1974 Topps #53 Fred Kendall
About Fred Kendall
Kendall's #53 card exists in two printings: the common San Diego version, issued after Ray Kroc bought the club, and an earlier one, from the period when a Padres move to Washington was expected, that reads Washington Nat'l Lea. On the field he hit .231 with eight homers as the Padres went 60-102, and on August 29 his two-out single in the eighth broke up John Curtis's no-hit bid.
Fred Kendall was a right-handed catcher who played 877 games over 12 seasons, from 1969 to 1980, for the Padres, Indians and Red Sox. A Torrance, California, native, he was drafted by Cincinnati in 1967, then taken by the new San Diego club in the October 1968 expansion draft after Sparky Anderson, hired onto the Padres staff, recommended him. He debuted September 8, 1969, and became the regular catcher in 1973, hitting .282 with 10 home runs and 59 RBI and earning team MVP honors. In 1976 he led the National League in games caught. Traded to Cleveland in December 1976 for George Hendrick, he moved to Boston in 1978 and finished back in San Diego. He retired with a .234 average, 31 home runs and 244 RBI, later coached in the majors for the Tigers, Rockies and Royals, and is the father of three-time All-Star catcher Jason Kendall.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Print variations
Two states of #53 are tracked individually: 53a - San Diego (Corrected) and 53b - Washington Nat'l Lea. The difference is on the front of the card (error correction).
States catalogued by the PSA master set registry and the Trading Card Database; each is tracked here individually.
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Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53a - San Diego (Corrected) | |||||||||
| PSA | 131 | 4 | 42 | 59 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 53b - Washington Nat'l Lea. | |||||||||
| PSA | 222 | 8 | 58 | 96 | 29 | 13 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 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. Where a grader registers a variation separately its population is listed under that variation.
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Related cards
Team card: #226 San Diego Padres
More San Diego Padres cards:
- #32 John Grubb
- #77 Rich Troedson
- #102 Bill Greif
- #125 Nate Colbert
- #148 Dave Hilton
- #173 Randy Jones
- #197 Vicente Romo
- #241 Glenn Beckert
- #250 Willie McCovey
- #309 Dave Roberts
- #364 Clarence Gaston
- #387 Rich Morales
- #406 Steve Arlin
- #430 Matty Alou
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #53 card?
It is card #53 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Fred Kendall of the San Diego Padres.
Does 1974 Topps #53 have variations?
Yes. Two states are catalogued and tracked individually: 53a - San Diego (Corrected) (The front carries the San Diego team name - the reprint Topps made once the Padres stayed in San Diego, and the common state of the pair) and 53b - Washington Nat'l Lea. (The front names the team "Washington Nat'l Lea." - the first printing, made while the Padres looked set to move to Washington, D.C., and the scarcer state of the pair). Owning any one of them fills the #53 slot; the master set counts each state.
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.