1975 Topps #217 Lou Piniella
About Lou Piniella
Louis Victor Piniella signed with the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent in 1962 out of the University of Tampa and debuted in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles in 1964. After stops with the Indians and the expansion Seattle Pilots, he was dealt to the Kansas City Royals in 1969, became the first batter in franchise history, and won American League Rookie of the Year. He made his only All-Star team in 1972. Traded to the Yankees after the 1973 season, Piniella spent eleven years in New York — the club shown on this 1975 Topps card — playing left field, right field and designated hitter as the Yankees won five AL East titles, four pennants and back-to-back World Series championships in 1977 and 1978. Nicknamed "Sweet Lou" for his smooth left-handed swing, a name also applied half-jokingly to his legendary temper, he retired with a .291 career average and 1,705 hits. Piniella went on to manage the Yankees, Reds, Mariners, Devil Rays and Cubs, winning the 1990 World Series with Cincinnati and three Manager of the Year awards; he has twice fallen a single vote short of Cooperstown, most recently in December 2023.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 411 | 2 | 69 | 222 | 60 | 31 | 14 | 13 | 0 |
| SGC | 33 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 3 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #217 card?
It is card #217 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Lou Piniella.
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.