1972 Topps #30 Rico Petrocelli
About Rico Petrocelli
Petrocelli reported early to spring training in 1971 to work for hours with former Red Sox third baseman Frank Malzone on his new position, and he set a major league record for third basemen with 77 games in a row without an error. In 1972 he led the major leagues with three grand slams. Card #30, a first-series issue in the 1972 Topps set, lists him with the Red Sox.
Americo Peter "Rico" Petrocelli was born June 27, 1943 in Brooklyn, New York, the youngest of seven children of Italian immigrant parents. He signed with the Boston Red Sox in 1961 and reached the majors for a single September game in 1963 before taking over as Boston's starting shortstop in 1965. A two-time All-Star, he set what was then a league record for home runs by a shortstop with 40 in 1969. In 1971 he moved to third base to make room for Luis Aparicio, and led American League third basemen in fielding percentage that year. Over 13 seasons, all with Boston, he hit 210 home runs and drove in 773 runs. He batted .251 in 1,553 games. He played for Boston's 1967 "Impossible Dream" pennant winners and the 1975 American League champions, appearing in the 1967 and 1975 World Series and the 1975 American League Championship Series. After his final season in 1976 he worked in broadcasting and managed in the minor leagues for the White Sox and Red Sox organizations. He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 1997, a team honor separate from the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 374 | 14 | 90 | 175 | 49 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
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: #328 Boston Red Sox
More Boston Red Sox cards:
- #2 Ray Culp
- #37 Carl Yastrzemski
- #38 Carl Yastrzemski In Action
- #79 Red Sox 1972 Rookie Stars
- #88 1971 A.L. R.B.I. Leaders
- #113 Rogelio Moret
- #144 Marty Pattin
- #199 Mike Fiore
- #218 Eddie Kasko
- #259 Sparky Lyle
- #266 Bobby Bolin
- #290 Sonny Siebert
- #313 Luis Aparicio
- #314 Luis Aparicio In Action
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #30 card?
It is card #30 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rico Petrocelli of the Boston Red Sox.
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.