1972 Topps #520 Larry Bowa
About Larry Bowa
Bowa led the National League with 13 triples in 1972, hit .250 and won his first Gold Glove while making nine errors. He hit his first major league home run on August 18, an inside-the-park shot off Houston's Dave Roberts at Veterans Stadium. Days later, after general manager Paul Owens, who had taken over as manager that July, pulled him from a game, Bowa said Owens ought to trade him. His card is #520, from the fourth series.
Larry Bowa was a switch-hitting shortstop who played twelve seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies and four for the Chicago Cubs, finishing in 1985 with a month on the New York Mets. He won two Gold Gloves, led the National League in fielding percentage six times, and retired with the league record for career games at shortstop, 2,222. His .991 fielding average in 1979 was a major league record for shortstops when he set it. A five-time All-Star, he hit .305 in 1975 and was in the Phillies lineup for each of their five postseason trips from 1976 to 1981, hitting .375 in the 1980 World Series that gave the franchise its first title. He finished with 2,191 hits and 318 stolen bases. The Phillies signed him for $2,000 in 1965 after scout Eddie Bockman watched him get ejected from both games of a doubleheader. He later managed the San Diego Padres and the Phillies, and was named NL Manager of the Year in 2001.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 205 | 6 | 34 | 107 | 36 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 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: #397 Philadelphia Phillies
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- #14 Phillies 1972 Rookie Stars
- #43 Rick Wise
- #44 Rick Wise In Action
- #69 Roger Freed
- #112 Greg Luzinski
- #139 Tim McCarver
- #167 Deron Johnson
- #168 Deron Johnson In Action
- #188 Frank Lucchesi
- #252 Ken Reynolds
- #283 Darrell Brandon
- #324 Mike Ryan
- #345 Rick Wise
- #357 Woodie Fryman
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #520 card?
It is card #520 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Larry Bowa of the Philadelphia Phillies.
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.