1978 Topps #306 Joe Niekro
About Joe Niekro
Niekro's #306 carries the Astros after a 1977 of 13-8 with a 3.04 ERA and 101 strikeouts. He worked 44 games that year, 14 of them starts, and saved five. In 1978 he moved into the rotation, making 29 starts in 35 games. He went 14-14 with a 3.86 ERA over 202 2/3 innings.
Joe Niekro pitched 22 big-league seasons from 1967 to 1988, breaking in with the Chicago Cubs before stops with the San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins. He found his greatest success in Houston, where he mastered the knuckleball his father had taught him and his older brother Phil, becoming the first Astros pitcher to win 20 games in back-to-back seasons (1979 and 1980). His 1979 campaign brought his only All-Star selection, a league-leading 21 wins, and the TSN Pitcher of the Year award. He finished his career with 221 wins, and he and Phil combined for a major-league record 539 victories by a pair of brothers. Niekro also reached the 1987 World Series with Minnesota. He died in 2006 following a brain aneurysm; his family's foundation now funds research into that condition.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 103 | 12 | 48 | 25 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 3 | 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
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #306 card?
It is card #306 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Niekro of the Houston Astros.
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.