Manufacturer: Topps
Set Size: 726 Cards
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Set Notes: 1978 Topps baseball card set includes a large rookie class of future Hall of Fame players. It’s also one of the largest sets Topps produced during this era. The card fronts feature a large player photo within a color boarder stroke. The team name is in script font next to player name. A small baseball icon houses the players position on top with an all white boarder framing the card. Backs are orange in color and feature player stats, information and a small game.
Key Rookies From 1978 Topps: | 36 – Eddie Murray | 704 – Lou Whitaker | 707 – Alan Trammell & Paul Molitor
Pricing chart 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.)
DISCLAIMER: This data is not intended as financial advice and should not be used as such. Please do your own research before making any investment or selling/buying decisions.
(–) : No Pricing Data Available | ($) USD Price Value | (¢) USD Price Under $1
1978 Topps Rookie Card Prices
| Rookie | Card # | Raw | $7 | $8 | $9 | $10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art Howe | 13 | $1 | - | $10 | $30 | $110 |
| Bob Lacey | 29 | $1 | - | $7 | $18 | $42 |
| Eddie Murray | 36 | $12 | $75 | $215 | $1,265 | $40,000 |
| Floyd Bannister | 39 | $1 | - | $10 | $20 | $45 |
| Bill Atkinson | 43 | $1 | - | $5 | $20 | $95 |
| Mitchell Page | 55 | 75¢ | - | $10 | $20 | $100 |
| Ken Clay | 89 | $1 | - | $10 | $25 | $55 |
| Willie Hernandez | 99 | $1 | - | $10 | $20 | $90 |
| Tucker Ashford | 116 | 75¢ | - | $7 | $14 | $40 |
| Dave Rozema | 124 | $1 | - | $6 | $25 | $90 |
| Paul Moskau | 126 | 75¢ | - | $10 | $15 | $55 |
| Steve Henderson | 134 | 75¢ | - | $10 | $15 | - |
| Ivan DeJesus | 152 | $1 | - | $10 | $20 | $100 |
| Paul Thormodsgard | 162 | 75¢ | - | $5 | $17 | $110 |
| Bob Owchinko | 164 | $1 | - | $12 | $15 | $85 |
| Bob Stanley | 186 | $1 | - | $13 | $15 | $92 |
| Rodney Scott | 191 | 75¢ | - | - | $25 | $55 |
| Mike Paxton | 216 | 75¢ | - | $10 | $16 | $80 |
| Jerry Tabb | 224 | 75¢ | - | $6 | $15 | $55 |
| Wayne Nordhagen | 231 | $1 | $5 | $12 | $95 | $550 |
| Barry Bonnell | 242 | $1 | - | $10 | $25 | $40 |
| Joe Altobelli | 256 | $1 | - | $16 | $50 | $80 |
| Bob Shirley | 266 | 75¢ | - | $5 | $16 | $45 |
| Gil Flores | 268 | 75¢ | - | $5 | $14 | $50 |
| Enrique Romo | 278 | 75¢ | - | $10 | $15 | $38 |
| Warren Brusstar | 297 | 75¢ | - | - | $10 | $75 |
| Jose Baez | 311 | 75¢ | - | $5 | $17 | $40 |
| Rick Langford | 327 | 75¢ | - | $5 | $12 | $50 |
| Tony Scott | 352 | $1 | - | $12 | $20 | $40 |
| Doug Bair | 353 | 75¢ | - | $15 | $25 | $150 |
| Bob Gorinski | 386 | $1 | - | $8 | $30 | $760 |
| Julio Gonzalez | 389 | 75¢ | - | $7 | $15 | $110 |
| Odell Jones | 407 | 75¢ | - | $10 | $15 | $75 |
| Joe Zdeb | 408 | 75¢ | - | $8 | $30 | $880 |
| Jerry Garvin | 419 | 75¢ | $3 | $10 | $20 | $65 |
| Junior Moore | 421 | 75¢ | - | - | $15 | $55 |
| Mario Soto | 427 | $1 | - | $20 | $45 | $330 |
| Mike Barlow | 429 | $1 | - | $5 | $15 | $60 |
| Bud Bulling | 432 | 75¢ | - | $5 | $20 | $85 |
| Tim Blackwell | 449 | 75¢ | - | $5 | $10 | $70 |
| Warren Cromartie | 468 | 75¢ | - | $10 | $17 | $50 |
| Doug Capilla | 477 | $1 | - | $20 | - | $155 |
| Jackson Todd | 481 | 75¢ | $5 | $14 | $65 | $750 |
| Ken Macha | 483 | 75¢ | - | $13 | $17 | - |
| Jim Norris | 484 | $1 | $5 | $7 | $38 | $965 |
| Jim Clancy | 496 | $1 | - | $7 | $20 | $50 |
| Pat Rockett | 502 | $1 | - | $8 | $15 | $50 |
| Ike Hampton | 503 | 75¢ | - | $12 | $30 | $1,400 |
| Tim Corcoran | 515 | 75¢ | $5 | $13 | $25 | - |
| Gary Beare | 516 | 75¢ | - | $10 | $17 | $200 |
| Steve Staggs | 521 | $1 | - | $10 | $15 | $55 |
| Donnie Moore | 523 | 75¢ | - | $7 | $40 | $225 |
| Rob Picciolo | 528 | 75¢ | - | $7 | $15 | $70 |
| Larry Harlow | 543 | 75¢ | - | $6 | $13 | $100 |
| Terry Puhl | 553 | $2 | $6 | $10 | $40 | $100 |
| Glenn Burke | 562 | $1 | $7 | $20 | $60 | $665 |
| Lary Sorensen | 569 | $1 | - | - | $15 | $60 |
| Rance Mulliniks | 579 | 75¢ | - | - | $15 | $1,300 |
| John Urrea | 587 | 75¢ | - | $8 | $22 | $75 |
| Bob Knepper | 589 | 75¢ | - | $13 | $20 | $200 |
| George Zeber | 591 | $1 | - | - | $10 | $65 |
| Dave Skaggs | 593 | 75¢ | - | $5 | $12 | $80 |
| Pat Scanlon | 611 | 75¢ | - | $10 | $20 | $75 |
| Joe Nolan | 617 | 75¢ | - | $5 | $15 | $70 |
| Thad Bosley | 619 | 75¢ | - | $5 | $9 | - |
| Moose Haas | 649 | $1 | $6 | $13 | $15 | $45 |
| Paul Dade | 662 | 75¢ | - | $10 | $17 | $500 |
| Billy Smith | 666 | 75¢ | - | $5 | $17 | - |
| Jeff Byrd | 667 | 75¢ | $5 | $10 | $15 | $45 |
| Ray Knight | 674 | $1 | - | $10 | $20 | $60 |
| Julio Cruz | 687 | $1 | - | $10 | $15 | $300 |
| Rookie Pitchers – Hume / Landreth / McCatty / Taylor | 701 | $2 | $10 | $13 | $25 | $200 |
| Rookie Catchers – Nahorodny / Pasley / Sweet / Werner | 702 | $1 | $12 | $18 | $25 | $1,200 |
| Rookie Pitchers – Anderson / Jones / Mahler / Morris | 703 | $2 | $12 | $54 | $95 | $1,500 |
| Rookie 2nd Baseman – Lorg / Oliver / Perlozzo / Whitaker | 704 | $5 | $30 | $54 | $210 | $3,300 |
| Rookie Outfielders – Bergman / Dilone / Hurdle / Norwood | 705 | $2 | $7 | $25 | $35 | $450 |
| Rookie 1st Baseman – Cage / Cox / Putnam / Revering | 706 | $1 | - | $12 | $20 | $160 |
| Rookie Shortstops – Klutts / Molitor / Trammell / Washington | 707 | $12 | $60 | $215 | $1,230 | $25,000 |
| Rookie Catchers – Diaz / Murphy / Parrish / Whitt | 708 | $6 | $30 | $40 | $135 | $1,600 |
| Rookie Pitchers – Burke / Keough / Rautzhan / Schatzeder | 709 | $1 | - | $16 | $38 | $100 |
| Rookie Outfielders – Alston / Bosetti / Easler / Smith | 710 | $2 | $6 | $15 | $33 | $275 |
| Rookie Pitchers – Camper / Lamp / Mitchell / Thomas | 711 | $1 | - | $5 | $23 | $60 |
| Randy Elliott | 719 | $1 | - | $10 | $20 | $200 |
| Data Updated: April 2026 | ||||||
Overview of 1978 Topps Baseball Cards
The 1978 Topps baseball card set is a significant entry in the history of card collecting, known for its iconic rookie cards and classic design. With a total of 726 cards, it was the largest Topps set since 1972, a size that made it both a challenge and a joy for collectors to complete.
Design and Subsets: The design of the 1978 Topps set is clean and simple, a departure from some of the more elaborate designs of the era. The cards feature a larger-than-usual color photo of the player. Subsets within the set include:
- Record Breakers: Cards #1-7
- League Leaders: Cards #201-208
- Playoff and World Series Highlights: Cards #276-277
- Rookie Stars: Cards #701-711
A unique feature of the set is the use of a white baseball icon in the upper right corner of most cards to denote the player’s position. All-Stars from the previous season received a special shield, while Topps All-Star Rookies were distinguished by both a white baseball and a trophy icon.
Key Rookie Cards: The 1978 Topps set is highly sought after by collectors due to the presence of several key rookie cards, many of which feature future Hall of Fame players. The most valuable rookie cards in the set are:
- Eddie Murray (#36): This is the most valuable card in the set, a true standalone rookie card of a future Hall of Famer.
- Paul Molitor & Alan Trammell (#707): This is a shared rookie card, a common practice for Topps at the time, featuring two players who would go on to have Hall of Fame careers.
- Jack Morris (#703): Another shared rookie card, this one features another future Hall of Famer.
- Lou Whitaker (#704): A shared rookie card for another talented player.
Condition and Value: The value of 1978 Topps cards, like any other vintage cards, is heavily dependent on their condition. Collectors often face challenges with these cards due to poor centering, print smudges, and “diamond cuts,” where the card is not cut perfectly straight.
While common cards can be found for little value, high-grade versions of the key rookie cards and star players can command significant prices in the hobby. The set’s combination of a classic design, a large checklist, and a wealth of Hall of Fame rookie and veteran cards makes it a perennial favorite for collectors of vintage baseball cards.
Popular Rookies From 1978 Topps Baseball
