1972 Topps #690 Willie Montanez
About Willie Montanez
Montanez led the National League with 39 doubles in 1972. His average slipped to .247, with 13 home runs and 64 RBI. A brief holdout had cost him the first two weeks of spring training, and manager Frank Lucchesi fined him for not hustling. His #690 is in the sixth series and carries the All-Star Rookie trophy cup.
Willie Montanez was a left-handed first baseman and outfielder from Catano, Puerto Rico, one of the two most flamboyant personalities of 1970s baseball, along with Tito Fuentes. He flipped his bat like a baton, ended his swings with a high, circular finish like a matador twirling a sword, and was labeled a hot dog by critics, a tag he disputed. The Cardinals signed him in 1965, the Angels took him in the Rule 5 draft, and he made his debut as a pinch-runner on April 12, 1966. He reached the Phillies in 1970 as a player to be named in the Curt Flood trade. He played for the Phillies, Giants, Braves, Mets, Rangers, Padres, Expos and Pirates, and retired after 1982 with 139 home runs and a .275 average over 1,632 games.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 346 | 17 | 96 | 168 | 40 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 18 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 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: #397 Philadelphia Phillies
More Philadelphia Phillies cards:
- #14 Phillies 1972 Rookie Stars
- #43 Rick Wise
- #44 Rick Wise In Action
- #69 Roger Freed
- #112 Greg Luzinski
- #139 Tim McCarver
- #167 Deron Johnson
- #168 Deron Johnson In Action
- #188 Frank Lucchesi
- #252 Ken Reynolds
- #283 Darrell Brandon
- #324 Mike Ryan
- #345 Rick Wise
- #357 Woodie Fryman
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #690 card?
It is card #690 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Willie Montanez of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Why is #690 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.