1969 Topps #638 Ed Sprague
About Ed Sprague
This card comes from the seventh and final print series of 1969 Topps, a high number, and is recognized as Sprague's rookie card. It shows him with the Oakland Athletics, the club he broke in with the year before; through 1969 he had worked strictly out of the bullpen, appearing in 27 games that season without a decision as a starter.
Ed Sprague was a right-handed relief and swingman pitcher who spent eight seasons in the majors from 1968 to 1976. Born in Boston, he broke in with the Oakland Athletics, working almost entirely out of the bullpen in his first two seasons before missing 1970. He resurfaced with the Cincinnati Reds in 1971, again used mainly in relief, and in 1973 was passed through three organizations in one year, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and Milwaukee. Landing with the Brewers, Sprague moved into the rotation for the first time in 1974 and turned in his best season, going 7-2 with a 2.39 ERA and three complete games across 20 appearances. He pitched two more seasons in Milwaukee before his career ended in 1976. Over 198 career games he finished 17-23 with a 3.84 ERA, 188 strikeouts, and nine saves, almost entirely as a pitcher rather than a hitter. He was never selected to an All-Star team and is not a Hall of Fame inductee.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 342 | 7 | 92 | 170 | 48 | 16 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 16 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 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.
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Related cards
More Oakland Athletics cards:
- #1 American League 1968 Batting Leaders
- #23 Lew Krausse
- #44 Danny Cater
- #68 Dave Duncan
- #105 Rick Monday
- #124 Hank Bauer
- #143 Joe Nossek
- #195 John Odom
- #217 John Donaldson
- #235 Jim Hunter
- #260 Reggie Jackson
- #281 Ted Kubiak
- #302 Jim Pagliaroni
- #334 Phil Roof
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #638 card?
It is card #638 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ed Sprague of the Oakland Athletics.
Is 1969 Topps #638 a rookie card?
Yes - #638 is the 1969 Topps rookie card of Ed Sprague.
Why is #638 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.