1975 Topps #554 Rich Gossage
About Rich Gossage
Richard Michael Gossage grew up in Colorado Springs, the son of a gold prospector, and starred at Wasson High School before the White Sox drafted him in the ninth round in 1970. He debuted with Chicago in 1972, and during that first spring training roommate Tom Bradley told him his neck stuck out like a goose's while he peered in for signs — the Chicago press ran with it, and "Goose" Gossage was born. His 1975 Topps card catches him mid-transformation: that season he moved to the bullpen full-time and led the American League with 26 saves, earning his first All-Star nod on a 98-mph fastball ranked second only to Nolan Ryan's for the era. Chicago briefly made him a starter in 1976 before trading him to Pittsburgh, then to the Yankees as a free agent. With New York he became the game's premier fireman, saving 27 in 1978 and closing out the pennant-clinching ALCS and the World Series title over the Dodgers. He pitched 22 major-league seasons for nine clubs, finishing with 310 saves, 1,502 strikeouts, and nine All-Star selections, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2008.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 653 | 7 | 105 | 340 | 93 | 51 | 28 | 29 | 0 |
| SGC | 58 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 15 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
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: #276 Chicago White Sox
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- #59 Ken Henderson
- #82 Pat Kelly
- #110 Wilbur Wood
- #137 Terry Forster
- #161 Stan Bahnsen
- #184 Jorge Orta
- #197 1959 MVPs
- #210 1972 MVPs
- #219 Ed Herrmann
- #243 Jim Kaat
- #299 Bucky Dent
- #307 1974 Home Run Leaders
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #554 card?
It is card #554 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rich Gossage.
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.