1974 Topps #659 Joe Lis
About Joe Lis
Lis had spent 1973 as Harmon Killebrew's replacement at first base for Minnesota after Killebrew's knee injury on June 25, setting career highs of nine homers, 25 RBIs and 103 games. Card #659 lists him with the Twins, but on June 5, 1974, after he hit .195 without a home run, they sold him to Cleveland for cash. He finished the year at .200 with six homers across the two clubs, filling in at third base when Buddy Bell hurt his knee.
Joe Lis was a right-handed first baseman who hit for power in the minor leagues. He played parts of eight seasons between 1970 and 1977 for the Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners, hitting .233 with 32 home runs in 356 games. A Somerville High School star in New Jersey, he signed with the Phillies as a shortstop on June 19, 1964, and led his league in 1967 with 33 home runs and 90 RBIs. After the 1972 season Philadelphia sent him with Ken Reynolds and Ken Sanders to Minnesota for Cesar Tovar. Once his major league time ended he played 1978 for the Kintetsu Buffaloes in Japan and finished with the Evansville Triplets in 1979. He then coached youth baseball for more than 30 years, ran the Joe Lis Baseball School from 1991, and died in Evansville, Indiana, on October 17, 2010.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 153 | 4 | 28 | 91 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 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: #74 Minnesota Twins
More Minnesota Twins cards:
- #26 Bill Campbell
- #50 Rod Carew
- #98 Bert Blyleven
- #122 Jim Holt
- #143 Dick Woodson
- #168 Danny Thompson
- #190 Tony Oliva
- #201 1973 Batting Leaders
- #232 Steve Brye
- #249 George Mitterwald
- #271 Bill Hands
- #296 Ray Corbin
- #321 Steve Braun
- #333 All-Star Second Basemen
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #659 card?
It is card #659 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Lis of the Minnesota Twins.
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.