1969 Topps #483 Ted Abernathy
About Ted Abernathy
Abernathy's 1969 Topps card, #483 in the fifth series, depicts him back with the Chicago Cubs after an offseason trade from Cincinnati. He appeared in 56 games out of the Cubs' bullpen, posting a 4-3 record, 3.16 ERA and three saves over 85.1 innings, with closer Phil Regan handling most of the ninth-inning work that year.
Ted Abernathy was a submarine-style relief pitcher who spent 14 major league seasons, from 1955 to 1972, with seven clubs. Born in Stanley, North Carolina, he broke into the big leagues with the Washington Senators, but a serious arm injury in 1956 forced him to abandon a conventional delivery. After elbow surgery and years of rehab in the minors, he adopted an underhand submarine motion learned from a Senators teammate, and returned reinvented as a full-time relief specialist. Pitching for the Indians, Cubs, Braves, Reds, Cardinals and Royals, Abernathy became one of the game's most durable firemen, twice leading the National League in saves, in 1965 and 1967, and winning The Sporting News NL Fireman of the Year award both years. He set a then-record for games pitched in a season with 84 appearances in 1965. Over his career he compiled a 63-69 record, 148 saves and a 3.46 ERA in 1,147.2 innings across 681 games. He finished his playing days with the Royals in 1972 at age 39, closing out a career built on reinvention and workload.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 264 | 1 | 10 | 85 | 96 | 48 | 15 | 9 | 0 |
| SGC | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 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 #483 card?
It is card #483 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ted Abernathy of the Chicago Cubs.
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.