1977 Topps #197 Ed Ott
Uncorrected error: The 1975 Charleston line shows 5 RBI; it should be 55.
About Ed Ott
Pittsburgh sent Sanguillen to Oakland as compensation for hiring manager Chuck Tanner, and Tanner paired Ott with Dyer behind the plate. Ott hit .264 with 7 home runs in 104 games. On August 12 he went hard into second against the Mets, drew a right hook from Felix Millan, and lifted and slammed him to the ground, breaking Millan's collarbone; Ott was ejected and fined $250. His #197 card lists 5 RBI for Charleston in 1975, an uncorrected misprint of the 55 he drove in.
Ed Ott was a left-handed-hitting catcher who spent seven seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates before finishing with the California Angels in 1981. A 23rd-round pick in 1970 out of Muncy, Pennsylvania, he signed as a third baseman and was moved to the outfield by his first minor-league manager. After the 1974 season he agreed to learn catching because the Pirates' outfield was crowded with Dave Parker, Al Oliver and Richie Zisk. He debuted June 10, 1974, and became the Pirates' regular catcher in a platoon with Duffy Dyer and later Steve Nicosia. A league wrestling champion at Muncy High School at 165 pounds, he was a clubhouse leader on the 1979 World Series champions. A rotator cuff injury ended his playing days with 567 games, a .259 average and 33 home runs. He managed Pirates farm clubs in 1985-86, coached the Houston Astros from 1989 to 1993, where in a 1991 brawl he held Reds reliever Rob Dibble in a chokehold, and was the Detroit Tigers' bullpen coach in 2001-02. He also managed in independent ball.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 105 | 15 | 56 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #354 Pittsburgh Pirates Team
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #35 Rennie Stennett
- #82 Jim Rooker
- #104 Omar Moreno
- #130 Al Oliver
- #154 Dave Giusti
- #167 Rich Hebner
- #176 Bob Robertson
- #270 Dave Parker
- #294 George Medich
- #318 Duffy Dyer
- #335 Bill Robinson
- #374 Kent Tekulve
- #437 Ralph Kiner
- #460 Willie Stargell
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1977 Topps #197 card?
It is card #197 of the 660-card 1977 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ed Ott of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Does 1977 Topps #197 have an error?
The 1975 Charleston line shows 5 RBI; it should be 55. It was never corrected, so there is no variation to chase - every copy of #197 reads the same way.
How many cards are in the 1977 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1 through 660 with none skipped and distributed 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.