1970 Topps #712 Nolan Ryan PSA NM-MT 8

1970 Topps #712 Nolan Ryan PSA 8 - Before the Ryan Express Left the Station

The 1970 Topps #712 Nolan Ryan captures a version of Ryan that feels almost foreign compared with the legend he would become. Still just 23 years old and pitching for the New York Mets, Ryan possessed the overpowering fastball that would eventually terrorize hitters for decades—but the complete pitcher was still taking shape. Tucked into the high-number series as card #712, this is an early solo Topps issue of Ryan from a fascinating period when baseball had only begun to glimpse what his right arm could become.

Graded PSA NM-MT 8, this example represents an impressive high-grade card from the formative years of Ryan’s career. His famous 1968 rookie had introduced him to collectors alongside Jerry Koosman, while the cards that followed began documenting Ryan on his own. The 1970 issue sits just two years removed from that rookie and still shows him in Mets colors, well before the California Angels years transformed him into the strikeout machine remembered today.

Ryan’s New York chapter would last only through 1971 before a trade to California changed the trajectory of his career. In his first season with the Angels, he struck out 329 batters, and by 1973 he had thrown two no-hitters and established a then-modern single-season record with 383 strikeouts. What followed became almost mythical: seven no-hitters, 5,714 strikeouts, 324 victories, and 27 major-league seasons.