1971 Topps #138 Phillies Rookie Stars - Joe Lis / Willie Montanez
On this card: Joe Lis, Willie Montanez
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
A December 1970 examination at Georgetown University Medical Center, prompted by an irregular heartbeat, cleared Lis to play, and Lucchesi planned for him to compete for an outfield job in 1971. Willie Montanez, Don Money and Roger Freed were among the others the Phillies tried there. Lis batted 123 times with six homers, and 16 of those at-bats came after July 1. His Topps #138 put him in the Rookie Stars subset beside Montanez, whose rookie card it was, with both listed under the Phillies. First baseman Joe Lis hit 32 home runs in 356 major league games for the Phillies, Twins, Indians and Mariners between 1970 and 1977, then played a season in Japan with Kintetsu and spent decades coaching youth baseball.
Montanez shares #138 with Joe Lis, both pictured with the Phillies, in the second-series Rookie Stars group, and it is his rookie card. It followed his 18 Phillies games in September 1970. In 1971 he made the Opening Day roster as the starting center fielder and hit 30 home runs, a Phillies rookie record, with 99 RBI, finishing second to Earl Williams for Rookie of the Year. First baseman and outfielder who played for nine clubs, including the Phillies, Giants, Braves and Mets. He hit 30 home runs as a 1971 rookie, batted .317 with 206 hits in 1976 and played in the 1977 All-Star Game.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject (Joe Lis) · SABR BioProject (Willie Montanez) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 270 | 0 | 3 | 75 | 119 | 44 | 15 | 11 | 3 |
| SGC | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 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: #268 Philadelphia Phillies
More Philadelphia Phillies cards:
- #23 Oscar Gamble
- #49 Don Money
- #77 Mike Compton
- #92 Fred Wenz
- #119 Frank Lucchesi
- #166 Joe Hoerner
- #192 Billy Wilson
- #233 Larry Bowa
- #246 Tony Taylor
- #297 Johnny Briggs
- #323 Billy Champion
- #352 Denny Doyle
- #366 Ron Stone
- #414 Woodie Fryman
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #138 card?
It is card #138 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Lis and Willie Montanez. 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 #138 a rookie card?
Yes - #138 is the rookie card of Willie Montanez. Joe Lis had already appeared on an earlier Topps card, so it is not his rookie card.
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.