1975 Topps #422 Brian Downing
About Brian Downing
Brian Jay Downing broke in with the Chicago White Sox on May 31, 1973, a converted catcher who'd been cut from his high school team before scout Bill Lentini signed him as an amateur free agent in 1969. This 1975 Topps card catches him early in his career, hitting .225 as a rookie backstop in 1974 and .240 the next season for Chicago. His fortunes changed after a December 1977 trade sent him to the California Angels: in 1979 he revamped his batting stance, hit .326, and made his only All-Star team. A broken ankle pushed him to left field in 1981, where his sure hands set AL records for consecutive errorless games (244) and most chances in an errorless season (330, in 1982). He later became a full-time DH, leading the league with 106 walks in 1987. Downing retired in 1992 with 2,099 hits, 275 home runs, and 1,073 RBI, and was inducted into the Angels Hall of Fame in 2009.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 326 | 3 | 84 | 204 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-19. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here. The graders do not split the 1975 Topps Mini or O-Pee-Chee issues into this set.
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Related cards
Team card: #276 Chicago White Sox
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- #35 Ron Santo
- #59 Ken Henderson
- #82 Pat Kelly
- #110 Wilbur Wood
- #137 Terry Forster
- #161 Stan Bahnsen
- #184 Jorge Orta
- #197 1959 MVPs
- #210 1972 MVPs
- #219 Ed Herrmann
- #243 Jim Kaat
- #299 Bucky Dent
- #307 1974 Home Run Leaders
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #422 card?
It is card #422 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Brian Downing.
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 2026-08-20.