1978 Topps #47 Jack Billingham
About Jack Billingham
Billingham's #47 shows him with Cincinnati after a 1977 that went 10-10 with a 5.23 ERA as the Reds slipped to second place. Cincinnati dealt him to the Detroit Tigers during 1978 spring training. Manager Ralph Houk expected long relief and occasional starts, but Billingham made 30 starts. He went 15-8 with a 3.88 ERA and 10 complete games.
Jack Billingham was a right-handed pitcher who spent 13 major league seasons, from 1968 to 1980, with the Dodgers, Expos organization, Astros, Reds, Tigers and Red Sox. Signed by Los Angeles out of Winter Park, Florida, he broke in as a bullpen arm before Harry Walker moved him into the Houston rotation in 1970. His best years came after a 1971 trade sent him to Cincinnati as part of the deal that also brought Joe Morgan, where he won 19 games in both 1973 and 1974 and made his only All-Star team in 1973. Over three World Series with the Big Red Machine he posted a 0.36 ERA, the lowest in Series history until Madison Bumgarner passed it in 2014. He closed his career with the Tigers and briefly the Red Sox, retiring with a 145-113 record and 1,141 strikeouts.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 156 | 33 | 92 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 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: #526 Cincinnati Reds Team
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #5 Pete Rose
- #20 Pete Rose
- #80 Ken Griffey
- #106 Bill Plummer
- #126 Paul Moskau
- #149 Dale Murray
- #180 Dave Concepcion
- #202 1977 Home Run Leaders
- #203 1977 RBI Leaders
- #220 Pedro Borbon
- #246 Dan Driessen
- #273 Fred Norman
- #276 Bill Bonham
- #300 Joe Morgan
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #47 card?
It is card #47 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jack Billingham of the Cincinnati Reds.
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.