1975 Topps #440 Andy Messersmith
About Andy Messersmith
A hard-throwing right-hander out of Cal Berkeley, Messersmith broke in with the Angels in 1968 and made his first All-Star team in 1971, going 20-13. Traded to the Dodgers that November, he anchored the rotation that won the 1974 NL pennant, going 20-6 with a 2.59 ERA, leading the league in wins, starting the All-Star Game, and taking home a Gold Glove — the pedigree behind the All-Star flag on his 1975 Topps #440 card. He also appears on #310, the "'74 Victory Leaders" card shared with fellow 20-game winner Phil Niekro and AL leaders Catfish Hunter and Fergie Jenkins. In 1975 he posted a career-best 2.29 ERA and a second Gold Glove, but the season's lasting significance came off the mound: he pitched all year unsigned, and arbitrator Peter Seitz's December 1975 ruling in his case struck down the reserve clause and opened the door to free agency. Messersmith signed with Atlanta in 1976, briefly wearing "Channel" on his jersey — an ad for owner Ted Turner's TV station until the league banned it — before switching to "Bluto," a Dodgers-era nickname for his beard and Popeye-thick arms. He finished 130-99 with a 2.86 ERA over 12 seasons and is not enshrined in the Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 359 | 7 | 62 | 210 | 45 | 24 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 11 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. The graders do not split the 1975 Topps Mini or O-Pee-Chee issues into this set.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #440 card?
It is card #440 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Andy Messersmith.
Is 1975 Topps #440 an All-Star card?
Yes - #440 carries the All-Star shield Topps printed on the cards of players it named to its 1974 All-Star roster. Seventeen cards in the set carry it.
How many cards are in the 1975 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1-660, with no variations and no short prints - PSA reports the cards were printed in equal quantities. The 1975 Topps Mini and the 1975 O-Pee-Chee issues are separate products with their own checklists.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, 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 2026-10-05.