1978 Topps #554 Joe Coleman
About Joe Coleman
With the help of a hypnotist, Coleman posted a 2.96 ERA and a 4-4 record for Oakland in 1977. He appeared in 43 games, 12 of them starts. His 1978 Topps #554 carries the Athletics. During the 1978 season owner Charlie Finley sold him to Toronto for the $10,000 waiver price, and he finished the year 5-0.
Joe Coleman was a right-handed pitcher who became the first-ever amateur draft pick to reach the majors, debuting with the Washington Senators in September 1965 less than four months after high school. He was in the Senators' rotation from 1967 to 1970 before a trade sent him to Detroit. There he won 20 games in 1971 and a career-high 23 in 1973. Later stops included the Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates before his major league career ended in 1979 with a 142-135 record and 1,728 strikeouts over fifteen seasons. He later coached in the Angels and Cardinals organizations, serving as St. Louis's pitching coach from 1991 through 1994. His father and son were also major league pitchers, making the Colemans the first three-generation pitching family in major league history.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 85 | 6 | 39 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 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: #577 Oakland Athletics Team
More Oakland Athletics cards:
- #29 Bob Lacey
- #55 Mitchell Page
- #78 Pablo Torrealba
- #102 Matt Alexander
- #139 Wayne Gross
- #163 Bill North
- #191 Rodney Scott
- #224 Jerry Tabb
- #261 Tim Hosley
- #298 Tony Armas
- #327 Rick Langford
- #353 Doug Bair
- #378 Bobby Winkles
- #406 Mike Jorgensen
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #554 card?
It is card #554 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Coleman of the Oakland Athletics.
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.