1961, expansion draft, out of the $50,000 price tier. He spent five seasons in New York before trades took him to Los Angeles and then, in April 1968, to Chicago. At 33 he put together his career year for the 1970 Cubs, hitting .315 with 32 home runs and 115 RBI. It brought his only All-Star selection and The Sporting News Comeback Player of the Year award. His 12th-inning single at Riverfront Stadium scored Pete Rose with the winning run in that All-Star Game. St. Louis waived him in July 1974, closing a 13-year career at .252 with 159 home runs and 560 RBI. He spent two decades as a Cincinnati Reds minor-league hitting instructor, entered the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, and died June 25, 2016, in Jackson, Tennessee.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 271 | 11 | 80 | 134 | 29 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 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: #192 Chicago Cubs
More Chicago Cubs cards:
- #18 Juan Pizarro
- #29 Bill Bonham
- #45 Glenn Beckert
- #46 Glenn Beckert In Action
- #61 Cubs 1972 Rookie Stars
- #85 1971 N.L. Batting Leaders
- #93 1971 N.L. Pitching Leaders
- #95 1971 N.L. Strikeout Leaders
- #117 Cleo James
- #145 Don Kessinger
- #208 Milt Pappas
- #258 Randy Hundley
- #271 Ken Rudolph
- #303 Joe Pepitone
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #534 card?
It is card #534 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Hickman of the Chicago Cubs.
Does #534 come in two versions?
One catalog lists two printings of #534 - with green or yellow under the top of the "C" and "S" of the team name - but PSA's master set does not include them, so #534 is tracked here as a single card.
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.