1970 Topps #444 White Sox Rookie Stars - Billy Farmer / John Matias
On this card: Billy Farmer, John Matias
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
The White Sox acquired Farmer and Syd O'Brien for Gary Peters and Don Pavletich on December 13, 1969. Farmer refused to report, and Boston sent Gerry Janeski on March 9, 1970 to complete the trade. Fourth-series #444 paired Farmer with John Matias as White Sox Rookie Stars on his 1970 Topps rookie card. He spent 1970 pitching for Louisville and Winter Haven. Billy Farmer was a right-handed Boston farmhand who reached Triple-A Louisville after stops at Harlan, Winston-Salem and Pittsfield. He won 49 games over six minor league seasons.
John Matias shares card #444 with Billy Farmer in the Rookie Stars subset, both men printed with the White Sox, and it is the rookie card for each. He had made the club after leading the team in spring training home runs, and he was in Chicago for Opening Day with temperatures in the 30s or 40s. His best stretch came May 20 to 23, when he went 8 for 12 in three games. He returned to Tucson after 89 days and was recalled in September. John Matias, a Honolulu native, played 58 games for the 1970 White Sox and hit .188. He spent 18 pro seasons, including six in the Mexican League, where he hit .306 and also pitched, and later coached high school ball in Hawaii.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball Almanac · Stats Crew · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 256 | 1 | 28 | 149 | 45 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #444 card?
It is card #444 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Billy Farmer and John Matias. 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 #444 a rookie card?
Yes - #444 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Billy Farmer and John Matias.
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.