1975 Topps #451 Rick Dempsey
About Rick Dempsey
John Rikard Dempsey was a light-hitting, glove-first catcher whose defensive skill and durability carried him through a record-setting 24-year big-league career. Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 15th round out of Crespi Carmelite High School in 1967, he debuted with Minnesota in 1969 and was dealt to the New York Yankees in October 1972. His 1975 Topps card (#451) catches him as New York's backup catcher behind Thurman Munson, learning the position under Yankees coach Jim Hegan. A June 1976 trade sent Dempsey to Baltimore, where he became the Orioles' starting catcher for more than a decade and caught more games (1,230) than anyone in franchise history. He helped Baltimore reach the 1979 World Series and, in 1983, hit .385 with a .923 slugging percentage in a five-game Series win over Philadelphia to earn World Series MVP honors. He won a second championship with the 1988 Dodgers. Famous for his rain-delay pantomime of a Babe Ruth home run trot, Dempsey played in four decades — one of only three catchers to do so — before retiring in 1992 and later coaching for the Orioles.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 311 | 3 | 62 | 192 | 40 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 8 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 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: #611 New York Yankees
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- #113 Elliott Maddox
- #136 Jim Mason
- #160 Graig Nettles
- #183 Mel Stottlemyre
- #189 1951 MVPs
- #192 1954 MVPs
- #193 1955 MVPs
- #194 1956 MVPs
- #195 1957 MVPs
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #451 card?
It is card #451 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rick Dempsey.
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.