1975 Topps #83 Jim Merritt
About Jim Merritt
Jim Merritt's 1975 Topps card (#83) catches the crafty left-hander in his final big-league season, five years past his 20-win peak with Cincinnati. A West Covina, California product and former Dodgers batboy, Merritt was instead drafted by Minnesota in 1961, debuted with the Twins in 1965, and appeared in two games of that fall's World Series against the Dodgers. He developed into one of the American League's best control pitchers, posting a 2.53 ERA in 1967, then was traded to Cincinnati for Leo Cárdenas after 1968. In 1970 he won 20 games, earned his only All-Star selection, and beat Pittsburgh in the NLCS as the Reds reached the World Series. Elbow trouble from 1970 sent his career into decline, and after 1972 Cincinnati traded him to Texas for Jim Driscoll and Hal King. His signature Rangers moment came in August 1973: a three-hit shutout of Cleveland he later credited to "25 Gaylord fastballs," spitballs that drew a league fine. Released in July 1975, he retired at 81-86 with 932 strikeouts.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 400 | 7 | 130 | 230 | 17 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 18 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 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: #511 Texas Rangers
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- #60 Fergie Jenkins
- #106 Mike Hargrove
- #131 Toby Harrah
- #155 Jim Bibby
- #178 Cesar Tovar
- #212 1974 MVPs
- #234 Tom Grieve
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- #283 Steve Foucault
- #308 1974 RBI Leaders
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #83 card?
It is card #83 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Merritt.
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.