1974 Topps #579 Cecil Upshaw
About Cecil Upshaw
Upshaw began 1973 in Atlanta with a 9.82 ERA over five appearances before the Braves sent him to Houston for Norm Miller on April 22; he finished 2-4 with a 4.93 ERA in 40 games. Card #579 in the 1974 Topps set lists him with the Astros. Houston traded him to Cleveland for Jerry Johnson on December 3, 1973, and on April 26, 1974 the Indians sent him to the Yankees with Chris Chambliss and Dick Tidrow.
Cecil Upshaw was a 6-foot-6 sidearm relief pitcher who spent nine seasons in the majors, beginning with the Atlanta Braves. Signed by the Milwaukee Braves out of Centenary College for a $30,000 bonus, he debuted in October 1966. He ranked among the National League's top ten in saves four times between 1968 and 1972, including a career-high 27 in the Braves' 1969 division-winning season. A hand injury in April 1970 nearly derailed his career, and he returned to form in 1971 after months of rehabilitation. He was later traded to the Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees, and finally the Chicago White Sox, retiring after the 1975 season with 86 career saves and a 3.13 ERA over 348 games. He died in 1995 at age 52.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 208 | 12 | 88 | 92 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #579 card?
It is card #579 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Cecil Upshaw of the Houston Astros.
How many cards are in the 1974 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, tracked as 678 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 660 with none skipped, issued all at once as a single series and printed in equal quantities; 17 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - fourteen San Diego / "Washington Nat'l Lea." pairs (thirteen Padres player cards and the #226 team card), the three-state #599 Rookie Pitchers, the #608 Apodaco misspelling and the #654 Jesus Alou front without a position.
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.