1968 Topps #598 Jerry May
About Jerry May
May had his busiest season in 1968, playing 137 games and catching 135 of them for a Pirates staff that leaned heavily on his defense. Card #598 is a high number from the set's seventh print series, the last card in the 1968 set.
Jerry Lee May was a catcher who spent ten seasons in the majors, 1964 through 1973, almost all of it with the Pittsburgh Pirates before finishing with the Kansas City Royals and New York Mets. Originally a pitcher and outfielder who threw six no-hitters in American Legion ball, he was signed by Pirates scout Syd Thrift in 1961 and converted to catcher. May broke in as a reserve behind Jim Pagliaroni, then held down the Pirates' regular catching job from 1967 through 1969 before Manny Sanguillen took over. He was behind the plate on June 12, 1970, when Dock Ellis no-hit the San Diego Padres. Traded to Kansas City with Freddie Patek and Bruce Dal Canton in a December 1970 deal, he closed his career with a brief stop with the Mets in 1973. May was never a big bat, finishing at .234 with 15 home runs, but he built his reputation on defense, throwing out better than 42 percent of attempted base stealers.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 318 | 10 | 65 | 144 | 62 | 15 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| SGC | 34 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 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. Slabs of the yellow team-letter #49 and #66 are 1968 Milton Bradley game cards and are not counted here.
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Related cards
Team card: #308 Pittsburgh Pirates
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #1 National League 1967 Batting Leaders
- #3 National League 1967 RBI Leaders
- #19 Juan Pizarro
- #36 Pirates 1968 Rookie Stars
- #53 Gene Alley
- #70 Bob Veale
- #86 Willie Stargell
- #150 Bob Clemente
- #175 Maury Wills
- #198 Roy Face
- #215 Jim Bunning
- #251 Manny Sanguillen
- #270 Matty Alou
- #288 Dave Wickersham
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #598 card?
It is card #598 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jerry May of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Are any numbers missing from the 1968 set?
No. The 598 cards run from #1 to #598 without a gap, and no printed number carries two different cards - #598 Jerry May closes the set.
Is 1968 Topps #598 a scarce card?
It is a high number card from the seventh print series, #534-598, by the checklist-card division. The last two series together (#458-598) carry only a modest premium; no short-print list exists.
How many cards are in the 1968 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 606 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 598 without a gap and no printed number carries two different cards; eight cards - six of the seven checklists, #10 AL Pitching Leaders and #400 Mike McCormick - carry a catalogued print variation that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball Almanac, Beckett, 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 2026-10-12.