1969 Topps #481 Bill Melton
About Bill Melton
Melton claimed the starting third base job for the White Sox in 1969 after bouncing between Chicago and the minors the prior two seasons, and delivered a breakout year, leading the club in home runs, RBI, and doubles, highlighted by a three-homer game against Seattle that June. His 1969 Topps card, #481 in the fifth series, shows him with the White Sox and is his rookie card.
Bill Melton was a power-hitting third baseman who spent parts of ten seasons in the majors, eight of them anchoring the hot corner for the Chicago White Sox. Signed out of Citrus College in California, he broke in with Chicago in 1968 and took over the starting job the following year. In 1970 he became the first White Sox player to reach 30 home runs in a season, and in 1971 he led the American League with 33 homers, earning his only All-Star selection. A herniated disc suffered off the field cost him most of 1972 and sapped his power for the rest of his career, though he remained a regular through 1975. He finished his White Sox tenure as the franchise's all-time home run leader before closing his playing days with the California Angels and Cleveland Indians. Known for a powerful bat paired with erratic glove work at third, he later became a longtime White Sox broadcaster.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 246 | 2 | 26 | 122 | 59 | 17 | 14 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 9 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 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.
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Related cards
More Chicago White Sox cards:
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- #54 Cisco Carlos
- #75 Luis Aparicio
- #97 Buddy Bradford
- #123 Wilbur Wood
- #155 Pete Ward
- #173 White Sox 1969 Rookie Stars
- #179 Don Pavletich
- #222 Duane Josephson
- #248 Bob Priddy
- #283 Sandy Alomar
- #309 Walt Williams
- #328 Joe Horlen
- #363 Russ Nixon
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #481 card?
It is card #481 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bill Melton of the Chicago White Sox.
Is 1969 Topps #481 a rookie card?
Yes - #481 is the 1969 Topps rookie card of Bill Melton.
How many cards are in the 1969 Topps Baseball set?
664 cards, tracked as 696 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 664 with none skipped and no printed number shared by two cards; 32 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately, 23 of them the yellow- and white-letter name pairs of #440-511.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, 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.