1975 Topps #73 J.R. Richard
Birthdate reads 3-27-50 — should be 3-7-50.
About J.R. Richard
James Rodney "J.R." Richard, a 6-foot-8 righty nicknamed "The Big Fellow" by Astros teammates for his imposing frame and mound dominance, was the second overall pick in the 1969 draft out of Lincoln High School in Ruston, Louisiana. He debuted for Houston on September 5, 1971, striking out 15 Giants to tie a debut record. After a swingman apprenticeship, he became a full-time starter in 1975, the year of this card, and from 1976 to 1979 was one of the era's most dominant power pitchers, winning at least 18 games each season and leading the NL in strikeouts in 1978 and 1979 (a career-high 313) and in ERA (2.71) in '79. His lone All-Star nod came in 1980, days before a stroke on July 30 ended his career at 30; his 1,493 strikeouts stood as Houston's career record until 1987, and his 313 in a season lasted until Gerrit Cole broke it in 2019. Two-time MVP Johnny Bench and Dale Murphy each called him the toughest pitcher they faced. After a stretch of homelessness in 1994, Richard became a minister and was inducted into the Astros Hall of Fame in 2019. This card's listed birthdate, 3-27-50, is a printing error; he was born March 7, 1950.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 341 | 4 | 55 | 196 | 52 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 16 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 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
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- #119 Tommy Helms
- #143 Cliff Johnson
- #165 Doug Rader
- #188 Tom Griffin
- #218 Jerry Johnson
- #227 Bob Watson
- #252 Fred Scherman
- #279 Milt May
- #301 Dave Roberts
- #334 Greg Gross
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #73 card?
It is card #73 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing J.R. Richard.
Does 1975 Topps #73 have an error?
Birthdate reads 3-27-50 — should be 3-7-50. It was never corrected, so there is no variation to chase - every copy of #73 reads the same way.
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.