1974 Topps #491 Roger Nelson
About Roger Nelson
Nelson pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in 1973 after years in Kansas City, going 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA and making eight starts. He also worked 2 1/3 innings in the National League Championship Series, which the Mets won three games to two. His 1974 Topps card, #491, shows him with the Reds. He made 12 starts for Cincinnati in 1974 and went 4-4 with a 3.38 ERA.
Roger Nelson was a right-handed pitcher who spent parts of nine major league seasons between 1967 and 1976, finishing with a 29-32 record and a 3.06 ERA. Born in Altadena, California, and listed at 6 feet 3 inches and 200 pounds, he signed with the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before the 1963 season and worked four years in the minors before a September 1967 call-up. Traded to the Baltimore Orioles that November in a deal that sent Luis Aparicio to Chicago, Nelson pitched one season in Baltimore before the expansion Kansas City Royals chose him with the first pick of the 1968 AL expansion draft. He pitched for Kansas City from 1969 through 1972, setting career bests in 1972 with 11 wins and 120 strikeouts alongside a 2.08 ERA. He closed that stint with a 4-0 complete-game shutout of the Texas Rangers on October 4, 1972, the final regular-season game played at Municipal Stadium. He pitched for Cincinnati in 1973 and 1974 and returned to the Royals for a brief final season in 1976.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 162 | 4 | 68 | 80 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1974 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #459 Cincinnati Reds
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #10 Johnny Bench
- #34 Andy Kosco
- #59 Ross Grimsley
- #85 Joe Morgan
- #111 Clay Carroll
- #134 Denis Menke
- #158 Jack Billingham
- #181 Cesar Geronimo
- #201 1973 Batting Leaders
- #230 Tony Perez
- #248 Tom Hall
- #277 Gary Nolan
- #287 Clay Kirby
- #300 Pete Rose
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #491 card?
It is card #491 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Roger Nelson of the Cincinnati Reds.
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.