1968 Topps #559 Pirates Rookie Stars - Carl Taylor / Luke Walker
On this card: Carl Taylor, Luke Walker
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
1968 was Carl Taylor's rookie season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, appearing in 44 games mostly as a catcher while also seeing time in the outfield, and hitting .211. His Topps #559 card is a high number from the set's seventh and final print series, and it is a recognized rookie card, shared as a multi-player Rookie Stars subset entry with fellow Pirates prospect Luke Walker representing the same club. A versatile catcher, outfielder, and first baseman whose bat came alive in 1969, hitting .348 for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and who was the stepbrother of longtime Orioles first baseman Boog Powell.
Walker's 1968 Topps card (#559) is a Rookie Stars issue from the set's seventh print series, a high number, pairing him with fellow Pittsburgh Pirate Carl Taylor; it is Taylor's rookie card, while Walker had already appeared on 1966 Topps #498 and 1967 #123. It arrived in Walker's first season back with Pittsburgh after not appearing in the majors in 1967; in 1968 he appeared in 39 games, two as a starter, going 0-3 with a sharp 2.04 ERA over 61.2 innings, 66 strikeouts and three saves. Left-handed Pirates and Tigers pitcher whose 15-6, 3.04 ERA 1970 season helped Pittsburgh reach the postseason, and who started Game Four of the 1971 World Series championship.
Sources: Wikipedia (Carl Taylor) · Wikipedia (Luke Walker)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 229 | 0 | 36 | 137 | 36 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
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 #559 card?
It is card #559 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Carl Taylor and Luke Walker. 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 #559 a rookie card?
Yes - #559 is the rookie card of Carl Taylor. Luke Walker had already appeared on an earlier Topps card, so it is not his rookie card.
Is 1968 Topps #559 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.