Dennis Eckersley (Hand Cut)
1976 Hostess
For five straight years, Hostess added baseball cards to their packages of tasty treats. In 1976, the sweet snack manufacturer issued their second annual set of cards. These cards came in the form three-card panels on the bottom of each box. The individual cards, if removed correctly from the panels, measure approximately 2-¼" by 3-¼" around the dotted lines, which were provided to guide those who wished to cut them by hand. Some collectors, however, prefer to keep the entire panel intact. Hand-cut card issues can be some of the most challenging to collect. Not only can it be difficult to find them, as many of the boxes were discarded, but the cards were often extracted in a less-than precise manner. Sometimes the cards were cut with uneven borders, causing eye-appeal issues, or well inside the provided lines. If the latter is the case, the cards are precluded from numerical grade eligibility by PSA standards. The Eckersley card (#137), while not nearly as popular as his Topps rookie, is far tougher to find in any condition and a nice complement or alternative to his more prevalent debut.
Dennis Lee Eckersley (October 3, 1954-) made an excellent transition from starter to closer mid-way through his career and is the only pitcher to amass 100 saves and 100 complete games. Eck began his career with the Cleveland Indians (1975-1977) where he no-hit the California Angels in 1977. Dennis was traded to the Red Sox (1978-1984, 1998) then moved to the Cubs (1984-1986), the A’s (1987-1995) and the Cardinals (1996-1997). In Oakland, legendary manager Tony LaRussa converted Eck into one of the dominant closers in either league. From 1988-1992, Eckersley finished first in saves twice and won the1992 American League Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Awards after posting 51 saves. The six-time All-Star selection was named the AL Rolaids Relief Man of the Year, given to the top relief pitcher of the year and was a member of the 1989 World Series champion Oakland A’s. During his final ten seasons, Eckersley walked only 86 batters in more than 600 innings. Dennis Eckersley retired with a 197-171 record with 2,401 strikeouts, a 3.50 ERA and 390 saves over his career. Dennis Lee Eckersley was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004.
Condition Census
| Pos | Grade | Thumbnail | Pedigree and History |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEM MT 10 (24) |
Prices By Grade
1976 HOSTESS 137 DENNIS ECKERSLEY HAND CUT
| Grade | Most Recent Price | Average Price | PSA Price | Population | POP Higher |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEM - MT 10 | $699.99 | – | $250.00 | 24 | – |
| MINT 9 | $152.27 | $152.27 | $50.00 | 42 | 24 |
| NM - MT 8 | $72.00 | $72.00 | $18.00 | 36 | 67 |
| NM 7 | $35.00 | – | – | 5 | 103 |
| EX - MT 6 | – | – | – | 8 | 108 |
| EX 5 | – | – | – | 9 | 116 |
| VG - EX 4 | $16.49 | – | – | 4 | 126 |
| VG 3 | – | – | – | – | 130 |
| GOOD 2 | $9.99 | $9.99 | – | 2 | 130 |
| FR 1.5 | – | – | – | – | 132 |
| PR 1 | – | – | – | – | 132 |
| Auth | – | – | – | 6 | 132 |
Auction Prices Realized
| Date | Price | Grade | Lot # | Auction House | Auction/Seller | Type | Cert |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05/11/2025 | $72 | 8 | 365577606700 | eBay | 4_sharp_corners | Auction | 64246048 |
| 02/05/2025 | $152 | 9 | 387869987724 | eBay | 4_sharp_corners | Auction | 100485422 |
| 11/08/2024 | $10 | 2 | 176660509362 | eBay | johnl14016 | Auction | 92185494 |
| 04/20/2024 | $700 | 10 | 135017163526 | eBay | ma_402525 | Auction | 26759423 |
| 09/13/2023 | $122 | 8 | 386098437261 | eBay | 4_sharp_corners | Auction | 78352486 |
| 06/17/2021 | $82 | 9 | 144065645497 | eBay | pwcc_auctions | Auction | 15718335 |
| 05/31/2021 | $280 | 10 | 353503920165 | eBay | pwcc_auctions | Auction | 21719314 |
| 05/17/2021 | $90 | 9 | 274785921943 | eBay | blw4862 | Auction | 26889342 |
| 04/23/2021 | $87 | 9 | 274742983930 | eBay | blw4862 | Auction | 26889342 |
| 04/16/2021 | $449 | 10 | 353444972266 | eBay | pwcc_auctions | Auction | 44388544 |
| 01/29/2021 | $295 | 10 | 143921980767 | eBay | pwcc_auctions | Auction | 26759423 |
| 01/03/2021 | $11 | 9 | 142581077048 | eBay | presspasscollectibles | Best Offer | 83425669 |
| 07/29/2020 | $66 | 9 | 353143846661 | eBay | pwcc_auctions | Auction | 44453946 |
| 06/17/2020 | $35 | 7 | 353099208749 | eBay | pwcc_auctions | Auction | 17956524 |
| 06/09/2020 | $250 | 10 | 184288956694 | eBay | prdangelo | Buy It Now | 21719313 |
| 04/28/2019 | $50 | 9 | 123735692367 | eBay | baseballcardaddict | Best Offer | 26894898 |
| 04/06/2019 | $6 | 4.5 | 372642778103 | eBay | sabino5697sc | Auction | 42260593 |
| 08/02/2018 | $120 | 10 | 392087097669 | eBay | waynaybay_123 | Buy It Now | 21719312 |
| 07/17/2018 | $120 | 10 | 272782892377 | eBay | waynaybay_123 | Buy It Now | 19372854 |
| 06/21/2018 | $16 | 4 | 401212286257 | eBay | courtneyprok | Buy It Now | 23224156 |
| 04/17/2018 | $29 | 9 | 352324646416 | eBay | pwcc_auctions | Auction | 18498761 |
| 01/31/2018 | $81 | 10 | 372203976553 | eBay | probstein123 | Auction | 21719313 |
| 10/16/2017 | $27 | 8 | 152741189593 | eBay | shermanway13 | Buy It Now | 25708537 |
| 08/14/2017 | $27 | 8 | 262931602833 | eBay | 4_sharp_corners | Buy It Now | 27083569 |
| 07/11/2017 | $170 | 10 | 302377600192 | eBay | 9999rbush | Buy It Now | 23008715 |
| 05/09/2017 | $40 | 9 | 112400939785 | eBay | mrfsportscards | Buy It Now | 26963024 |