1972 Topps #154 Ted Simmons
About Ted Simmons
Simmons opened 1972 without a signed contract, asking $30,000 after the Cardinals offered $25,000, and was widely described as the first known player to take the field unsigned. He signed a two-year deal reportedly worth $70,000 on July 24, the day before his first All-Star Game. His 16 home runs and 96 RBIs set Cardinals records for a catcher. He batted .303 and finished 10th in the MVP vote. Card #154, from the second series, shows him with St. Louis.
Ted Simmons was a switch-hitting catcher who played 21 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves between 1968 and 1988. St. Louis chose him tenth overall in the 1967 draft out of Southfield, Michigan. He finished with a .285 average, 248 home runs and 1,389 RBIs. When he retired he held the major-league records for hits (2,472) and doubles (483) by a catcher. He hit .300 seven times, reached 20 home runs six times, and made eight All-Star teams. In 1980 he won the first Silver Slugger Award given to a catcher. A feud with manager Whitey Herzog over a move to first base ended with his trade to Milwaukee, with Rollie Fingers and Pete Vuckovich, on December 12, 1980. The Brewers won the 1982 American League pennant, and Simmons hit two home runs against his old club in the World Series. Atlanta used him as a utility man from 1986 to 1988. He later served as Pittsburgh's general manager in 1992 and 1993. Dropped from the Hall of Fame ballot after a 3.7 percent first-year showing in 1994, he was elected by the Modern Baseball Era Committee in December 2019, and the Cardinals retired his number 23 in 2021.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 559 | 6 | 81 | 247 | 99 | 60 | 33 | 33 | 0 |
| SGC | 62 | 1 | 2 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 5 | 8 | 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: #688 St. Louis Cardinals
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- #85 1971 N.L. Batting Leaders
- #87 1971 N.L. R.B.I. Leaders
- #93 1971 N.L. Pitching Leaders
- #107 Jose Cruz
- #130 Bob Gibson
- #200 Lou Brock
- #206 Dal Maxvill
- #243 Frank Linzy
- #278 Dennis Higgins
- #316 Cardinals 1972 Rookie Stars
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #154 card?
It is card #154 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ted Simmons of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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.