1975 Topps #485 Sparky Lyle
About Sparky Lyle
Albert Walter "Sparky" Lyle - nicknamed by his father for his boundless boyhood energy - signed with Baltimore in 1964, but Boston drafted him that winter after the Orioles left him unprotected. The Red Sox converted him to relief, and after Ted Williams taught him a slider at spring training, Lyle became Boston's closer from 1969 through 1971. Traded to the Yankees in March 1972, the left-hander set an American League record with 35 saves that first season and led the league again in 1976. His 1975 Topps #485 card catches him between two of his three All-Star nods (1973, 1976, 1977), still building toward his best year: in 1977 he went 13-5 with a 2.17 ERA to become the first American League reliever to win the Cy Young Award, then helped the Yankees win back-to-back World Series titles in 1977 and 1978. Teammates also called him "The Count" after he startled manager Bill Virdon by sitting up from inside a casket delivered to the clubhouse. Lyle retired in 1982 with 238 saves and co-wrote the bestselling tell-all "The Bronx Zoo."
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 292 | 0 | 39 | 175 | 49 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 18 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #485 card?
It is card #485 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Sparky Lyle.
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.