1972 Topps #696 Rod Carew In Action
About this card
This is one of the 72 In Action cards, each numbered right after the same man's card, in six blocks of twelve even numbers, one per series: #32-54, #164-186, #292-314, #426-448, #552-574 and #692-714 (#34 Billy Martin follows his #33 manager card). The backs of the 24 In Action cards in the fifth and sixth series piece together into pictures of Joe Torre and Carl Yastrzemski (fifth series) and Tony Oliva and Tom Seaver (sixth).
About Rod Carew In Action
Carew won the 1972 American League batting title at .318 without a home run, the first batting champion to do so since Zack Wheat in 1918. He collected 170 hits and played 139 games at second base. His Twins cards, #695 and In Action #696, both belong to the sixth series of the 1972 set.
Rod Carew played second base and first base for Minnesota and California across 19 major-league seasons, finishing with a .328 average and 3,053 hits. He moved from Panama to New York's Washington Heights as a teenager and attended George Washington High School. Minnesota scouts found him playing sandlot baseball in the Bronx; he signed with the Twins after graduating in 1964. Carew also served in the Marine Corps Reserve. He won the 1967 American League Rookie of the Year award and made 18 consecutive All-Star teams from 1967 through 1984. His seven AL batting titles included a .388 season in 1977, when he collected 239 hits and won the league's MVP award. That year he also received the Roberto Clemente Award for his community work. He hit .300 or better for 15 consecutive seasons, from 1969 through 1983. On August 4, 1985, he singled off Minnesota's Frank Viola for his 3,000th hit while playing for the Angels. Carew entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, his first year of eligibility, and later worked as a hitting coach for the Angels and Brewers. In 2016, the American League named its batting championship award for him.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 968 | 1 | 59 | 343 | 264 | 144 | 85 | 72 | 0 |
| SGC | 156 | 0 | 4 | 37 | 38 | 19 | 33 | 25 | 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
More Rod Carew in this set: #695 Rod Carew
Team card: #156 Minnesota Twins
More Minnesota Twins cards:
- #28 Twins 1972 Rookie Stars
- #51 Harmon Killebrew
- #52 Harmon Killebrew In Action
- #66 Ray Corbin
- #86 1971 A.L. Batting Leaders
- #88 1971 A.L. R.B.I. Leaders
- #131 Jim Nettles
- #201 Phil Roof
- #220 Jim Perry
- #244 Steve Braun
- #275 Cesar Tovar
- #301 George Mitterwald
- #302 George Mitterwald In Action
- #352 Dave LaRoche
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #696 card?
It is card #696 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rod Carew of the Minnesota Twins. This is one of the 72 In Action cards, each numbered right after the same man's card, in six blocks of twelve even numbers, one per series: #32-54, #164-186, #292-314, #426-448, #552-574 and #692-714 (#34 Billy Martin follows his #33 manager card). The backs of the 24 In Action cards in the fifth and sixth series piece together into pictures of Joe Torre and Carl Yastrzemski (fifth series) and Tony Oliva and Tom Seaver (sixth).
Why is #696 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the sixth and last print series, #657-787 - with the fifth series, the toughest to find, per PSA.
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.