1970 Topps #19 John Boccabella
About John Boccabella
Boccabella's playing time rose in 1970, when he hit .269 with 5 home runs and 17 RBI in 61 games for the Expos, 33 of them at first base and 24 behind the plate. He credited coach Larry Doby, who worked with him in spring training, for keeping him on the roster. Card #19 comes from the first series.
John Boccabella was a San Francisco native who starred at Santa Clara before signing with the Chicago Cubs out of college in 1963. A first baseman with power, he hit .365 with 30 home runs in his first pro season at Pocatello and reached the majors that September at age 22. Cubs manager Leo Durocher converted him to catcher in 1966 to back up Randy Hundley, and Boccabella spent parts of twelve seasons in the majors with the Cubs, Montreal Expos and San Francisco Giants. Montreal took him in the 1968 expansion draft, and he became the Expos' primary catcher in 1973, setting career highs in games, home runs and RBIs that year, including a two-homer sixth inning at Jarry Park. He finished his career with the Giants in 1974. Known for soft hands and a quick release behind the plate, he threw out 41 percent of attempted base stealers over his career.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 163 | 3 | 39 | 89 | 23 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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: #509 Montreal Expos
More Montreal Expos cards:
- #38 Mack Jones
- #87 Steve Renko
- #109 Expos 1970 Rookie Stars
- #124 Larry Jaster
- #147 Angel Hermoso
- #164 Ty Cline
- #193 Mike Wegener
- #221 Ron Brand
- #238 Jose Laboy
- #243 Joe Sparma
- #268 Claude Raymond
- #293 Bob Bailey
- #332 Bobby Wine
- #364 Dan McGinn
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #19 card?
It is card #19 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Boccabella of the Montreal Expos.
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.