1972 Topps #786 Chuck Brinkman
About Chuck Brinkman
Looking for playing time, Brinkman went to Venezuela in December 1971, but he and four other Americans with Aragua were released late in the season, accused of pressuring management over postseason bonuses, and banned from the league. They denied it, and MLB concluded they had done nothing wrong. Back in Chicago he appeared in 35 games and hit .135. His 1972 card is #786, from the sixth series, issued with the White Sox.
Charlie Brinkman, who also appeared as Chuck, was a backup catcher valued for his arm and glove rather than his bat. He caught parts of six seasons, 1969 to 1974, nearly all of them with the Chicago White Sox, and finished with a .172 average and a 38.4 percent career caught-stealing rate. The younger brother of Gold Glove shortstop Ed Brinkman, he came from Cincinnati's Western Hills High School and starred at Ohio State. The Buckeyes reached the College World Series final in 1965 and won the 1966 championship, with Brinkman as captain, and he made the All-Tournament team both years. He entered the school's Varsity O Hall of Fame in 2001. The White Sox drafted him in the 16th round in 1966. After leaving baseball he passed up a last chance at the majors with the Twins for a sales job with Ohio Art, and later ran a sporting goods wholesale business from Bryan, Ohio.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 221 | 3 | 42 | 104 | 43 | 17 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 9 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 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: #381 Chicago White Sox
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- #98 Chuck Tanner
- #126 Bart Johnson
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #786 card?
It is card #786 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Chuck Brinkman of the Chicago White Sox.
Why is #786 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the sixth and last print series, #657-787 - with the fifth series, the toughest to find, per PSA.
How many cards are in the 1972 Topps Baseball set?
787 cards, tracked as 794 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 787 with none skipped, in six print series (#1-132, #133-263, #264-394, #395-525, #526-656 and #657-787, the high numbers); 7 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - four Chicago Cubs cards with yellow or green under the "C" and "S" of the team name, the #251 and #478 checklists with smaller or larger print on the front, and the #604 checklist with its copyright line aligned right or left.
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.