1965 Topps #549 Cubs Rookie Stars - Roberto Pena / Glenn Beckert
On this card: Roberto Pena, Glenn Beckert
About this card
This is one of the 55 Rookie Stars cards in the 1965 Topps set, each picturing two to four young players - 126 players in all - under a team banner, except #577 and #581, which carry American League and National League banners over players from three clubs. Joe Morgan (#16), Steve Carlton (#477), Jim (Catfish) Hunter (#526) and Tony Perez (#581) make their Topps debuts on these cards.
The story on this card
Pena started at shortstop for the Cubs on Opening Day 1965 and delivered an unforgettable debut against St. Louis: a home run off Bob Gibson, a two-run double, three RBIs and three errors in an 11-inning tie at Wrigley Field. He held the job into June, then was sent to Double-A after leading the majors in errors, with Don Kessinger taking over at short. This card is a Rookie Stars multi-player issue from the high-numbered seventh series, inside the short-print zone, shared with fellow Cub Glenn Beckert, and stands as Pena's rookie card. Dominican shortstop who broke in with the 1965 Cubs, became the majors first Dominican everyday shortstop with Philadelphia, and started San Diego's first-ever game before closing out his career with the Athletics and Brewers.
Beckert's 1965 Topps card, #549 in the seventh series, is a high number inside the short-print zone, shared with fellow Cubs Rookie Star Roberto Pena. It captures the year Beckert stepped in at second base after Ken Hubbs's sudden death, a rookie season in which he led the National League in assists at the position. Cubs second baseman for nine seasons who anchored the infield alongside Don Kessinger and Ron Santo, making four straight All-Star teams and winning a 1968 Gold Glove.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 355 | 3 | 39 | 138 | 88 | 34 | 21 | 30 | 2 |
| SGC | 27 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. The two checklist variations, #79 and #508, are listed under the wording PSA uses for each state.
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Related cards
Team card: #91 Chicago Cubs
More Chicago Cubs cards:
- #4 National League 1964 Home Run Leaders
- #6 National League 1964 RBI Leaders
- #10 National League 1964 Pitching Leaders
- #14 Len Gabrielson
- #27 Dick Bertell
- #34 Cal Koonce
- #64 Lou Burdette
- #110 Ron Santo
- #149 Wayne Schurr
- #161 Frank Baumann
- #165 Dick Ellsworth
- #186 Billy Cowan
- #202 Leo Burke
- #220 Billy Williams
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1965 Topps #549 card?
It is card #549 of the 598-card 1965 Topps Baseball set, picturing Roberto Pena and Glenn Beckert. This is one of the 55 Rookie Stars cards in the 1965 Topps set, each picturing two to four young players - 126 players in all - under a team banner, except #577 and #581, which carry American League and National League banners over players from three clubs. Joe Morgan (#16), Steve Carlton (#477), Jim (Catfish) Hunter (#526) and Tony Perez (#581) make their Topps debuts on these cards.
Is 1965 Topps #549 a rookie card?
Yes - #549 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Roberto Pena and Glenn Beckert.
Is 1965 Topps #549 a scarce card?
It is a high number card from the seventh and last series, #507-598. Unlike most 1960s Topps sets the 1965 highs are not scarce as a run - the premium sits on the short-printed cards inside #523-598. It is also a short-print zone card. Forty-four of the 76 cards in #523-598 were short-printed; #507-522 was not. The zone is stated as a range because the catalogs disagree on exactly which cards, so no single card is marked.
How many cards are in the 1965 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 600 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 598 with no gaps and no printed-number collisions, and two checklist cards - #79 and #508 - carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball Almanac, 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 2026-10-11.