1978 Topps #480 Ron LeFlore
About Ron LeFlore
LeFlore led the American League in 1978 with 126 runs scored and 68 stolen bases, and drove in a career-high 62 runs. A 27-game hitting streak began on August 11 with an infield single off Britt Burns, which made him and Ty Cobb the only Tigers with multiple streaks of 25 games or more. He won a second straight Tiger of the Year award. Topps numbered his card #480.
Ron LeFlore was a center fielder and base stealer who played nine seasons, 1974 through 1982, for the Detroit Tigers, Montreal Expos and Chicago White Sox. He hit .288 with 455 stolen bases in 1,099 games and was an American League All-Star in 1976. He had never played organized baseball before serving time in the State Prison of Southern Michigan at Jackson, where he began playing on the prison team. Tigers manager Billy Martin visited him there on May 23, 1973, arranged a tryout, and Detroit signed him in July 1973 for a $5,000 bonus. He reached the majors on August 1, 1974. Traded to Montreal for Dan Schatzeder on December 7, 1979, he stole 97 bases in 1980 and became the first player to lead both leagues in steals. His story became a book, Breakout, and a 1978 CBS television movie, One in a Million, starring LeVar Burton. After retiring in 1983 he revealed that he was four years older than he had admitted. He later managed in independent leagues and had his right leg amputated below the knee in 2011.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 212 | 41 | 116 | 40 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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 #480 card?
It is card #480 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ron LeFlore of the Detroit Tigers.
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.