1979 Topps #278 Andy Messersmith
About Andy Messersmith
The Yankees released Messersmith on November 6, 1978, although his 1979 Topps #278 still identified him with New York. He signed with the Dodgers on February 7, 1979, receiving a no-trade clause. He made 11 starts for Los Angeles that season, his last on June 1.
Andy Messersmith was a right-handed pitcher for the Angels, Dodgers, Braves and Yankees from 1968 through 1979. He finished 130-99 with a 2.86 ERA in 2,230 1/3 innings and won Gold Gloves in 1974 and 1975. At Western High School in Anaheim, coach Dave Hernandez taught him the slider; he later attended the University of California, Berkeley, on a baseball scholarship. Messersmith and Dave McNally challenged baseball's reserve clause in 1975. Arbitrator Peter Seitz ruled that a club could renew an unsigned player's contract without his consent for one year, not indefinitely, making both pitchers free agents. Messersmith subsequently signed a 3-year, $1 million contract with Atlanta.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 73 | 7 | 42 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 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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Related cards
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- #114 Cliff Johnson
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #278 card?
It is card #278 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Andy Messersmith of the New York Yankees.
How many cards are in the 1979 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, tracked as 727 collectible states: #369 Bump Wills comes with a Rangers or a Blue Jays team banner, and the master set counts both.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA, 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.