1968 Topps #283 Mel Queen
About Mel Queen
Queen's 1968 card reflects a season cut short: shoulder problems, including a torn rotator cuff, held him to just 5 pitching appearances and 10 games overall for Cincinnati, with an 0-1 record and 5.89 ERA over 18.1 innings. It was the leanest year of his career after his breakout 1967 campaign, and the injury would linger into the following season as he worked to rebuild his arm strength.
Melvin Douglas Queen was born March 26, 1942, in Johnson City, New York, the son of former major league pitcher Mel Queen Sr. The family later settled in San Luis Obispo, California, where Queen starred in three sports before signing with the Cincinnati Reds out of high school in 1960. He broke in with Cincinnati in 1964 as an outfielder and pinch hitter, then in 1966 was converted into a pitcher, a rare two-way path in the majors. His best season came in 1967, when he went 14-8 with a 2.76 ERA and 154 strikeouts over 195.2 innings as a starter. Shoulder trouble limited him afterward, and he finished his playing career with the California Angels as a reliever from 1970 to 1972. Queen went on to a long coaching career, most notably as Toronto's major league pitching coach from 1996 through 1999 and later as a special assignment scout with the organization. Batting left and throwing right, he retired with a 20-17 pitching record and a .179 career batting average. He died May 11, 2011, in Morro Bay, California.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 321 | 16 | 103 | 133 | 42 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 19 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 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: #574 Cincinnati Reds
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- #48 Ted Davidson
- #74 Milt Pappas
- #90 Vada Pinson
- #108 Don Pavletich
- #130 Tony Perez
- #133 Fred Whitfield
- #148 Dave Bristol
- #171 Don Nottebart
- #196 Gary Nolan
- #213 Chico Ruiz
- #230 Pete Rose
- #247 Reds 1968 Rookie Stars
- #264 Ted Abernathy
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #283 card?
It is card #283 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mel Queen of the Cincinnati Reds.
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.