1972 Topps #8 Ron Swoboda
About Ron Swoboda
Swoboda changed teams twice in 1971. The Mets sent him to Montreal on March 31 in a deal for Don Hahn, and the Expos moved him to the Yankees on June 25 for Ron Woods. He hit .258 with 2 home runs and 26 RBI between the two clubs. His #8 card in the first series of 1972 Topps shows him as a Yankee.
Ron Swoboda came out of Baltimore's Sparrows Point High School and one year at the University of Maryland, signing with the Mets in September 1963 for $35,000 after a strong showing in the AAABA tournament. He made the big club out of spring training in 1965 at age 20. His 19 home runs in 1965 stood as the Mets rookie record until Darryl Strawberry hit 26 in 1983, and he earned a place on the 1965 Topps All-Star Rookie Team. He picked up the nickname Rocky in his early Mets years for his uneven fielding, though his arm was strong and accurate. He was the Mets' left fielder in 1965 and 1966, moved to first base and then right field in 1967 when Tommy Davis arrived, and batted a career-best .281 that season. Platooned during the 1969 championship year, he collected six hits in 15 World Series at-bats against Baltimore and drove in the winning run in the clinching fifth game. He is remembered for the backhanded diving catch off Brooks Robinson that saved Game 4. He went to Montreal in a March 1971 trade and on to the Yankees that June, finishing with a .242 average, 73 homers and 344 RBI over nine seasons. He later worked as a television sportscaster in New York, Milwaukee and New Orleans.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 253 | 5 | 49 | 119 | 44 | 12 | 10 | 14 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 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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Team card: #237 New York Yankees
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #8 card?
It is card #8 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ron Swoboda of the New York Yankees.
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.