1970 Topps #638 Frank Bertaina
About Frank Bertaina
Washington sent Frank Bertaina back to Baltimore on June 16, 1969 for Paul Campbell, and he threw 6 innings for a staff that won the American League pennant, spending most of the year at Rochester. He was 1-3 with a 5.62 ERA in 17 games overall that season. Topps shows him as an Oriole on #638, a high-number card from the seventh series of the 1970 set.
A left-handed pitcher from San Francisco, Frank Bertaina signed with the Orioles out of Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep, where he had led the team to back-to-back city titles. He worked his way up through Baltimore's system under manager Earl Weaver, topping the International League in strikeouts with Rochester in 1965. Bertaina reached the majors in August 1964 and pitched seven big-league seasons for the Orioles, Senators and Cardinals through 1970, working mostly as a starter. On September 12, 1964, he beat the Kansas City Athletics 1-0 on a one-hitter, in a game where Athletics pitcher Bob Meyer also allowed the Orioles one hit. A May 1967 trade sent him to Washington along with Mike Epstein in exchange for Pete Richert; he returned to the Orioles briefly in 1969 before finishing his career with St. Louis in 1970. After baseball he co-founded a fishing-focused travel agency and ran a fishing lodge in Northern California.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 150 | 0 | 11 | 83 | 39 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. 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
Team card: #387 Baltimore Orioles
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- #101 Bobby Floyd
- #121 Orioles 1970 Rookie Stars
- #148 Earl Weaver
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- #199 A.L. Playoff Game 1 - Orioles Win a Squeaker!
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #638 card?
It is card #638 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Frank Bertaina of the Baltimore Orioles.
Why is #638 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the seventh and last series, #634-720 - the high numbers, and the toughest series of the set to find.
How many cards are in the 1970 Topps Baseball set?
720 cards, tracked as 726 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 720 with none skipped, issued in seven series - #1-132, #133-263, #264-372, #373-459, #460-546, #547-633 and the high numbers, #634-720; 6 cards, all of them checklists, carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-25.