1972 Topps #289 Syd O'Brien
About Syd O'Brien
O'Brien's final major league game came on October 1, 1972, closing a season in which he appeared in 67 games and hit .196 in 97 at-bats. He hit 2 home runs and drove in 6 runs. He played 17 games at third base and 10 at second. His 1972 Topps card, #289, comes from the third series and lists him with California.
Sydney Lloyd O'Brien was born in Compton, California, graduated from Millikan High School in Long Beach, and played at Long Beach City College before signing with the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent in 1964. The Kansas City Athletics drafted him out of the minors that November, but Boston reacquired him two years later. A right-handed hitter and thrower listed at 6 feet 1 inch and 185 pounds, O'Brien reached the majors with the Red Sox in 1969 at age 25. Over four seasons he played second base, third base and shortstop for Boston, the Chicago White Sox, the California Angels and the Milwaukee Brewers. His busiest year came in 1970 with the White Sox, when he set career highs in batting average, hits, RBI, runs scored, walks and steals while also leading the White Sox with a .948 fielding percentage. He moved to the Angels in a November 1970 trade that sent Jay Johnstone, Tom Egan and Tom Bradley to Chicago, and played a season and a half there, mostly at shortstop. Midway through 1972 he was traded to the Brewers, where he finished his career.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 343 | 29 | 123 | 153 | 25 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #289 card?
It is card #289 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Syd O'Brien of the California Angels.
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.