1969 Topps #198 Willie Smith
About Willie Smith
With the Cubs in 1969, Smith hit .246 with 9 home runs and 25 RBI in 103 games as a corner outfielder and first baseman, and delivered a walk-off two-run homer on Opening Day against the Phillies at Wrigley Field. His 1969 Topps card, #198 in the second print series, shows him with the Chicago Cubs that season.
Willie Smith, nicknamed "Wonderful Willie," broke into pro ball with the Negro league Birmingham Black Barons, earning East-West All-Star Game selections in 1958 and 1959. Detroit signed him as a pitching prospect, and in 1963 at Triple-A Syracuse he led the International League in winning percentage while also hitting .380. He debuted with the Tigers as a pitcher that year, then was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in April 1964. Still working as a pitcher for Los Angeles, he was converted to the outfield partway through 1964 by manager Bill Rigney to get his left-handed bat into the lineup daily, and responded with a career-best .301 average, 11 home runs and 51 RBI. He spent parts of nine big-league seasons as an outfielder, first baseman, pinch hitter and occasional pitcher for the Tigers, Angels, Indians, Cubs and Reds, finishing with 410 hits and 46 home runs. He later played two seasons in Japan for the Nankai Hawks. Smith died in his hometown of Anniston, Alabama, in 2006.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 197 | 2 | 32 | 93 | 46 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #198 card?
It is card #198 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Willie Smith 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.