1978 Topps #331 Mark Littell
About Mark Littell
Topps printed card #331 with Littell as a Royal, but he had been traded to St. Louis with Buck Martinez for Al Hrabosky at the December 1977 Winter Meetings. In 1978 he pitched in 72 games for the Cardinals, saved 11 and went 4-8. He posted a 2.79 ERA and struck out 130 in 106 1/3 innings.
Mark Littell was a right-handed relief pitcher for the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals. He grew up on a cotton and soybean farm near Wardell, Missouri. The Royals took him in the 12th round of the 1971 draft, and he reached the majors as a starter in 1973. In May 1976 manager Whitey Herzog made him the closer, and the Royals won the American League West. He allowed Chris Chambliss's walk-off home run that ended the 1976 ALCS. He finished his career with St. Louis, where elbow bone spurs forced his retirement in 1982 with a 32-31 record, a 3.32 ERA and 56 saves. He coached in the minor leagues for years, wrote three books, invented a protective cup called the Nutty Buddy, and entered the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 134 | 20 | 76 | 30 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
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: #724 Kansas City Royals Team
More Kansas City Royals cards:
- #19 Darrell Porter
- #46 Al Cowens
- #73 Andy Hassler
- #100 George Brett
- #129 Jim Colborn
- #157 Pete LaCock
- #183 Doug Bird
- #204 1977 Stolen Base Leaders
- #205 1977 Victory Leaders
- #218 Marty Pattin
- #248 Frank White
- #274 Freddie Patek
- #299 Whitey Herzog
- #336 Steve Busby
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #331 card?
It is card #331 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mark Littell of the Kansas City Royals.
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.