1972 Topps #645 Jim Maloney
About Jim Maloney
Maloney's last major league season was 1971 with the California Angels, when he made 13 appearances, four of them starts. He went 0-3 with a 5.04 ERA in 30 1/3 innings. The Cardinals signed and released him before the 1972 season, and his 1972 Topps card, #645, a fifth-series number, lists him with St. Louis.
James William Maloney was born in Fresno, California, on June 2, 1940, and was scouted as a shortstop by all sixteen major league clubs before Reds scout Bobby Mattick talked him into pitching. He signed with Cincinnati on April 1, 1959 for a reported $100,000 bonus and reached the majors on July 27, 1960. Over twelve seasons with the Reds (1960-1970) and the California Angels (1971) he went 134-84 with a 3.19 ERA and 1,605 strikeouts. He threw 74 complete games, 30 of them shutouts. He struck out more than 200 batters every year from 1963 through 1966, threw two no-hitters, and lost a third no-hit bid in the eleventh inning. Chronic arm and shoulder trouble wore him down, and a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered running out a ground ball early in 1970 finished him as a winning pitcher just as the Big Red Machine was taking shape. He retired in 1972 at 32 and was elected in 1973 to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, the club's own honor.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 180 | 3 | 32 | 103 | 28 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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: #688 St. Louis Cardinals
More St. Louis Cardinals cards:
- #9 Stan Williams
- #13 Joe Grzenda
- #67 Red Schoendienst
- #85 1971 N.L. Batting Leaders
- #87 1971 N.L. R.B.I. Leaders
- #93 1971 N.L. Pitching Leaders
- #107 Jose Cruz
- #130 Bob Gibson
- #154 Ted Simmons
- #200 Lou Brock
- #206 Dal Maxvill
- #243 Frank Linzy
- #278 Dennis Higgins
- #316 Cardinals 1972 Rookie Stars
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #645 card?
It is card #645 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Maloney of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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.