1974 Topps #250 Willie McCovey
About Willie McCovey
McCovey batted .266 in 130 games for San Francisco in 1973, but his 1974 Topps #250 identified him with San Diego. The card also appeared with a "Washington Nat'l Lea." heading during the Padres' proposed relocation. After Ray Kroc bought the club and kept it in San Diego, later printings used the Padres name. McCovey played 128 games and hit 22 home runs for his new club in 1974.
Willie McCovey went 4-for-4 with two triples off Robin Roberts in his major league debut on July 30, 1959. He hit .354 with 13 home runs in 52 games and won National League Rookie of the Year. The Giants had signed him at a Florida tryout camp in 1955, after scout Alex Pompez followed a recommendation from Mobile playground director Jesse Thomas. McCovey's height and long arms earned the first baseman the nickname 'Stretch.' He played 22 major league seasons, 19 of them with San Francisco, and also played for San Diego and Oakland. A six-time All-Star, he homered off both John Odom and Denny McLain in the 1969 All-Star Game and won its MVP award. He retired in 1980 with 521 home runs, 1,555 RBI and a .270 average. The Giants retired his number 44, and he entered the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986 on the first ballot. The inlet beyond the right-field wall at San Francisco's new ballpark was named McCovey Cove in his honor.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · National Baseball Hall of Fame · BaseballCardPedia
Print variations
Two states of #250 are tracked individually: 250a - San Diego (Corrected) and 250b - 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250a - San Diego (Corrected) | |||||||||
| PSA | 1,248 | 2 | 146 | 458 | 233 | 169 | 124 | 116 | 0 |
| SGC | 224 | 0 | 6 | 45 | 50 | 49 | 37 | 37 | 0 |
| 250b - Washington Nat'l Lea. | |||||||||
| PSA | 1,131 | 2 | 60 | 340 | 314 | 168 | 129 | 118 | 0 |
| SGC | 199 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 53 | 53 | 33 | 31 | 2 |
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
- #53 Fred Kendall
- #77 Rich Troedson
- #102 Bill Greif
- #125 Nate Colbert
- #148 Dave Hilton
- #173 Randy Jones
- #197 Vicente Romo
- #241 Glenn Beckert
- #309 Dave Roberts
- #364 Clarence Gaston
- #387 Rich Morales
- #406 Steve Arlin
- #430 Matty Alou
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #250 card?
It is card #250 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Willie McCovey of the San Diego Padres.
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.
Does 1974 Topps #250 have variations?
Yes. Two states are catalogued and tracked individually: 250a - 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 250b - 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. PSA's set profile names this card and #241 Glenn Beckert as its examples of the Washington cards). Owning any one of them fills the #250 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.