1976 Topps #542 Keith Hernandez
About Keith Hernandez
Hernandez was in his first full season as the Cardinals' first baseman in 1976, after two partial years in St. Louis. He appeared in 129 games and hit .289 with 7 home runs. He changed his uniform from number 18 to 37 to honor Mickey Mantle, who shared his October 20 birthday. His 1976 Topps card is #542, a Cardinals card.
Keith Hernandez was a left-handed first baseman who played 17 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets and Cleveland Indians, finishing with a .296 average, 162 home runs and 2,182 hits. He won 11 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1978 to 1988, the most by any first baseman, and charged so aggressively on bunts that opponents sometimes avoided bunting against him. He shared the 1979 National League MVP award with Willie Stargell after hitting .344, and he won World Series rings with the 1982 Cardinals and the 1986 Mets. A 42nd-round draft pick in 1971 out of the College of San Mateo, he reached St. Louis in August 1974. The Cardinals traded him to the Mets on June 15, 1983, for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey, and in 1987 he became the first team captain in Mets history. He was a five-time All-Star. After retiring in 1990 he appeared on Seinfeld and has been a Mets television analyst since 2006. The Mets retired his number 17 in 2022.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 545 | 12 | 127 | 216 | 96 | 47 | 20 | 27 | 0 |
| SGC | 106 | 0 | 25 | 28 | 23 | 13 | 7 | 9 | 1 |
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 #542 card?
It is card #542 of the 660-card 1976 Topps Baseball set, picturing Keith Hernandez of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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.