1973 Topps #135 Lee May
About Lee May
May collected 168 hits and scored 87 runs for Houston in 1972. Topps placed his Astros card, #135, in the second series of its 1973 set. On June 21, 1973, he became the second Astro after Jim Wynn to hit 3 home runs in a game. His 105 RBIs that season ranked second in the National League.
Lee May was a right-handed first baseman and designated hitter for the Reds, Astros, Orioles and Royals. He hit 354 home runs and drove in 1,244 runs across 18 major-league seasons, batting .267. From 1968 through 1978, he reached both 20 homers and 80 RBI every year. Teammate Tommy Helms gave him the nickname "the Big Bopper from Birmingham," later shortened to "the Big Bopper." May signed with Cincinnati for $12,000 after playing three sports at Parker High School. Tampa manager Johnny Vander Meer converted him from the outfield to first base. After retiring as a player, May became Kansas City's hitting coach and was on the staff of its 1985 World Series championship team.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 187 | 4 | 60 | 107 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 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
Team card: #158 Houston Astros
More Houston Astros cards:
- #17 Fred Gladding
- #39 Dave Roberts
- #76 Doug Rader
- #93 Jesus Alou
- #110 Bob Watson
- #185 Jim Wynn
- #217 Don Wilson
- #242 George Culver
- #290 Cesar Cedeno
- #313 Jim Ray
- #351 Jimmy Stewart
- #375 Larry Dierker
- #395 Roger Metzger
- #420 Tommie Agee
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #135 card?
It is card #135 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing Lee May of the Houston Astros.
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.