1972 Topps #49 Willie Mays
About Willie Mays
Mays spent 1971 splitting time between center field and first base, playing 48 games at first. He hit .271 with 18 home runs and 23 steals for the San Francisco Giants, then homered in the NLCS against Pittsburgh. The first series of 1972 Topps carries him as a Giant at #49, followed by an In Action card at #50.
Willie Howard Mays Jr. (1931-2024), the Say Hey Kid, played 23 major league seasons (1948 in the Negro American League, then 1951-1952 and 1954-1973), almost all of them in center field for the New York and San Francisco Giants. New York writers hung the nickname on him during his rookie year for the greeting he used in place of hello, though which writer coined it has been argued over ever since. Mays reached the Giants in 1951 out of the Negro American League's Birmingham Black Barons and won Rookie of the Year, then lost most of two seasons to the Army. He returned in 1954 to take the batting title at .345, the National League Most Valuable Player award and a World Series title. In Game One of that Series he made his over-the-shoulder catch of Vic Wertz's drive. He moved west with the club in 1958 and won a second MVP in 1965. Across his career he led the National League in home runs four times, won twelve consecutive Gold Gloves from 1957 through 1968 and was an All-Star in 20 seasons. He finished with 660 home runs, third in history when he retired, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1979 on the first ballot with 94.7 percent of the vote.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia · CBS Sports
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 8,899 | 27 | 279 | 1,592 | 1,680 | 1,714 | 1,240 | 2,363 | 4 |
| SGC | 3,023 | 1 | 14 | 172 | 455 | 667 | 688 | 998 | 28 |
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
More Willie Mays in this set: #50 In Action
Team card: #771 San Francisco Giants
More San Francisco Giants cards:
- #35 Jerry Johnson
- #36 Jerry Johnson In Action
- #50 Willie Mays In Action
- #76 Don Carrithers
- #129 Charlie Fox
- #147 Dave Kingman
- #165 Chris Speier
- #166 Chris Speier In Action
- #185 Ron Bryant
- #186 Ron Bryant In Action
- #232 Giants 1972 Rookie Stars
- #280 Willie McCovey
- #295 Dick Dietz
- #296 Dick Dietz In Action
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #49 card?
It is card #49 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Willie Mays of the San Francisco Giants.
Is #49 the Willie Mays card?
Yes. #49 is Willie Mays. At least one dealer key-card list gives other numbers for #49 Willie Mays, #309 Roberto Clemente, #441 Thurman Munson and #595 Nolan Ryan, but these are the numbers printed on the cards.
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.