1978 Topps #551 Atlanta Braves Team
Hall of Famers on the 1977 Atlanta Braves roster: Phil Niekro.
About this card
This is one of the 26 team cards, one for every club. Team cards and manager cards are separate cards this year, and every club except the Milwaukee Brewers also has a manager card - George Bamberger was hired in late January 1978, too late to be included.
The story on this card
The Atlanta Braves on card #551 finished last in the six-team National League West at 61-101, 37 games behind the Dodgers. Midway through 1977, with the club in a 16-game losing streak, owner Ted Turner sent manager Dave Bristol on a 10-day scouting trip and took over the bench himself. Turner managed one game, a 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh, before National League president Chub Feeney ordered him to give it up under rules that bar managers from owning stock in a team. Third-base coach Vern Benson ran the club as the skid ended, and Bristol returned for the rest of the year. Phil Niekro, the roster's Hall of Famer, went 16-20 with a 4.03 ERA and led the league in losses. He also struck out 262 batters in 330 1/3 innings. Atlanta hit a major league-leading seven grand slams, allowed 895 runs and drew 872,464 to Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
Sources: Wikipedia · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 154 | 29 | 72 | 42 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 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 1978 Topps #551 card?
It is card #551 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing the Atlanta Braves. This is one of the 26 team cards, one for every club. Team cards and manager cards are separate cards this year, and every club except the Milwaukee Brewers also has a manager card - George Bamberger was hired in late January 1978, too late to be included.
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.