1972 Topps #686 Steve Garvey
About Steve Garvey
Garvey hit .269 with 9 home runs in 96 games in 1972. He made a league-leading 28 errors in 85 games at third base, and rumors spread that his days in the Dodgers organization were numbered. He also played 3 games at first base that year. Card #686, from the sixth series, pictures him with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Steve Garvey was a first baseman who played 14 seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers and five for the San Diego Padres between 1969 and 1987. He finished with a .294 average, 272 home runs and 1,308 RBI. As a boy he spent six springs as a Dodgers batboy whenever the club came to Tampa, and the Dodgers took him as a third baseman in the first round of the 1968 secondary phase. He won the 1974 National League MVP award, four straight Gold Gloves from 1974 to 1977 and ten All-Star selections. With Ron Cey, Bill Russell and Davey Lopes he formed an infield that started together for eight and a half years, and he played on the Dodgers' 1981 World Series winner. In December 1982 he signed with the Padres for $6.6 million over five years. His run of 1,207 consecutive games, from September 3, 1975 to July 29, 1983, is the National League record; it ended when he broke his thumb in a collision at home plate. In 1984 he handled 1,319 chances at first base without an error, then won the NLCS MVP award when his two-run walk-off home run off Lee Smith won Game Four against the Cubs. San Diego retired his No. 6 in 1988.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1,780 | 11 | 112 | 592 | 434 | 303 | 172 | 156 | 0 |
| SGC | 327 | 0 | 6 | 63 | 83 | 66 | 60 | 47 | 2 |
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: #522 Los Angeles Dodgers
More Los Angeles Dodgers cards:
- #11 Bobby Valentine
- #25 Bill Singer
- #63 Duke Sims
- #93 1971 N.L. Pitching Leaders
- #114 Bill Buckner
- #151 Jim Brewer
- #198 Dodgers 1972 Rookie Stars
- #264 Tommy John
- #265 Wes Parker
- #297 Claude Osteen
- #298 Claude Osteen In Action
- #322 Jose Pena
- #369 Jim Lefebvre
- #390 Willie Davis
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #686 card?
It is card #686 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Steve Garvey of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
What are the key cards in the 1972 Topps set?
The key cards are #309 Roberto Clemente; the #582 Montreal Expos team card, which PSA's set article calls the hardest card in the set to find in high grade; #79 Red Sox 1972 Rookie Stars, with Carlton Fisk's rookie card - the only Hall of Famer rookie card in the set - beside Mike Garman and Cecil Cooper; #595 Nolan Ryan, the most coveted of its Hall of Famers in PSA's words; and #686 Steve Garvey, which PSA CardFacts names among the hard-to-find high numbers.
Why is #686 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.