1969 Topps #596 Chuck Hartenstein
About Chuck Hartenstein
Dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates that January, Hartenstein rebounded in 1969 with a 5-4 record, a 3.95 ERA and 10 saves across a career-high 95 2/3 innings, his busiest big-league workload. His 1969 Topps card, #596, a high number in the set's seventh print series, shows him with the Pirates rather than the Cubs. His rookie card came the year before with Chicago.
Charles Oscar Hartenstein, a right-handed relief pitcher out of Seguin, Texas, starred at the University of Texas before signing with the Chicago Cubs in 1964. He reached the majors in 1965 and settled in as a Cubs reliever, posting his best season in 1967 with a 9-5 record, 3.08 ERA and 10 saves. Traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 1968 season, he rebounded with a career-high workload in 1969. He also pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox in 1970 before closing his playing days with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1977. Over seven seasons he went 17-19 with a 4.52 ERA and 23 saves in 187 relief appearances. After retiring he coached for the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers and later scouted for the California Angels.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 391 | 6 | 87 | 228 | 42 | 13 | 12 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 13 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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.
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Related cards
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #2 National League 1968 Batting Leaders
- #8 National League 1968 ERA Leaders
- #36 Luke Walker
- #50 Bob Clemente
- #82 Pirates 1969 Rookie Stars
- #104 Steve Blass
- #131 Chris Cannizzaro
- #152 Tommie Sisk
- #175 Jim Bunning
- #192 Jose Pagan
- #219 Freddie Patek
- #243 Ron Kline
- #263 Jerry May
- #286 Dock Ellis
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #596 card?
It is card #596 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Chuck Hartenstein of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Why is #596 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the seventh and last print series, #589-664 - the scarce end of the set.
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.