Jim Palmer (born October 15, 1945) played for the Baltimore Orioles for 19 years. During his twin peaks in the 1970s, he was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. With a win-loss record of 268-152, a 2.86 ERA, and 2,212 strikeouts, Palmer had a number of achievements and accolades. He was a six time All Star, a three time AL Cy Young Award winner, a four time Gold Glove Award winner, and a three time World Series champion.
Born in Manhattan, New York City, Palmer was immediately given up for adoption, and he was adopted by a wealthy family from Park Avenue. Palmer grew up in the big city, and he learned to throw a baseball in Central Park. His family moved to Beverly Hills, California after
his father died in 1955. Palmer joined a local little league team, and he fell in love with the sport. Palmer was presented with an award at a team banquet, and he later said, “Through all these years, that night was the highlight of my entire life.” Palmer soon began impressing everyone that watched him play any sport. After his family moved again, this time to Arizona, Palmer was All-State in Arizona in baseball, basketball, and football.
After a standout showing in a collegiate summer league, Palmer received offers from 13 Major League teams. He signed with the Baltimore Orioles after his parents appreciated the manners of Jim Wilson from the Orioles. It only took him two years to crack the rotation in 1966, and he became the youngest pitcher ever (20yrs 11 months) to win a complete game shutout in the World Series.
It almost looked like his career was over in the next couple of years due to arm injuries. By 1968, he only had 10 minor league games with no time in the majors. Yet, by 1969, he had a 16-4 record, and he was soon winning Cy Young Awards and leading the league in many categories. Although he had another injury plagued season in 1974, Palmer had a second peak in the late 1970s, and he was able to finish off his career strongly.
In 1983, Palmer was nearing the end of his career, and he was pitching like it. In five starts, he posted a 6.84 ERA. The Orioles GM stated, “Palmer is never, ever, ever going to start another game in an Orioles uniform. I’ve had it.” Palmer was moved to the bullpen.
For the last time in his career, as he had done many times before, Palmer stunned everybody’s expectations. When the GM was forced to start him, Palmer had an 11-game winning streak. A last hurrah from an excellent pitcher.
Since his retirement in 1984, Palmer has remained active in the public eye. He is best known for his color commentating for ABC and ESPN, as well as for the local Orioles broadcasts.
Palmer was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990 on the first ballot with 92.6% of the vote. Additionally, Palmer was brought into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame, and the team retired his number 22 jersey.
Many of the early Palmer cards were produced during a compelling era of card collecting. As his career moved on, the cards produced became less and less enticing due to his age and the era of overproduced cards. This article will go through a few of the best of them.
1966 Topps Jim Palmer Rookie Card
Jim Palmer’s rookie card sits at card number 126. There are 598 cards in this standard size set. Some major keys to the set are Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, and Whitey Ford.
His rookie card is popular, and many collectors treasured their Palmer rookie. Thus, there are a good number of cards still available today. For reference, PSA has over 3,300 of his cards registered, but only 82 of them are in Mint condition. None are in Gem Mint condition.
Mint condition cards have fluctuated between $1,500 and $3,000 for the last several years. PSA 8’s have been available for $1,000 or less, but cards have been rising since the covid-19 pandemic.
1967 Topps Jim Palmer
The 1967 Topps baseball set has 609 cards of standard size, and Palmer’s card sits at number 475. Rod Carew and Tom Seaver are the key rookie cards on this set.
Palmer’s card has stayed popular from his sophomore car. PSA has about 1,300 cards on their registry, when the typical card from the set has about 200.
While Gem Mint copies will go for several thousand dollars apiece, you should be able to find a Mint copy for less than $1,000.
Palmer also has a card at #152 which commemorates his pitching in Game 2 of the World Series.
1968 Topps Jim Palmer
Palmer is at card #575 in the 1968 Topps which has 598 cards of standard size in the set. Nolan Ryan and Johnny Bench are the key rookie cards to this set.
PSA has over 1,350 cards registered. Gem Mint copies can be found for under $1,000.
1969 Topps Jim Palmer
The 1969 Topps set has 664 cards, and the Palmer card lies at number 573. The rookie cards of Reggie Jackson and Rollie Fingers, as well as the last Mickey Mantle card, are the keys to the set.
Palmer’s card remained popular for the 1969 Topps. PSA has about 1,400 cards registered. While Gem Mint cards will sell for well over $1,000, Mint copies sell for a few hundred.
1970 Topps Jim Palmer
Palmer’s card is at card number 449 in the 1970 Topps which has 720 cards in total. PSA’s registry has less than 1000 Palmer cards for this set.
Gem Mint cards sell rarely, but they have sold for as high as $8,000. Mint copies can sell for around two to three hundred.
1971 Topps Jim Palmer
Palmer’s card is at number 750 of the 752 numbered cards in the set. Keys to the set include Willie Mays, Reggie Jackson, Roberto Clemente, Johnny Bench, Hank Aaron, Pete Rose, and Nolan Ryan.
Again, PSA has about 1000 cards registered. The only sale for a Gem Mint copy was for $12,600, but Mint copies have been selling for around $1,000.
Conclusion
Palmer was one of the best pitchers of the 1970s. His card is a crucial find for any collection of that era of pitching or for Orioles fans.
There are plenty of Palmer cards to go around. We covered some the best and most dynamic cards out there.