1969 Topps #217 John Donaldson
About John Donaldson
Card #217 in Topps' 1969 series 2 shows Donaldson with the Oakland Athletics. It reflects his 1968 season, when a stomach ailment cost him the A's starting second-base job. On June 14, 1969, Oakland traded him to the expansion Seattle Pilots for catcher Larry Haney, and he took over Seattle's starting second base job for the rest of the season, batting .234 with a career-best 11-game hitting streak that August.
John Donaldson was a second baseman from Charlotte, North Carolina, who worked cotton-mill jobs and played semipro ball before the Minnesota Twins signed him in 1963 on the recommendation of Charlotte Hornets general manager Phil Howser and scout Billy Martin. Left unprotected, he was drafted by the Kansas City Athletics later that year and reached the majors in August 1966. He broke through in 1967, taking over second base for the injured Dick Green and hitting .276 in 105 games, then held the job into Oakland's inaugural 1968 season before a stomach ailment cost him playing time. Traded to the expansion Seattle Pilots in June 1969 for catcher Larry Haney, he started at second base the rest of that year, then returned to Oakland in 1970 as a utility infielder. After three minor-league seasons, he came back for a final ten games with the 1974 Athletics. Over parts of six seasons Donaldson batted .238 with 292 hits in 405 games, valued throughout for his defense and work ethic.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 201 | 2 | 28 | 103 | 48 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #217 card?
It is card #217 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Donaldson of the Oakland Athletics.
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.