1969 Topps #39 Dick Hughes
About Dick Hughes
Hughes' 1969 Topps card, #39, comes from the set's first print series and reflects his final MLB season, 1968, when a torn rotator cuff limited him mostly to relief work for the Cardinals. He did not pitch in the majors again, closing out a three-year career built around his surprise 16-6 rookie campaign in 1967.
Dick Hughes was a right-handed pitcher who spent nine seasons in the minor leagues, plus winter ball in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, before reaching the St. Louis Cardinals in September 1966. He broke through in 1967, at age 29, going 16-6 with a 2.67 ERA to lead the world champion Cardinals' rotation and finishing runner-up to Tom Seaver for National League Rookie of the Year; St. Louis beat the Boston Red Sox in that year's World Series. Hughes credited late-career gains in control, and a reliance on his slider and cut fastball, for the turnaround after years of wildness as a minor leaguer. In spring training of 1968 he felt pain in his throwing shoulder that was later identified as a torn rotator cuff, an injury with no surgical fix at the time. He pitched through it for 64 innings in 1968, his last active season, and appeared again with the Cardinals in the 1968 World Series loss to Detroit. He finished his three-year career with a 20-9 record and a 2.78 ERA, all with St. Louis.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 290 | 10 | 89 | 136 | 29 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 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 St. Louis Cardinals cards:
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- #10 National League 1968 Pitching Leaders
- #12 National League 1968 Strikeout Leaders
- #18 Dick Schofield
- #60 Nelson Briles
- #85 Lou Brock
- #110 Mike Shannon
- #136 Cardinals 1969 Rookie Stars
- #160 Vada Pinson
- #162 World Series Game #1 - Gibson Fans 17; Sets New Record!
- #164 World Series Game #3 - McCarver's Homer Puts St. Louis Ahead
- #165 World Series Game #4 - Brock's Lead-Off HR Starts Cards' Romp
- #181 Mel Nelson
- #200 Bob Gibson
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #39 card?
It is card #39 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Dick Hughes of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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.