1968 Topps #177 Mets Rookie Stars - Jerry Koosman / Nolan Ryan
On this card: Jerry Koosman, Nolan Ryan
A 1968 Milton Bradley Win-A-Card game card copies this design; the game version has a yellow-tinged back.
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
Koosman opened 1968 with back-to-back shutouts, finished 19-12 with a 2.08 ERA and seven shutouts, and saved the 1-0 All-Star Game by striking out Carl Yastrzemski. His only card in the 1968 set is #177, the Mets Rookie Stars card he shares with Nolan Ryan: a second-series card, not a high number, and the key rookie card of the set for both pitchers. A 1968 Milton Bradley Win-A-Card game card copies its look but has a yellow-tinged back. A hard-throwing Mets left-hander who won 222 games across 19 seasons, Koosman pitched behind Tom Seaver and won two games in the 1969 World Series upset of Baltimore.
1968 Topps #177, the Mets Rookie Stars card Ryan shares with Jerry Koosman, is his rookie card and the keystone of the set; it came in the second series. It landed as Ryan finally stuck in the majors: after a three-inning 1966 trial and a 1967 lost mostly to Army Reserve duty and an elbow injury, he won a spot in Gil Hodges' rotation, earned his first big league win on April 14 at Houston, struck out three Dodgers on nine pitches on April 19, and drew a Life magazine feature that May. Collectors should know that a 1968 Milton Bradley Win-A-Card look-alike exists; it is identified by its yellow-tinged back. Nolan Ryan was the flame-throwing "Ryan Express," a Mets farmhand who became baseball's all-time strikeout king, setting career records for strikeouts (5,714) and no-hitters (seven) over 27 seasons with the Mets, Angels, Astros and Rangers.
Sources: Wikipedia (Jerry Koosman) · Wikipedia (Nolan Ryan) · SABR BioProject (Jerry Koosman) · SABR BioProject (Nolan Ryan)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 17,615 | 1 | 69 | 794 | 1,846 | 2,783 | 2,967 | 8,857 | 298 |
| SGC | 7,369 | 2 | 26 | 142 | 353 | 531 | 1,211 | 4,560 | 544 |
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: #401 New York Mets
More New York Mets cards:
- #27 Gil Hodges
- #45 Tom Seaver
- #63 Dick Kenworthy
- #92 Ed Kranepool
- #114 Ron Swoboda
- #132 Bud Harrelson
- #191 Dan Frisella
- #211 J.C. Martin
- #236 Tug McGraw
- #254 Cleon Jones
- #277 Jerry Buchek
- #292 Art Shamsky
- #313 Al Weis
- #345 Bob Hendley
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #177 card?
It is card #177 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan. 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 #177 a rookie card?
Yes - #177 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Jerry Koosman and Nolan Ryan.
How do I tell #177 from the Milton Bradley game card?
The 1968 Milton Bradley Win-A-Card game reused this number: the game card has a yellow-tinged back, a white line on the front edges and a thicker frame. The Topps card is the rookie card tracked here; the game card is a different product.
What are the key cards in the 1968 Topps set?
#177 Mets Rookie Stars - the Nolan Ryan and Jerry Koosman rookie card - is the grail of the set, with #247 Reds Rookie Stars (the Johnny Bench rookie) and #280 Mickey Mantle beside it. #50 Willie Mays, #110 Hank Aaron, #150 Bob Clemente, #230 Pete Rose, #45 Tom Seaver and #80 Rod Carew (second-year cards wearing the All-Star Rookie trophy), the #480 Manager's Dream combo of Tony Oliva, Chico Cardenas and Bob Clemente, and the #490 Super Stars combo of Killebrew, Mays and Mantle round out the major cards; #250 Carl Yastrzemski (his solo card the year after his 1967 Triple Crown) and #330 Roger Maris (his last Topps card as an active player) are star cards. Scarcity is mild: the sixth and seventh series (#458-598) carry only a modest premium.
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.