1969 Topps #466 John Boccabella
About John Boccabella
Boccabella's card in the 1969 Topps fifth series shows him with his new club, the Montreal Expos, following his selection in the prior year's expansion draft. In the Expos' inaugural season he served as a backup catcher behind Ron Brand and John Bateman, appearing in 40 games. He later recalled the excitement of that first Montreal season, from the enthusiastic Jarry Park crowds to the novelty of being part of an expansion franchise.
John Boccabella was a San Francisco native who starred at Santa Clara before signing with the Chicago Cubs out of college in 1963. A first baseman with power, he hit .365 with 30 home runs in his first pro season at Pocatello and reached the majors that September at age 22. Cubs manager Leo Durocher converted him to catcher in 1966 to back up Randy Hundley, and Boccabella spent parts of twelve seasons in the majors with the Cubs, Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants. Montreal took him in the 1968 expansion draft, and he became the Expos' primary catcher in 1973, setting career highs in games, home runs and RBIs that year, including a two-homer sixth inning at Jarry Park. He finished his career with the Giants in 1974. Known for soft hands and a quick release behind the plate, he threw out 41 percent of attempted base stealers over his career.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 199 | 3 | 23 | 72 | 71 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 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 Montreal Expos cards:
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- #45 Maury Wills
- #67 Bill Stoneman
- #92 Jack Billingham
- #117 Jim Fairey
- #138 John Bateman
- #183 Don Shaw
- #230 Rusty Staub
- #236 Manny Mota
- #284 Expos 1969 Rookie Stars
- #306 Jim Grant
- #326 Gary Sutherland
- #351 Carroll Sembera
- #378 Jose Herrera
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #466 card?
It is card #466 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Boccabella of the Montreal Expos.
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.