1970 Topps #683 Reds Rookie Stars - Vern Geishert / Hal McRae / Wayne Simpson
On this card: Vern Geishert, Hal McRae, Wayne Simpson
About this card
This is one of the forty Rookie Stars cards, each showing two or three rookies from one club; #654 (National League) and #702 (American League) each mix three clubs. A Rookie Stars card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card - on #36, #74, #109, #154, #267, #317, #429, #573, #669 and #683 one of them had already appeared on one, and the rookie-card answer on each card names the players it counts for.
The story on this card
Series Seven of 1970 Topps, the high numbers and the toughest series of the set to find, holds Vern Geishert's #683. The three-man Rookie Stars card groups him with Hal McRae and Wayne Simpson, all printed with the Cincinnati Reds; Geishert and Simpson both have their rookie cards here. Geishert's 1969 had been spent entirely with California, where he struck out 18 in 31 innings. Vern Geishert was a right-handed pitcher from Madison, Wisconsin, who pitched 11 games for the 1969 California Angels, winning his debut in relief against Cleveland. That November the Angels traded him to the Reds in the deal that brought Alex Johnson to California.
McRae spent 1969 at Indianapolis, where he played 17 games after reporting to Reds camp with his leg still in a cast. In 1970 he was with Cincinnati all season, batting .248 with 8 home runs in 70 games. He played 46 of them in the outfield and 6 at third base. He went 0-for-4 in the NLCS sweep of Pittsburgh and 5-for-11 with 3 RBI in the World Series loss to Baltimore. Card #683 is a seventh-series high number, a Rookie Stars triple with Vern Geishert and Wayne Simpson. A Kansas City Royals designated hitter and outfielder from 1973 to 1987, McRae made three All-Star teams, won a World Series and later managed the club.
Simpson opened 1970 with a 3-0 shutout at Dodger Stadium on April 9, allowing two hits and no walks. He won 13 of his first 14 decisions and was the only rookie pitcher on the National League All-Star roster, chosen by Mets manager Gil Hodges. He finished 14-3 with a 3.02 ERA. Card #683 is a Rookie Stars card in the high-number seventh series, shared with Vern Geishert and Hal McRae, all printed with the Reds; it is Simpson's rookie card. Right-handed Cincinnati Reds pitcher who won 14 games as a 1970 rookie and made the All-Star team before a torn rotator cuff in July took away his velocity; he finished 36-31 over six big-league seasons with the Reds, Royals, Phillies and Angels.
Sources: Wikipedia (Vern Geishert) · Wikipedia (Hal McRae) · Wikipedia (Wayne Simpson) · SABR BioProject (Hal Mcrae) · SABR BioProject (Wayne Simpson) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 275 | 0 | 19 | 116 | 59 | 40 | 24 | 15 | 2 |
| SGC | 23 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
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: #544 Cincinnati Reds
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- #22 Ray Washburn
- #36 Reds 1970 Rookie Stars
- #61 1969 National League Batting Leaders
- #63 1969 National League RBI Leaders
- #65 1969 National League Home Run Leaders
- #73 Wayne Granger
- #115 Alex Johnson
- #133 Clay Carroll
- #159 Tommy Helms
- #181 Sparky Anderson
- #225 Lee May
- #254 Camilo Pascual
- #283 Angel Bravo
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #683 card?
It is card #683 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Vern Geishert, Hal McRae and Wayne Simpson. This is one of the forty Rookie Stars cards, each showing two or three rookies from one club; #654 (National League) and #702 (American League) each mix three clubs. A Rookie Stars card is a rookie card for the players on it who had no earlier Topps flagship card - on #36, #74, #109, #154, #267, #317, #429, #573, #669 and #683 one of them had already appeared on one, and the rookie-card answer on each card names the players it counts for.
Is 1970 Topps #683 a rookie card?
Yes - #683 is the rookie card of Vern Geishert and Wayne Simpson. Hal McRae had already appeared on an earlier Topps card, so it is not his rookie card.
Why is #683 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.