1972 Topps #455 Tommy Harper
About Tommy Harper
Harper spent 1972 as Boston's starting center fielder and leadoff man after the ten-player October 1971 trade with Milwaukee. He played 144 games, every one in the outfield, scoring 92 runs and stealing 25 bases, and drew votes in the AL MVP balloting. Card #455, a fourth-series issue, shows him with the Red Sox.
Tommy Harper signed with Cincinnati in 1960, scouted by Bobby Mattick, and reached the majors in 1962 as a third baseman before moving to the outfield. Across 15 seasons (1962-1976) with the Reds, Indians, Pilots/Brewers, Red Sox, Angels, Athletics and Orioles he hit .257 with 1,609 hits in 1,810 games. He also hit 146 home runs, drove in 567 runs and stole 408 bases. In 1969 he stole 73 bases for the expansion Seattle Pilots, the most by an American Leaguer since Ty Cobb's 96 in 1915. In 1970 with Milwaukee he became the fifth major leaguer to join the 30-30 club (31 home runs, 38 steals) and made his only All-Star team. He led the league again in 1973 with 54 steals, a Red Sox record that stood until 2009, and was voted the club's Most Valuable Player. Known as "Tailwind Tommy," he later coached for Boston and Montreal and entered the Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2010.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 221 | 1 | 51 | 124 | 25 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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
Team card: #328 Boston Red Sox
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- #37 Carl Yastrzemski
- #38 Carl Yastrzemski In Action
- #79 Red Sox 1972 Rookie Stars
- #88 1971 A.L. R.B.I. Leaders
- #113 Rogelio Moret
- #144 Marty Pattin
- #199 Mike Fiore
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- #259 Sparky Lyle
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #455 card?
It is card #455 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tommy Harper of the Boston Red Sox.
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.