1978 Topps #401 Sparky Anderson
About this card
This is one of the 25 manager cards. Team cards and manager cards are separate cards this year: every club has a team card, and every club except the Milwaukee Brewers has a manager card - George Bamberger was hired in late January 1978, too late to be included.
About Sparky Anderson
Anderson's Reds went 92-69 in 1978, the year of his #401 manager card, and again finished second to the Dodgers. He was dismissed on November 27, 1978, when general manager Dick Wagner wanted to shake up the coaching staff and Anderson objected.
Sparky Anderson managed in the major leagues for 26 seasons, nine with the Cincinnati Reds and 17 with the Detroit Tigers, and won 2,194 games. He was the first manager to win a World Series in both leagues, with Cincinnati in 1975 and 1976 and Detroit in 1984. As a player he was a second baseman whose only big league season was 1959, when he hit .218 in 152 games for the Phillies. He spent four more years as a player with the Toronto Maple Leafs of the International League, whose owner, Jack Kent Cooke, made him the club's manager in 1964. He won four straight minor league pennants from 1965 to 1968. The Reds hired him in October 1969, when Cincinnati headlines asked 'Sparky Who?' He was called Captain Hook for pulling starters at the first sign of weakness and leaning on closers Will McEnaney and Rawly Eastwick. His 1984 Tigers opened 35-5 and won 104 games, and he was the American League Manager of the Year in 1984 and 1987. He retired on October 2, 1995. Elected to the Hall of Fame in 2000, he wore a Reds cap at his induction in honor of Bob Howsam, and the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame added him in 2007.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 342 | 27 | 160 | 90 | 33 | 13 | 12 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 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: #526 Cincinnati Reds Team
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #5 Pete Rose
- #20 Pete Rose
- #47 Jack Billingham
- #80 Ken Griffey
- #106 Bill Plummer
- #126 Paul Moskau
- #149 Dale Murray
- #180 Dave Concepcion
- #202 1977 Home Run Leaders
- #203 1977 RBI Leaders
- #220 Pedro Borbon
- #246 Dan Driessen
- #273 Fred Norman
- #276 Bill Bonham
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #401 card?
It is card #401 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Sparky Anderson of the Cincinnati Reds. This is one of the 25 manager cards. Team cards and manager cards are separate cards this year: every club has a team card, and every club except the Milwaukee Brewers has a manager card - George Bamberger was hired in late January 1978, too late to be included.
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.