1977 Topps #402 Tommy Helms
About Tommy Helms
Tommy Helms appears as an Oakland Athletic on 1977 Topps #402, though he never played a game for them. He had spent 1976 as a Pittsburgh utility infielder, hitting .276 with 1 home run and 13 RBI in 62 games, mostly at third base. The Pirates sold him to Oakland on November 5, 1976. On March 15, 1977, the A's traded him back to Pittsburgh with Chris Batton and Phil Garner for Tony Armas, Doug Bair, Dave Giusti, Rick Langford, Doc Medich and Mitchell Page.
Tommy Helms played second base, third base and shortstop for Cincinnati, Houston, Pittsburgh and Boston during a 14-season major-league career. Growing up in North Carolina, he served as batboy for a semipro team managed by his father. Cincinnati signed him in 1959, and he advanced through Palatka, Topeka, Macon and San Diego before reaching the Reds in September 1964. Helms finished with 1,342 hits and a .269 average in 1,435 games. He hit 34 home runs and drove in 477 runs. His postseason appearances came with the 1970 Reds: he had three hits in 11 at-bats in the NLCS sweep of Pittsburgh and four in 18 against Baltimore in the World Series. After his playing career, he coached for Texas in 1981 and 1982 and returned to Cincinnati's staff in 1983. As interim manager he went 12-15 during Pete Rose's 1988 suspension and 16-21 after replacing Rose in 1989. The Reds inducted Helms into their Hall of Fame in 1979.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 57 | 4 | 25 | 23 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 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: #74 Oakland Athletics Team
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- #101 Dick Bosman
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1977 Topps #402 card?
It is card #402 of the 660-card 1977 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tommy Helms of the Oakland Athletics.
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.