1978 Topps #156 Andy Messersmith
About Andy Messersmith
Messersmith pitched 102 1/3 innings with a 4.40 ERA for Atlanta in 1977. His 1978 Topps #156 retained the Braves identification, although the Yankees bought his contract for $100,000 on December 8, 1977. A separated shoulder limited him to 6 games for New York in 1978.
Andy Messersmith was a right-handed pitcher for the Angels, Dodgers, Braves and Yankees from 1968 through 1979. He finished 130-99 with a 2.86 ERA in 2,230 1/3 innings and won Gold Gloves in 1974 and 1975. At Western High School in Anaheim, coach Dave Hernandez taught him the slider; he later attended the University of California, Berkeley, on a baseball scholarship. Messersmith and Dave McNally challenged baseball's reserve clause in 1975. Arbitrator Peter Seitz ruled that a club could renew an unsigned player's contract without his consent for one year, not indefinitely, making both pitchers free agents. Messersmith subsequently signed a 3-year, $1 million contract with Atlanta.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 138 | 29 | 82 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 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: #551 Atlanta Braves Team
More Atlanta Braves cards:
- #10 Phil Niekro
- #38 Willie Montanez
- #75 Dick Ruthven
- #93 Bobby Cox
- #130 Jeff Burroughs
- #187 Jerry Royster
- #206 1977 Strikeout Leaders
- #217 Rod Gilbreath
- #242 Barry Bonnell
- #264 Jamie Easterly
- #296 Biff Pocoroba
- #322 Tom Paciorek
- #349 Rick Camp
- #372 Brian Asselstine
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #156 card?
It is card #156 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Andy Messersmith of the Atlanta Braves.
How many cards are in the 1978 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, and 728 collectible states: #23 Bump Wills comes with or without a black circle, and #374 Jose Morales with or without black stitching over the red laces, so the master set counts both states of each.
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.