1973 Topps #97 Willie Montanez
About Willie Montanez
Del Unser's arrival in Philadelphia sent Montanez to first base, where he played 99 games against 51 in the outfield. He hit .263 with 11 home runs and 65 RBI. He also cut his strikeouts from 108 to 80. His #97 is a first-series card showing him with the Phillies.
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 | 224 | 2 | 70 | 121 | 22 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1973 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #536 Philadelphia Phillies
More Philadelphia Phillies cards:
- #3 Jim Lonborg
- #6 Mac Scarce
- #37 Bill Robinson
- #65 1972 Earned Run Average Leaders
- #66 1972 Victory Leaders
- #67 1972 Strikeout Leaders
- #119 Larry Bowa
- #147 Mike Anderson
- #166 Terry Harmon
- #189 Greg Luzinski
- #227 Wayne Twitchell
- #246 Ken Sanders
- #271 Tom Hutton
- #300 Steve Carlton
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #97 card?
It is card #97 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing Willie Montanez of the Philadelphia Phillies.
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.