1969 Topps #197 Dick Selma
About Dick Selma
Card #197, from Topps' second series, pictures Selma with the San Diego Padres. Left unprotected by the Mets in the 1968 expansion draft, Selma was claimed by San Diego and started the Padres' inaugural game on April 8, 1969, throwing a complete game with 12 strikeouts for the franchise's first-ever win before an April 24 trade sent him to the Chicago Cubs.
Dick Selma was a right-handed pitcher who spent ten seasons in the majors from 1965 to 1974 with the Mets, Padres, Cubs, Phillies, Angels and Brewers. Signed by the Mets out of Fresno City College in 1963, he broke in that September and threw a ten-inning shutout with 13 strikeouts in just his second career start, a Mets franchise record at the time. San Diego took him in the 1968 expansion draft, and he started the Padres' first-ever game before an April 1969 trade sent him to the Cubs, where he led cheers from the Wrigley Field bullpen during the club's pennant chase. Dealt to Philadelphia that winter, Selma was converted into a closer and had his best season in 1970, setting a club record with 22 saves. He finished his career with a 42-54 record and 31 saves before retiring to coach in his hometown of Fresno. He died in 2001.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 231 | 4 | 37 | 119 | 51 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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.
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Related cards
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #197 card?
It is card #197 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Dick Selma of the San Diego Padres.
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.