1976 Topps #143 Jerry Grote
About Jerry Grote
Grote batted a career-high .295 in 119 games in 1975 and led National League catchers with a .995 fielding percentage. On July 4 at Veterans Stadium, his pinch-hit two-run homer off former teammate Tug McGraw turned a 3-2 deficit into a Mets victory. Topps pictured him with New York on #143 in 1976.
Jerry Grote learned to catch under former Tigers manager Del Baker while attending Trinity University in San Antonio. He signed with Houston in 1962 and built a batting cage from chicken wire and carpeting at his parents' farm, practicing against a pitching machine he and a friend assembled. His major league career covered 16 seasons with the Colt .45s, Mets, Dodgers and Royals. He caught every inning of New York's 1969 postseason and collected two hits that helped decide World Series games: a ninth-inning single in Game 2 and a leadoff double in the tenth inning of Game 4. Grote finished with 1,092 hits and a .252 average. After playing, he managed in the minors and later broadcast Round Rock Express games. The Mets inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 1992.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 143 | 7 | 66 | 52 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1976 Topps #143 card?
It is card #143 of the 660-card 1976 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jerry Grote of the New York Mets.
How many cards are in the 1976 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1 through 660 with none skipped and printed in equal quantities as a single series. No card carries a catalogued print variation, so the base set and the master set are the same 660 cards.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, BaseballCardPedia, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, 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 2026-10-25.