1969 Topps #81 Mel Queen
About Mel Queen
Recovering from the shoulder injury that wiped out most of his 1968 season, Queen made only two appearances for the Reds in 1969, both starts, going 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA over 12 innings while spending much of the year working back into form in the minor leagues. Cincinnati sold him to the California Angels that October, a move that would relaunch his career as a bullpen arm the following spring.
Melvin Douglas Queen was born March 26, 1942, in Johnson City, New York, the son of former major league pitcher Mel Queen Sr. The family later settled in San Luis Obispo, California, where Queen starred in three sports before signing with the Cincinnati Reds out of high school in 1960. He broke in with Cincinnati in 1964 as an outfielder and pinch hitter, then in 1966 was converted into a pitcher, a rare two-way path in the majors. His best season came in 1967, when he went 14-8 with a 2.76 ERA and 154 strikeouts over 195.2 innings as a starter. Shoulder trouble limited him afterward, and he finished his playing career with the California Angels as a reliever from 1970 to 1972. Queen went on to a long coaching career, most notably as Toronto's major league pitching coach from 1996 through 1999 and later as a special assignment scout with the organization. Batting left and throwing right, he retired with a 20-17 pitching record and a .179 career batting average. He died May 11, 2011, in Morro Bay, California.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 254 | 5 | 43 | 130 | 58 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 12 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 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.
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 Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #2 National League 1968 Batting Leaders
- #26 Clay Carroll
- #70 Tommy Helms
- #95 Johnny Bench
- #120 Pete Rose
- #142 Woody Woodward
- #187 Leon Wagner
- #213 Gerry Arrigo
- #234 Dave Bristol
- #259 Bill Short
- #280 Alex Johnson
- #295 Tony Perez
- #318 Jack Fisher
- #339 Reds 1969 Rookie Stars
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #81 card?
It is card #81 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mel Queen of the Cincinnati Reds.
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.