1972 Topps #233 Jay Johnstone
About Jay Johnstone
Johnstone fell to .188 in 1972, with 4 home runs and 17 RBI for the White Sox. He said in 1976 that after being told to swing for home runs he got all fouled up. Coaching from Benny Lefebvre, which brought isometrics, weight training, a changed stance and a shorter line-drive swing, corrected his habits. His 1972 Topps card is #233, from the second print series, with Chicago.
Jay Johnstone was a left-handed-hitting outfielder who spent parts of twenty big-league seasons, from his 1966 debut with the California Angels to his final game with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1985. A platoon and role player for most of his career, he also played for the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs. He finished with a .267 average, 102 home runs and two World Series rings, in 1978 with the Yankees and 1981 with the Dodgers. Off the field he was known for clubhouse pranks, including putting a brownie in Steve Garvey's first-base mitt, setting teammates' cleats on fire and locking manager Tommy Lasorda in his office. He later recounted the pranks in three books written with sports columnist Rick Talley.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 316 | 13 | 96 | 160 | 39 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #381 Chicago White Sox
More Chicago White Sox cards:
- #15 Walt Williams
- #73 Steve Huntz
- #90 1971 A.L. Home Run Leaders
- #92 1971 A.L. E.R.A. Leaders
- #94 1971 A.L. Pitching Leaders
- #98 Chuck Tanner
- #126 Bart Johnson
- #146 Steve Kealey
- #183 Bill Melton
- #184 Bill Melton In Action
- #207 Tom Egan
- #240 Rich Allen
- #248 Tom Bradley
- #326 Pat Kelly
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #233 card?
It is card #233 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jay Johnstone of the Chicago White Sox.
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.