1973 Topps #121 Dave Rader
About Dave Rader
Rader was the Giants' number-one catcher in 1973 and set career highs of nine home runs and 59 runs, though his average slipped to .229. He turned an unassisted double play on a Tom House bunt popup on April 18, hit an inside-the-park homer at Candlestick on May 27, and went .484 against Bob Gibson. The Giants are on his first-series #121.
Dave Rader was a left-handed-hitting catcher who played from 1971 to 1980 for the Giants, Cardinals, Cubs, Phillies and Red Sox. The Giants drafted him 18th overall in 1967 out of Bakersfield, California, and he was their main catcher from 1972 through 1976. He finished second to Jon Matlack in the 1972 National League Rookie of the Year voting and won The Sporting News Rookie Player of the Year award. He caught Ed Halicki's no-hitter against the Mets on August 24, 1975. After leaving the Giants he worked as a reserve behind Ted Simmons in St. Louis, caught regularly for the 1978 Cubs, backed up Bob Boone and Tim McCarver in Philadelphia, and spent 1980 behind Carlton Fisk in Boston. He finished with a .257 average, 30 home runs and 235 RBI in 846 games. Born in Claremore, Oklahoma, he moved to Bakersfield as a teenager.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 178 | 7 | 66 | 78 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 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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Related cards
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- #236 Tito Fuentes
- #248 Jerry Johnson
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- #273 Chris Speier
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #121 card?
It is card #121 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing Dave Rader of the San Francisco Giants.
How many cards are in the 1973 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, tracked as 679 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 660 with none skipped, in five series of 132 - #1-132, #133-264, #265-396, #397-528 and the high numbers, #529-660, printed in lower quantities; 19 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - fifteen Field Leaders cards, the #20 Stan Bahnsen, #31 Buddy Bell and #504 Earl Williams border-gap pairs and the two #280 Al Kaline printings.
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.