1973 Topps #250 Manny Sanguillen
About Manny Sanguillen
Sanguillen had talked with his close friend Roberto Clemente about joining the relief flight to Nicaragua, and he missed it on December 31, 1972 after misplacing his car key. The plane crashed, killing Clemente. Against Pirates general manager Joe Brown's advice, Sanguillen insisted on helping recover the bodies, and Steve Blass said he "dove from dawn till midnight." In 1973 the Pirates slated him for Clemente's right field, but by mid-June he was back at catcher. His #250 is a second-series card.
Manuel de Jesus Sanguillen Magan grew up in Colon, Panama, one of thirteen children of a fisherman father. He did not take up baseball seriously until his late teens, signing with the Pirates after a scout saw his throwing arm and speed. Sanguillen reached Pittsburgh as a catcher in 1967 and became the club's regular backstop in 1969, holding the job through most of the 1970s. A free-swinging bad-ball hitter who rarely walked, he batted .296 for his career, made three All-Star teams, and helped the Pirates win division titles and the 1971 and 1979 World Series. He was popular with teammates and known for a strong throwing arm and enthusiasm on the field. After his playing days he remained a fan favorite in Pittsburgh, where he operates a barbecue concession stand at PNC Park. He was inducted into the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum Hall of Fame in 2019 and the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame in 2024.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 223 | 5 | 66 | 115 | 25 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #26 Pittsburgh Pirates
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #2 Rich Hebner
- #50 Roberto Clemente
- #95 Steve Blass
- #117 Ramon Hernandez
- #141 Bruce Kison
- #163 Vic Davalillo
- #187 Luke Walker
- #225 Al Oliver
- #277 Bob Miller
- #303 Nelson Briles
- #333 Gene Clines
- #348 Rennie Stennett
- #363 Jackie Hernandez
- #370 Willie Stargell
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #250 card?
It is card #250 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing Manny Sanguillen of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
How many cards are in the 1973 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, tracked as 679 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 660 with none skipped, in five series of 132 - #1-132, #133-264, #265-396, #397-528 and the high numbers, #529-660, printed in lower quantities; 19 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - fifteen Field Leaders cards, the #20 Stan Bahnsen, #31 Buddy Bell and #504 Earl Williams border-gap pairs and the two #280 Al Kaline printings.
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.