1974 Topps #641 Chuck Brinkman
About Chuck Brinkman
A sprained knee at the end of spring training put Brinkman on the disabled list to open 1974. On July 11 Pittsburgh bought his contract to cover for injured backup catcher Mike Ryan; general manager Joe L. Brown said he could catch, throw and handle pitchers. He started his last major league game on August 4, then went to Charleston, where a shoulder separation ended his season. Topps listed him with the White Sox on card #641.
Charlie Brinkman, who also appeared as Chuck, was a backup catcher valued for his arm and glove rather than his bat. He caught parts of six seasons, 1969 to 1974, nearly all of them with the Chicago White Sox, and finished with a .172 average and a 38.4 percent career caught-stealing rate. The younger brother of Gold Glove shortstop Ed Brinkman, he came from Cincinnati's Western Hills High School and starred at Ohio State. The Buckeyes reached the College World Series final in 1965 and won the 1966 championship, with Brinkman as captain, and he made the All-Tournament team both years. He entered the school's Varsity O Hall of Fame in 2001. The White Sox drafted him in the 16th round in 1966. After leaving baseball he passed up a last chance at the majors with the Twins for a sales job with Ohio Art, and later ran a sporting goods wholesale business from Bryan, Ohio.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 265 | 11 | 133 | 109 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 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: #416 Chicago White Sox
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- #70 Dick Allen
- #96 Jerry Hairston
- #120 Wilbur Wood
- #147 Bart Johnson
- #170 Bill Melton
- #195 Carlos May
- #205 1973 Victory Leaders
- #221 White Sox Field Leaders
- #254 Stan Bahnsen
- #286 Tony Muser
- #310 Terry Forster
- #332 All-Star First Basemen
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #641 card?
It is card #641 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Chuck Brinkman of the Chicago White Sox.
How many cards are in the 1974 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, tracked as 678 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 660 with none skipped, issued all at once as a single series and printed in equal quantities; 17 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - fourteen San Diego / "Washington Nat'l Lea." pairs (thirteen Padres player cards and the #226 team card), the three-state #599 Rookie Pitchers, the #608 Apodaco misspelling and the #654 Jesus Alou front without a position.
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.