1978 Topps #653 Ron Hodges
About Ron Hodges
Hodges played 66 games in 1977 and caught 27 of them for a club that went 64-98. He hit .265. The Mets traded Tom Seaver to Cincinnati on June 15, and when they sent Jerry Grote to the Dodgers on August 31, Hodges became John Stearns's primary backup. 'The front office thought that by unloading veteran superstars they could get more in return to help us win,' he said. Topps numbered his 1978 card #653.
Ron Hodges was a left-handed-hitting catcher who spent all 12 of his major-league seasons, 1973 to 1984, with the New York Mets, nearly all of them as a backup. He was drafted by the Orioles, the Royals and the Braves without signing, then joined the Mets through the 1972 secondary draft, and was brought up to New York when injuries hit the club's catchers. He played behind Jerry Grote and John Stearns through seven Mets managers, and named Yogi Berra and George Bamberger as his favorites. He reached 100 games in a season once, playing 110 in 1983 when injuries to Stearns made him the regular. On Opening Day 1983 he caught Tom Seaver's return to the Mets, at Seaver's request. A career .240 hitter with 19 home runs, he had a .342 on-base percentage. During winters he substitute-taught physical education at a middle school. A native of Rocky Mount, Virginia, who played college ball at Appalachian State, he sold real estate in Rocky Mount for 30 years after retiring and died in November 2023.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 296 | 81 | 181 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 7 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #653 card?
It is card #653 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ron Hodges of the New York Mets.
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.