1978 Topps #292 Gene Richards
About Gene Richards
Richards hit a career-high .308 with 171 hits in 1978 while his steals fell to 37. Alvin Dark had announced a move to first base in spring training and was fired on March 21; Roger Craig took over and continued the shift of Richards from left field to center. San Diego went 84-78, the franchise's first winning season. Card #292 is his Padres issue.
Gene Richards was a left-handed outfielder who played eight major league seasons, seven with the San Diego Padres and a last one with the San Francisco Giants in 1984. The Padres made him the first overall pick of the January 1975 draft after South Carolina State dropped its baseball program, the first time a player from a historically black college went first. At Class A Reno he hit .381 with 85 stolen bases and was named California League MVP, then led the Pacific Coast League with 173 hits for Triple-A Hawaii in 1976. In 1980 he set career highs of 158 games, 642 at-bats and 193 hits. He also batted .301, stole 61 bases and led National League outfielders with 19 assists. He finished with a .290 average and 247 stolen bases. With the Padres he held the career marks for triples (63) and steals (242) until Tony Gwynn passed him.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 149 | 33 | 101 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 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: #192 San Diego Padres Team
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- #164 Bob Owchinko
- #208 1977 Leading Firemen
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #292 card?
It is card #292 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Gene Richards of the San Diego Padres.
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.