1969 Topps #404 Cubs Rookie Stars - Vic LaRose / Gary Ross
On this card: Vic LaRose, Gary Ross
About this card
This is one of the 52 Rookie Stars cards in the 1969 Topps set, each carrying two or three young players under a club or league title. A Rookie Stars card is a rookie card only for the players pictured who had no earlier Topps flagship card - the rookie-card answer on each card names them.
The story on this card
LaRose's only Topps card came in 1969, a Chicago Cubs Rookie Stars card shared with fellow prospect Gary Ross, issued in the set's fourth print series, and it stands as his recognized rookie card. That spring followed a .273 season at Triple-A Tacoma in 1968, the same year that brought his brief four-game trial with the parent Cubs club that September. A Culver City, California native who signed with the Angels in 1963, Vic LaRose reached the majors for a four-game September trial with the 1968 Chicago Cubs after five years advancing through two organizations' farm systems.
Ross opened 1969 with the Chicago Cubs before an April 24 trade sent him and Joe Niekro to the expansion San Diego Padres for Dick Selma; he pitched in 48 games that season, mostly out of the bullpen, and lost a Padres club-record 11 straight decisions as the first-year club finished 41 games out. His 1969 Topps #404 is a Rookie Stars card in the fourth print series, shared with fellow Cubs rookie Vic LaRose. Right-handed pitcher (1968-1977) with the Cubs, Padres, and Angels; traded to San Diego in April 1969 along with Joe Niekro for Dick Selma, then closed his career as an Angels starter in 1976.
Sources: Wikipedia (Vic LaRose) · Wikipedia (Gary Ross)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 258 | 4 | 46 | 132 | 42 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 3 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1969 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
More Chicago Cubs cards:
- #4 National League 1968 RBI Leaders
- #6 National League 1968 Home Run Leaders
- #10 National League 1968 Pitching Leaders
- #12 National League 1968 Strikeout Leaders
- #20 Ernie Banks
- #43 Joe Niekro
- #63 Jim Hickman
- #88 Rich Nye
- #115 Bill Hands
- #147 Leo Durocher
- #171 Glenn Beckert
- #198 Willie Smith
- #225 Don Kessinger
- #247 Gene Oliver
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #404 card?
It is card #404 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Vic LaRose and Gary Ross. This is one of the 52 Rookie Stars cards in the 1969 Topps set, each carrying two or three young players under a club or league title. A Rookie Stars card is a rookie card only for the players pictured who had no earlier Topps flagship card - the rookie-card answer on each card names them.
Is 1969 Topps #404 a rookie card?
Yes - #404 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Vic LaRose and Gary Ross.
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.