1973 Topps #545 Orlando Cepeda
About Orlando Cepeda
Cepeda played twice in April 1972, then hit .350 in half-time duty in May and .182 in June. After his move to Oakland he pinch-hit three times for the Athletics before shutting it down, and he was released after the season. His #545, a high number from the fifth series, is printed with the Athletics. A week after the American League agreed on January 11, 1973, to a three-year trial of the designated hitter, Boston signed him for that role.
Orlando Manuel Cepeda Pennes was the son of Pedro "Perucho" Cepeda, a Puerto Rican star known at home as the Bull, which made the son the Baby Bull. He passed a New York Giants tryout camp in 1955 and signed for a $500 bonus. He reached the majors with the San Francisco Giants in the franchise's first West Coast season and was voted National League Rookie of the Year unanimously, hitting .312 with 25 home runs and a league-leading 38 doubles. A free-swinging right-handed first baseman, he led the league in home runs once and in runs batted in twice, and was an All-Star in seven seasons. Knee trouble that started with a boyhood basketball injury shadowed the rest of his career, costing him most of one season and finally his place in San Francisco. Traded to St. Louis for pitcher Ray Sadecki, he became the loose, jazz-loving center of a Cardinals clubhouse that won a World Series, and took the Most Valuable Player award unanimously. He later helped Atlanta to a division title, was the first man signed purely to be a designated hitter, and finished with 2,351 hits, 379 home runs and a .297 average. The Veterans Committee elected him to the Hall of Fame in 1999.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2) · Baseball Almanac (3) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 526 | 6 | 102 | 266 | 84 | 37 | 15 | 15 | 1 |
| SGC | 47 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 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: #500 Oakland A's
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- #60 Ken Holtzman
- #64 1972 Stolen Base Leaders
- #84 Rollie Fingers
- #155 Sal Bando
- #179 A's Field Leaders
- #201 A.L. Playoffs: Hendrick Scores Winning Run
- #203 World Series Game No. 1: Tenace the Menace
- #204 World Series Game No. 2: A's Make It Two Straight
- #206 World Series Game No. 4: Tenace Singles in Ninth
- #207 World Series Game No. 5: Odom Out at Plate
- #209 World Series Game No. 7: Campy Starts Winning Rally
- #210 World Champions (Oakland Athletics)
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #545 card?
It is card #545 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing Orlando Cepeda of the Oakland Athletics.
Why is #545 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the fifth and last print series, #529-660 - the scarce end of the set.
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.