1965 Topps #259 Tigers Rookie Stars - Jim Northrup / Ray Oyler
On this card: Jim Northrup, Ray Oyler
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
1965 Topps #259 is a Rookie Stars card shared with fellow Tiger Ray Oyler, from the set's third print series. Northrup had reached the majors in a late-1964 callup and opened 1965 as Detroit's starting left fielder before Willie Horton got hot and took the job, leaving Northrup to platoon; he hit .205 with 2 home runs and 16 RBI in 80 games. It is a recognized rookie card for both players pictured. Detroit Tigers outfielder whose bat powered the 1968 World Series title, capped by a Game 7 triple off Bob Gibson and five grand slams that season.
Oyler's rookie season: he debuted April 18 at Los Angeles, starting at short in place of Dick McAuliffe, and took over the everyday job down the stretch after McAuliffe broke his wrist. He hit .186 with five home runs in 82 games, his highest homer total in four Detroit seasons. This 1965 Topps card is his multi-player Rookie Stars issue, a print series 3 card he shares with fellow Tiger Jim Northrup. A slick-fielding, weak-hitting shortstop for Detroit's mid-1960s Tigers and the expansion Seattle Pilots, whose .175 career average is the lowest on record for a player with 1,000-plus at-bats.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 362 | 2 | 34 | 160 | 91 | 33 | 24 | 16 | 2 |
| SGC | 26 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
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: #173 Detroit Tigers
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #9 American League 1964 Pitching Leaders
- #19 Gates Brown
- #37 Fred Gladding
- #53 Dick McAuliffe
- #83 George Thomas
- #130 Al Kaline
- #153 Norm Cash
- #191 Phil Regan
- #206 Willie Horton
- #236 Dennis McLain
- #271 Don Wert
- #288 Jack Hamilton
- #306 Bubba Phillips
- #335 Mickey Lolich
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1965 Topps #259 card?
It is card #259 of the 598-card 1965 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Northrup and Ray Oyler. 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 #259 a rookie card?
Yes - #259 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Jim Northrup and Ray Oyler.
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.