1968 Topps #539 Major League Rookie Stars - Jim Ray / Mike Ferraro
On this card: Jim Ray, Mike Ferraro
About this card
Thirty Rookie Stars cards carry two players each on a horizontal front. The class is headlined by the two Hall of Fame rookies, #177 Nolan Ryan (with Jerry Koosman) and #247 Johnny Bench (with Ron Tompkins), with #384 Hal McRae (with Bill Henry) the other rookie card collectors chase.
The story on this card
Ray's 1968 season was his first full year in the majors: 41 games for the Astros, two of them starts, an 80.2-inning workload, a 2.68 ERA and his first save. This 1968 Topps #539 card is a multi-player Rookie Stars entry, a high number in the set's seventh print series and a recognized rookie card, pairing Ray with Yankees prospect Mike Ferraro under the two clubs' names. A hard-throwing Houston Astros reliever nicknamed Sting Ray for a 1969 strikeout-per-inning stretch; ten wins and a 2.12 ERA in 1971 marked his career peak.
Ferraro got his second big league trial with the Yankees in 1968, appearing in 23 games and batting .161 while playing 22 games at third base. That fall he was left unprotected in the expansion draft and claimed by the Seattle Pilots. Card #539, a high number, pairs him with pitcher Jim Ray on a Rookie Stars card split between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, and it stands as his recognized rookie card. Kingston, New York third baseman whose four-team playing career gave way to decades as a minor league manager, big league coach, and manager of the Indians and the Royals.
Sources: Wikipedia (Jim Ray) · Wikipedia (Mike Ferraro)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 313 | 2 | 77 | 162 | 39 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 2 |
| SGC | 26 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 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
More Houston Astros cards:
- #5 National League 1967 Home Run Leaders
- #21 Ron Davis
- #41 Julio Gotay
- #57 Dan Schneider
- #77 Don Wilson
- #95 Bob Aspromonte
More New York Yankees cards:
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #539 card?
It is card #539 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Ray and Mike Ferraro. Thirty Rookie Stars cards carry two players each on a horizontal front. The class is headlined by the two Hall of Fame rookies, #177 Nolan Ryan (with Jerry Koosman) and #247 Johnny Bench (with Ron Tompkins), with #384 Hal McRae (with Bill Henry) the other rookie card collectors chase.
Is 1968 Topps #539 a rookie card?
Yes - #539 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Jim Ray and Mike Ferraro.
Is 1968 Topps #539 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.