1972 Topps #612 Joe Decker
About Joe Decker
The Cubs acquired reliever Tom Phoebus, and on April 20, 1972 they optioned Decker to Wichita. He won his first four starts there, made the American Association All-Star team and reached ten wins by August 8. His Chicago line was five games and a 2.13 ERA. His #612 card, from the fifth series, shows him with the Cubs.
Joe Decker was a right-handed pitcher who worked for the Chicago Cubs from 1969 to 1972, the Minnesota Twins from 1973 to 1976 and the Seattle Mariners in 1979. A ninth-round pick out of Petaluma High School in California in 1965, he signed for a $50,000 bonus and reached the Cubs as a September call-up in 1969. Blocked from the Chicago rotation, he went to Minnesota in a trade for Dave LaRoche before 1973 and teamed with Bert Blyleven at the top of the Twins staff. His best year was 1974, when he went 16-14 with a 3.29 ERA and 248 2/3 innings. Control problems followed, and he finished 36-44 with a 4.17 ERA over nine seasons. He pitched in the minors into 1983, later played in the Senior Professional Baseball Association and coached in the Tigers' system. He died in Fraser, Michigan, in 2003.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 206 | 12 | 55 | 109 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #612 card?
It is card #612 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Decker of the Chicago Cubs.
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.