1978 Topps #486 John Curtis
About John Curtis
Curtis made all 46 of his 1978 appearances out of the bullpen and went 4-3 with a 3.71 ERA and one save in 63 innings. He struck out 38. Over his three Giants seasons he started 27 games and relieved in 89. His #486 card has him in their uniform.
John Curtis was a left-handed pitcher who worked 15 major league seasons, 1970 to 1984, for the Red Sox, Cardinals, Giants, Padres and Angels, finishing 89-97 with a 3.96 ERA. Cleveland drafted him in the first round in 1966 and he went to Clemson instead; Boston took him in the first round of the secondary phase in 1968. He debuted on August 13, 1970, and surrendered a grand slam to Ed Kirkpatrick in his third inning of work. He started for Boston and St. Louis, worked mostly in relief for San Francisco, and returned to the rotation with San Diego in 1980, going 10-8 with a 3.51 ERA. California bought his contract on August 31, 1982, and he retired after the 1984 season. He wrote for the San Diego Union-Tribune, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle and Sports Illustrated after his playing days, and later coached the Long Beach Breakers of the independent Western Baseball League. He was inducted into the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame on Long Island in 1992.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 120 | 19 | 77 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #486 card?
It is card #486 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Curtis of the San Francisco Giants.
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.