1975 Topps #171 Ed Kirkpatrick
About Ed Kirkpatrick
Edgar Leon Kirkpatrick signed with the Los Angeles Angels for $20,000 as a 17-year-old bonus baby out of Glendora, California, and debuted that September in 1962, just months after his high school graduation. A left-handed-hitting catcher-outfielder, he spent parts of seven seasons with the Angels before they dealt him to the expansion Kansas City Royals in December 1968 for future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm — Kirkpatrick became the first left fielder and first designated hitter in Royals history. The Royals traded him to Pittsburgh on December 4, 1973, principally for pitcher Nelson Briles, and Kirkpatrick helped the Pirates win the National League East in 1974 and 1975, the season pictured on his Topps #171 card. Teammates and fans called him "Spanky" for his resemblance to Spanky McFarland of "Our Gang," and he played with the same rough-and-tumble style, once flooring Reds manager Sparky Anderson during a bench-clearing brawl. A 1981 car accident left him paralyzed; he died in 2010, and Glendora still awards a citizenship honor bearing his name.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 325 | 5 | 44 | 217 | 52 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 11 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 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: #304 Pittsburgh Pirates
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- #250 Ken Brett
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- #359 Paul Popovich
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #171 card?
It is card #171 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ed Kirkpatrick.
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.