1974 Topps #20 Nolan Ryan
About Nolan Ryan
Ryan completed 26 games and posted a 2.87 ERA over 326 innings for California in 1973. In 1974 Topps he occupied #20 as an Angel and shared strikeout leaders #207 with the Mets' Tom Seaver. On June 14, 1974, Ryan pitched 13 innings against Boston, striking out 19 and walking 10 in a game that left him with a no-decision.
Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr., born January 31, 1947, in Refugio, Texas, and raised in Alvin, near Houston, was drafted by the Mets in the 12th round in 1965. He pitched a record 27 major league seasons (1966, 1968-1993) for the New York Mets, California Angels, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. He retired with a 324-292 record, a 3.19 ERA and 5,714 strikeouts, the most in major league history. He also holds the career records for walks (2,795) and no-hitters (seven, three more than any other pitcher). He struck out 300 batters in a season a record six times and made eight All-Star teams. Nicknamed "the Ryan Express" and known for a fastball clocked above 100 mph, he helped the 1969 Mets win the World Series before a December 1971 trade sent him to California for Jim Fregosi. He signed with Houston as a free agent before the 1980 season, then finished with Texas, where he threw his sixth and seventh no-hitters at ages 43 and 44. Ryan was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 in his first year of eligibility with 98.8 percent of the vote, and is one of three players to have his number retired by at least three teams.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 7,810 | 7 | 241 | 1,866 | 1,906 | 1,449 | 1,000 | 1,333 | 8 |
| SGC | 2,137 | 1 | 16 | 202 | 508 | 556 | 418 | 419 | 17 |
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
More Nolan Ryan in this set: #207 League Leaders
Team card: #114 California Angels
More California Angels cards:
- #37 Dave Sells
- #55 Frank Robinson
- #76 Mickey Rivers
- #101 Bobby Valentine
- #139 Aurelio Monteagudo
- #188 Rudy Meoli
- #207 1973 Strikeout Leaders
- #210 Bill Singer
- #243 Bob Oliver
- #276 Angels Field Leaders
- #302 Rudy May
- #323 Richie Scheinblum
- #347 Sandy Alomar
- #381 Charlie Sands
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #20 card?
It is card #20 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Nolan Ryan of the California Angels.
What are the key cards in the 1974 Topps set?
#1 Hank Aaron: New All-Time Home Run King, #20 Nolan Ryan and #456 Dave Winfield (his rookie card, the headline rookie of the set) are the headline cards. The set's signature variation is #599 1974 Rookie Pitchers, the only card in the set with three printings - one "Washington Nat'l Lea." and two San Diego. Among the Washington cards, PSA names #241 Glenn Beckert and #250 Willie McCovey as its examples. The set was issued all at once and printed in equal quantities, so it has no high-number or short-print run.
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.