1978 Topps #280 Buddy Bell
About Buddy Bell
Bell led American League third basemen in assists in 1978, his final season with Cleveland. He appeared in 142 games, 139 of them at third base. He hit .282 with six home runs and 62 RBI. Topps listed him with the Indians on #280.
Buddy Bell was a third baseman for 18 seasons with Cleveland, Texas, Cincinnati and Houston, a five-time All-Star who won six consecutive Gold Gloves from 1979 to 1984. The son of Reds outfielder Gus Bell, he was drafted by Cleveland in 1969 and debuted on April 15, 1972, in right field before settling at third. Cleveland traded him to Texas for Toby Harrah after the 1978 season, and in 1979 he drove in a career-high 101 runs; in 1980 he hit .329. On August 31, 1984, he hit a two-out, walk-off grand slam against Milwaukee, the 16th ultimate grand slam in major league history. He added a Silver Slugger in 1984, reached 2,000 hits in 1985, and finished with 2,514 hits, 201 home runs and 1,106 RBI in 2,405 games. The Lou Gehrig Memorial Award came in 1988. He later managed Detroit, Colorado and Kansas City for three seasons each, and his sons Mike and David both reached the majors; David became manager of the Reds.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 228 | 19 | 129 | 57 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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 #280 card?
It is card #280 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Buddy Bell of the Cleveland Indians.
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.