1974 Topps #431 Gene Garber
About Gene Garber
Garber arrived in Kansas City in October 1972 in a trade for Jim Rooker and went 9-9 with 11 saves in 1973. In 1974 he pitched sporadically for the Royals and was demoted to Triple-A Omaha, but the Phillies purchased his contract before he pitched there. After a 0.41 ERA stretch with Toledo he was promoted July 28, finishing the season 5-2 with a 3.08 ERA. Card #431 is his rookie card and shows the Royals.
Gene Garber was a sidearm relief pitcher who worked 19 seasons, 1969 to 1988, for the Pirates, Royals, Phillies and Braves. He went 96-113 with a 3.34 ERA and 218 saves, and his 931 appearances ranked fifth in major league history when he retired. His best pitch was a change-up thrown with a herky-jerky delivery in which he turned his back to the batter. Pittsburgh drafted him in the 20th round in 1965, and he was the International League Pitcher of the Year in 1972 with a 14-3 record at Charleston. In 1982 he saved a career-high 30 games for Atlanta and finished seventh in the National League Cy Young voting. His 141 saves for the Braves ranked third in club history in 2020. A graduate of Elizabethtown College, he farms in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 176 | 6 | 76 | 76 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #431 card?
It is card #431 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Gene Garber of the Kansas City Royals.
Is 1974 Topps #431 a rookie card?
Yes - #431 is the 1974 Topps rookie card of Gene Garber.
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.