1971 Topps #648 Mets Rookie Stars - Rich Folkers / Ted Martinez / Jon Matlack
On this card: Rich Folkers, Ted Martinez, Jon Matlack
About this card
This is one of the 44 Rookie Stars cards in the 1971 Topps set, each carrying two or three players under a club, league or position title. All 44 count as rookie cards.
The story on this card
Rookie Stars #648 puts three New York Mets on one card: Rich Folkers, Ted Martinez and Jon Matlack. It is the rookie card for all three. Folkers had debuted on June 10, 1970, with two innings of relief that allowed one hit and no runs, and he spent all of 1971 in the minors, going 7-11 with a 4.50 ERA. Rich Folkers was a left-handed reliever and spot starter for the Mets, Cardinals, Padres and Brewers from 1970 to 1977. He went 19-23 with a 4.11 ERA, and in 1974 he was 6-2 with a 3.00 ERA for St. Louis.
Martinez shares card #648, a sixth-series Rookie Stars card, with fellow Mets Rich Folkers and Jon Matlack, and it is the rookie card for all three. He had debuted July 18, 1970, and played four games that year, going 1 for 16 at the plate with no runs batted in. Ted Martinez, a Dominican infielder, played 657 games from 1970 to 1979 for the Mets, Cardinals, Athletics and Dodgers. He was on four pennant or division winners and hit .240 with seven home runs.
A rhomboid muscle injury to Jerry Koosman opened a rotation spot, and Matlack debuted on July 11, 1971 against the Reds, leaving after seven innings with a no-decision. He finished 0-3 with a 4.14 ERA in seven games, and his last outing was his best, one run in eight innings against Pittsburgh. His #648 is the sixth-series Rookie Stars card he shares with Rich Folkers and Ted Martinez, all with the Mets, and it is his rookie card. Jon Matlack was a left-handed starter for the Mets and Rangers from 1971 to 1983, the 1972 National League Rookie of the Year and a three-time All-Star who shared the 1975 All-Star Game MVP award.
Sources: Wikipedia (Rich Folkers) · Wikipedia (Jon Matlack) · SABR BioProject
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 648 | 1 | 12 | 170 | 269 | 110 | 47 | 37 | 2 |
| SGC | 82 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 30 | 21 | 10 | 8 | 4 |
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: #641 New York Mets
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- #36 Dean Chance
- #68 1970 National League ERA Leaders
- #72 1970 National League Strikeout Leaders
- #83 Mets 1971 Rookie Stars
- #104 Dan Frisella
- #115 Donn Clendenon
- #136 Duffy Dyer
- #160 Tom Seaver
- #183 Gil Hodges
- #228 Wayne Garrett
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #648 card?
It is card #648 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rich Folkers, Ted Martinez and Jon Matlack. This is one of the 44 Rookie Stars cards in the 1971 Topps set, each carrying two or three players under a club, league or position title. All 44 count as rookie cards.
Is 1971 Topps #648 a rookie card?
Yes - #648 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Rich Folkers, Ted Martinez and Jon Matlack.
Why is #648 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the sixth and last print series, #644-752 - the scarce end of the set. Some of its cards were printed in larger numbers than others, so scarcity varies card by card inside the run.
How many cards are in the 1971 Topps Baseball set?
752 cards, tracked as 761 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 752 with none skipped, issued in six print series (132/131/130/130/120/109 cards), the sixth (#644-752) the high numbers; seven cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - the #42, #265 and #306 photo pairs and the #123, #206, #369 and #619 checklists, #369 and #619 in three printings each.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA (its price guide, master set registry and set article), 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.