1978 Topps #712 Bobby Valentine
About Bobby Valentine
His first full year with the Mets produced a .269 average in 69 games, and he played second base in 45 of them. He batted 160 times, collected 43 hits and drove in 18 runs. Card #712 is printed with the New York Mets.
Bobby Valentine was a utility infielder and outfielder for the Dodgers, Angels, Padres, Mets and Mariners from 1969 to 1979, hitting .260 in 639 games, and later a major league manager. The Dodgers drafted him fifth overall in 1968 out of Stamford, Connecticut, where he was a three-time All-State football player. He was the Pacific Coast League MVP with Spokane in 1970, hitting .340 with 14 home runs. He managed the Texas Rangers from 1985 to 1992, with a 581-605 record and a second-place finish in 1986. With the Mets from 1996 to 2002 he went 536-467, reached the playoffs as a wild card in 1999 and 2000, and lost the 2000 World Series to the Yankees. He won the Japan Series with the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2005, managed the 2012 Red Sox to a 69-93 finish, and became athletic director at Sacred Heart University in 2013. He received the 2002 Branch Rickey Award for his work with September 11 survivors.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 144 | 32 | 78 | 26 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 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: #356 New York Mets Team
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #712 card?
It is card #712 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bobby Valentine of the New York Mets.
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.