1974 Topps #420 Ray Fosse
About Ray Fosse
Fosse led American League catchers in runners caught stealing and caught-stealing percentage in 1973, when he drove in 52 runs for Oakland. His Athletics card for 1974 was #420. On June 5 he suffered a crushed neck disc while trying to separate Reggie Jackson and Billy North during a clubhouse fight. He returned to hit a home run in both the ALCS and World Series.
Ray Fosse was a catcher who broke in with the Cleveland Indians in 1967 and spent parts of twelve big league seasons, twice making the All-Star team and twice winning a Gold Glove behind the plate. His best offensive stretch came in 1970, when he hit .313 with 16 home runs in the season's first half before a home-plate collision at the All-Star Game left him with a fractured and separated shoulder that was not properly diagnosed until the following year. Traded to the Oakland Athletics in 1973, he became the regular catcher for back-to-back World Series championship clubs in 1973 and 1974, guiding a pitching staff built around Catfish Hunter, Vida Blue and Ken Holtzman. Injuries marked his career throughout. He later returned to Cleveland, then played for Seattle and Milwaukee, and his last game came in 1979. He spent decades afterward as a television color commentator for the Athletics.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 223 | 6 | 95 | 110 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #246 Oakland A's
More Oakland Athletics cards:
- #7 Jim Hunter
- #57 Darold Knowles
- #79 Gene Tenace
- #103 Sal Bando
- #130 Reggie Jackson
- #141 Pat Bourque
- #155 Bert Campaneris
- #180 Ken Holtzman
- #202 1973 Home Run Leaders
- #203 1973 Runs Batted In Leaders
- #212 Rollie Fingers
- #228 Ted Kubiak
- #264 Joe Rudi
- #290 Vida Blue
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #420 card?
It is card #420 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ray Fosse of the Oakland Athletics.
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.