1975 Topps #500 Nolan Ryan
Nolan Ryan at a hero number — thousands graded and not a single PSA 10 has ever been awarded.
About Nolan Ryan
Lynn Nolan Ryan Jr. signed out of Alvin, Texas, as a 12th-round pick of the New York Mets in the 1965 draft and broke in with New York in 1966, returning for good in 1968. He won a championship ring in relief for the 1969 'Miracle Mets,' but his legend took shape after the Angels landed him in a 1971 trade for Jim Fregosi — one of the most lopsided deals in the game's history. Over 27 seasons with the Mets, Angels, Astros, and Rangers, the right-hander became 'the Ryan Express,' a name a New York sportswriter hung on him after the 1965 film Von Ryan's Express, later shortened once it stuck. He retired with a record 5,714 strikeouts, seven no-hitters, and eight All-Star nods, entering Cooperstown in 1999 on 98.8% of the vote. His 1975 Topps #5 Highlights card marks the third of those no-hitters, thrown on the final day of the 1974 season to pull him within one of Sandy Koufax's career mark; he also appears among the 1974 AL strikeout leaders on #312, and his #500 base card sits at a hero number that thousands have submitted for grading without a single PSA 10 ever awarded.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 7,498 | 3 | 76 | 1,072 | 1,790 | 1,822 | 1,228 | 1,490 | 17 |
| SGC | 2,034 | 0 | 3 | 91 | 321 | 508 | 520 | 496 | 95 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. The graders do not split the 1975 Topps Mini or O-Pee-Chee issues into this set.
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Related cards
More Nolan Ryan in this set: #5 Highlights
Team card: #236 California Angels
More California Angels cards:
- #5 Nolan Ryan
- #16 Frank Tanana
- #40 Bill Singer
- #64 Dave Chalk
- #88 Tom Egan
- #114 Dick Lange
- #139 Horacio Pina
- #164 Mickey Rivers
- #187 Denny Doyle
- #215 Bobby Valentine
- #261 Andy Hassler
- #285 Ellie Rodriguez
- #312 1974 Strikeout Leaders
- #317 Joe Lahoud
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #500 card?
It is card #500 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Nolan Ryan.
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 2026-10-05.