1979 Topps #510 Ted Simmons
About Ted Simmons
Simmons hit a career-high 26 home runs in 1979, the most by a Cardinals catcher in a season, and drove in 87 runs in 123 games. Fans elected him the National League's starting catcher, but a broken wrist kept him out and Bob Boone of the Phillies took his place. Card #510 carries the St. Louis Cardinals name.
Ted Simmons was a switch-hitting catcher who played 21 seasons for the St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves between 1968 and 1988. St. Louis chose him tenth overall in the 1967 draft out of Southfield, Michigan. He finished with a .285 average, 248 home runs and 1,389 RBIs. When he retired he held the major-league records for hits (2,472) and doubles (483) by a catcher. He hit .300 seven times, reached 20 home runs six times, and made eight All-Star teams. In 1980 he won the first Silver Slugger Award given to a catcher. A feud with manager Whitey Herzog over a move to first base ended with his trade to Milwaukee, with Rollie Fingers and Pete Vuckovich, on December 12, 1980. The Brewers won the 1982 American League pennant, and Simmons hit two home runs against his old club in the World Series. Atlanta used him as a utility man from 1986 to 1988. He later served as Pittsburgh's general manager in 1992 and 1993. Dropped from the Hall of Fame ballot after a 3.7 percent first-year showing in 1994, he was elected by the Modern Baseball Era Committee in December 2019, and the Cardinals retired his number 23 in 2021.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 300 | 8 | 71 | 103 | 57 | 33 | 10 | 18 | 0 |
| SGC | 29 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 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: #192 St. Louis Cardinals / Ken Boyer
More St. Louis Cardinals cards:
- #32 Jerry Mumphrey
- #59 John Denny
- #87 Pete Falcone
- #111 Roger Freed
- #143 Tony Scott
- #175 George Hendrick
- #230 Bob Forsch
- #258 Mike Phillips
- #304 Steve Swisher
- #319 Wayne Garrett
- #324 Mike Tyson
- #350 Garry Templeton
- #407 Pete Vuckovich
- #414 All-Time Record Holders: Batting Average
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #510 card?
It is card #510 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ted Simmons of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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.