1975 Topps #289 Ken Rudolph
About Ken Rudolph
Kenneth Victor Rudolph, born December 29, 1946 in Rockford, Illinois and raised in Los Angeles, was a career backup catcher who spent nine big-league seasons with the Cubs, Giants, Cardinals and Orioles between 1969 and 1977. The Cubs took him in the second round of the inaugural 1965 draft, 26th overall — ten picks ahead of a future Hall of Famer, Johnny Bench — out of Los Angeles City College. Rudolph broke in with Chicago in 1969 on the near-pennant Cubs team, and as a part-time catcher in 1971 threw out 13 of 16 basestealers, an 81 percent clip. Dealt to St. Louis with pitcher Elias Sosa for catcher Marc Hill after the 1974 season, he served as Ted Simmons's backup through 1975 and 1976 — the seasons pictured on his 1975 Topps #289 card — appearing in 44 and 27 games. He closed his career in 1977 with the Giants and Orioles at a .213 average, then coached high school baseball at Arizona's Arcadia High.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 415 | 18 | 135 | 219 | 31 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 15 | 0 | 8 | 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: #246 St. Louis Cardinals
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- #3 Bob Gibson
- #27 Ken Reitz
- #51 Bob Forsch
- #75 Ted Simmons
- #98 Rich Folkers
- #122 Al Hrabosky
- #150 Bob Gibson
- #174 Bake McBride
- #231 Mike Tyson
- #272 Lynn McGlothen
- #296 Alan Foster
- #328 Sonny Siebert
- #349 Ray Sadecki
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #289 card?
It is card #289 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ken Rudolph.
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.