1969 Topps #482 Jim Gosger
About Jim Gosger
Seattle took Gosger in the October 1968 expansion draft, and he hit sixth and played center field in the only Opening Day the Pilots ever had, walking in a four-run first inning at Anaheim and catching a Bill Voss fly ball for the first out in franchise history. Then came an 0-for-17 start; he was down to .109 when Seattle sent him to Vancouver in mid-June, his first trip to the minors in four years. Card #482 is a fifth-series number with two collectible states: 482a prints "Jim" in yellow and is the common one, while 482b prints it in white, one of just 23 white-letter variations Topps made, all of them in that series between #440 and #511, and far scarcer than its yellow twin.
James Charles Gosger was born November 6, 1942, in Port Huron, Michigan, where he lettered in four sports at St. Stephen High School. Red Sox scout Maurice De Loof signed him in January 1962, during his second year at Port Huron Junior College. He broke into pro ball at Winston-Salem, batting .283 with 19 home runs and 83 RBI and making the Carolina League postseason all-star team alongside Rusty Staub, Tony Perez and Rico Petrocelli. Across parts of ten major league seasons (1963-1974) the left-handed-hitting outfielder played for the Red Sox, the Kansas City and Oakland Athletics, the expansion Seattle Pilots, the New York Mets and the Montreal Expos, appearing in 705 games and batting .226 with 30 home runs and 177 RBI; managers praised his hustle and his quick, accurate arm even as his bat cooled. Jim Bouton's diary Ball Four turned him into folklore: hiding in his roommate's closet, Gosger cracked a deadpan "Yeah, surrre," and the line became clubhouse slang. Called up by the Mets in September 1969, he started the September 12 doubleheader at Forbes Field and drew a $100 World Series share although he was ineligible for the postseason roster. He retired after 1974 and spent three decades back home in Port Huron as a high school and junior college football and basketball referee.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Print variations
Two states of #482 are tracked individually: 482a - First Name In Yellow and 482b - First Name In White. The difference is on the front of the card (name color).
States catalogued by the PSA master set registry and the Trading Card Database; each is tracked here individually.
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 482a - First Name In Yellow | |||||||||
| PSA | 247 | 0 | 37 | 94 | 65 | 28 | 9 | 14 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 482b - First Name In White | |||||||||
| PSA | 164 | 0 | 5 | 37 | 40 | 42 | 24 | 16 | 0 |
| SGC | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 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. Where a grader registers a variation separately its population is listed under that variation.
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 Seattle Pilots cards:
- #17 Mike Marshall
- #42 Tommy Harper
- #62 Chico Salmon
- #83 Mike Ferraro
- #111 Johnny Morris
- #135 Tommy Davis
- #178 Ray Oyler
- #209 Larry Haney
- #233 Steve Barber
- #254 Joe Schultz
- #285 Don Mincher
- #301 Darrell Brandon
- #322 Jose Vidal
- #346 Wayne Comer
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #482 card?
It is card #482 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Gosger of the Seattle Pilots.
Does 1969 Topps #482 have variations?
Yes. Two states are catalogued and tracked individually: 482a - First Name In Yellow ("Jim" prints in yellow letters on the front - the common state of this fifth-series card) and 482b - First Name In White ("Jim" prints in white letters - the scarce state of the pair; white letters are the premium side on all 23 of the set's name-color variations (#440-511)). Owning any one of them fills the #482 slot; the master set counts each state.
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.