1974 Topps #639 Joe Lovitto
About Joe Lovitto
Lovitto made the Rangers out of 1974 spring training after a .279 season at Spokane, with 33-year-old Cesar Tovar his only competition for center field. He played 113 games, hitting .223 with 2 home runs and 26 RBI. The team's game program described him as a cocky youngster who needed only to hit a bit more to stick around. The 1974 set lists him on #639 with Texas.
Joe Lovitto was a switch-hitting outfielder with the Texas Rangers from 1972 through 1975, a speedy first-round pick whose big league career was cut short by injuries. A native of San Pedro, California, he starred in football and baseball at Fermin Lasuen High School and graduated early from San Pedro High in January 1969 so he could enter that month's draft, where the Washington Senators took him second overall. He moved quickly through the minors and started in center field on Opening Day 1972, the club's first season. In four seasons he hit .216 with 4 home runs and 53 RBI in 306 games. Billy Martin later wrote that injuries kept him from a great career. The Rangers traded him to the New York Mets for Gene Clines on December 12, 1975, and the Mets released him on March 26, 1976. He retired at 25 and died on May 19, 2001. San Pedro placed a plaque with his name on its Sportswalk to the Waterfront.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 212 | 5 | 106 | 84 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #639 card?
It is card #639 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Lovitto of the Texas Rangers.
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.