1963 Topps #98 George Thomas
About George Thomas
Card #98 lands in the opening series, a plentiful low number, and by his third Topps appearance the rookie card is two years behind him. The Angels uniform is right for April. On May 1 he hit the second grand slam of his career, off Ralph Terry, the first slam the Angels had hit at Chavez Ravine. But he was batting .210 through 53 games when Los Angeles sent him back to Detroit at the June 15 trading deadline in exchange for pitcher Paul Foytack and infielder Frank Kostro. As a Tiger he platooned in center field against left-handers, spelling Bill Bruton, and hit .239 in 49 games.
George Edward Thomas Jr., born November 29, 1937 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is a right-handed utility man who played 13 major league seasons for the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins between 1957 and 1971. Signed out of the University of Minnesota in August 1957 for a $25,000 bonus, he was tied to the Tigers by the bonus rule of the day and struck out as a pinch hitter in his lone appearance that September. Three seasons in the farm system followed before an expansion club finally gave him steady work, and he shuttled between Los Angeles and Detroit through the early 1960s, filling in at third base, first base, all three outfield spots and even four games behind the plate. Boston then kept him around for six seasons as a bench man and pinch hitter, and he reached a World Series in that role. He played every position except pitcher and finished at .255 with 46 home runs and 202 runs batted in over 685 games. He later coached seven years as a University of Minnesota assistant and three as head coach, resigning in 1981.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 271 | 0 | 2 | 99 | 114 | 44 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-09-24. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here.
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Related cards
Team card: #39 Los Angeles Angels
More Los Angeles Angels cards:
- #4 1962 American League Home Run Leaders
- #6 1962 American League E.R.A. Leaders
- #17 Ryne Duren
- #33 Bo Belinsky
- #57 Billy Moran
- #114 Dan Osinski
- #117 Jacke Davis
- #167 Jim Fregosi
- #169 1963 Rookie Stars
- #182 Albie Pearson
- #207 Ken Hunt
- #231 Eli Grba
- #249 Leo Burke
- #280 Bob Rodgers
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #98 card?
It is card #98 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing George Thomas of the Los Angeles Angels.
How many cards are in the 1963 Topps Baseball set?
576 cards, tracked as 583 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 576 with no gaps and no number used twice, and seven cards carry a catalogued print variation - three checklists, the two Rookie Stars cards also printed with a "1962" heading, and the #341 Jack Baldschun and #454 Art Fowler print states - that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, The Topps Archives, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-03.