1978 Topps #617 Joe Nolan
About Joe Nolan
Topps listed Nolan with Atlanta on his rookie card, #617, after a 1977 in which he hit .280 in 62 games for the Braves. In 1978 he played 95 games, 61 of them at catcher, and scored 22 runs. He hit .230 with 4 home runs and 22 RBI.
Joe Nolan was a left-handed-hitting catcher who played 621 major league games across 11 seasons with the Mets, Braves, Reds and Orioles, and who was one of the few big league catchers to wear glasses. A second-round pick of the Mets in 1969, he turned down a football scholarship at the University of Missouri to sign. New York sent him to Atlanta on April 4, 1975 for infielder Leo Foster, and he caught for the Braves until he was granted free agency on June 12, 1980. Cincinnati signed him the next day, and in the strike-shortened 1981 season he took over as the Reds' regular catcher from Johnny Bench, who moved to first base. Nolan batted a career-high .309 with 73 hits that year. The Reds traded him to Baltimore on March 26, 1982 for Brooks Carey and Dallas Williams, and he backed up Rick Dempsey on the Orioles team that won the 1983 World Series, appearing in two games against the Phillies. He finished with a .263 average, 27 home runs and 178 RBI, and later worked as a manufacturers representative.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 136 | 22 | 84 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 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: #551 Atlanta Braves Team
More Atlanta Braves cards:
- #10 Phil Niekro
- #38 Willie Montanez
- #75 Dick Ruthven
- #93 Bobby Cox
- #130 Jeff Burroughs
- #156 Andy Messersmith
- #187 Jerry Royster
- #206 1977 Strikeout Leaders
- #217 Rod Gilbreath
- #242 Barry Bonnell
- #264 Jamie Easterly
- #296 Biff Pocoroba
- #322 Tom Paciorek
- #349 Rick Camp
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #617 card?
It is card #617 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Nolan of the Atlanta Braves.
Is 1978 Topps #617 a rookie card?
Yes - #617 is the 1978 Topps rookie card of Joe Nolan.
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.