Manufacturer: Topps
Set: 1981 Topps Baseball ➡️
Player Name: John Littlefield
Position/Team: Pitcher for Cardinals
Card #: 489
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Value Snapshot: Raw/Ungraded: 75¢ | Grade 10: $415
⬇️ See More Pricing Data Below
Drafted in the 30th round of the 1976 MLB Draft out of Azusa Pacific University by the St. Louis Cardinals, right-handed relief pitcher John Littlefield forged a productive two-year big-league career as a high-workhorse bullpen arm.
Littlefield made 94 major league appearances across two seasons (1980–1981), taking the mound for both the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Diego Padres without making a single major league start.
After quietly ascending through St. Louis’s farm system, Littlefield delivered an exceptional rookie campaign in 1980.
- Cardinals Bullpen Workhorse: Littlefield led the entire 1980 St. Louis pitching staff in appearances, logging 52 games out of the bullpen.
- Team Save Leader: He spearheaded the ninth inning for Whitey Herzog’s club, leading the team with 9 saves to go along with a 5-5 record and a 3.14 ERA over 66.0 innings pitched.
- Traded to San Diego: In December 1980, he was traded alongside Al Olmsted to the San Diego Padres in exchange for pitcher Swen Nater and cash.
- Padres Stint (1981): Littlefield remained a workhorse during the strike-shortened 1981 season, appearing in 42 games for San Diego while compiling a 3.66 ERA across 64.0 relief innings.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
Tracking the current market value for the 1981 Topps John Littlefield card #489. Below, find updated pricing data for ungraded (raw) copies, as well as verified PSA graded sales trends collected from secondary marketplaces.
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Raw/Ungraded: 75¢
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Grade 8: $10
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Grade 9: $15
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Grade 10: $415
Data Updated: September 2026
➡️ See All 1981 Topps Rookie Card Prices
Pricing data includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
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