1978 Topps #36 Eddie Murray
About Eddie Murray
Murray's rookie season of 1977 was spent mostly as Baltimore's designated hitter, with 110 starts there and 42 games at first base while Lee May held the position. In 1978 the two swapped roles, and Murray hit .285 with 27 home runs and 95 RBIs, earning his first All-Star selection. Topps gave him #36 in its 1978 set, his rookie card and one of the set's key cards, with the All-Star Rookie trophy on the front for his 1977 season.
Eddie Murray was a switch-hitting first baseman who played most of his career with the Baltimore Orioles and retired with 3,255 hits, 504 home runs and 1,917 RBIs, the most RBIs of any switch-hitter. He was the American League Rookie of the Year in 1977, won Gold Gloves from 1982 to 1984, and made eight All-Star teams. He finished second in MVP voting in both 1982 and 1983, and in the 1983 World Series he hit two home runs in the 5-0 clincher over Philadelphia, his only championship. On August 26, 1985 he homered in three of his first four at-bats against the Angels in Anaheim. A dispute with team management led to a December 1988 trade to the Dodgers, and he later played for the Mets, Indians, Angels and Dodgers again. He collected his 3,000th hit off Mike Trombley on June 30, 1995. After returning to Baltimore, he hit his 500th home run off Felipe Lira on September 6, 1996, becoming the third player with both totals after Willie Mays and Hank Aaron. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2003, his first year on the ballot.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 15,563 | 18 | 719 | 3,986 | 3,661 | 2,831 | 2,152 | 2,170 | 26 |
| SGC | 3,786 | 3 | 41 | 437 | 935 | 831 | 707 | 753 | 79 |
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: #96 Baltimore Orioles Team
More Baltimore Orioles cards:
- #4 Brooks Robinson
- #9 Doug DeCinces
- #65 Ken Singleton
- #119 Denny Martinez
- #160 Jim Palmer
- #188 Al Bumbry
- #205 1977 Victory Leaders
- #211 Earl Weaver
- #237 Rich Dauer
- #262 Rudy May
- #287 Kiko Garcia
- #315 Mark Belanger
- #341 Mike Flanagan
- #367 Rick Dempsey
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #36 card?
It is card #36 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Eddie Murray of the Baltimore Orioles.
Is 1978 Topps #36 a rookie card?
Yes - #36 is the 1978 Topps rookie card of Eddie Murray.
What are the key cards in the 1978 Topps set?
#36 Eddie Murray (his rookie card) and #707 1978 Rookie Shortstops, which carries the Paul Molitor and Alan Trammell rookies on one card, are the top cards of the set. The other major keys are #100 George Brett, #200 Reggie Jackson, #400 Nolan Ryan and #703 1978 Rookie Pitchers (the Jack Morris rookie). The set was issued as one series, so there is no high-number run.
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.