1975 Topps #79 Gary Matthews
About Gary Matthews
Gary Nathaniel Matthews Sr., nicknamed "Sarge," was San Francisco's first-round pick (17th overall) out of high school in the 1968 draft, breaking into pro ball in 1969 with the Class A Decatur Commodores. He debuted with the Giants on September 6, 1972, and in his first full season won the 1973 National League Rookie of the Year award, batting .300 with 12 home runs. This 1975 Topps card, #79, shows him a year before he left San Francisco as one of the game's early big free agents, signing a $1.875 million deal with Atlanta that got Braves owner Ted Turner suspended for tampering. Matthews made his only All-Star team with the Braves in 1979, then starred for Philadelphia, homering three times and driving in eight runs to win 1983 NLCS MVP honors as the Phillies reached the World Series. Traded to the Cubs in 1984, he hit .291 to help Chicago capture the NL East, and it was there, saluting Wrigley Field's left-field bleacher crowd and handing out sergeant-stripe caps, that "Sarge" became his permanent name. He retired in 1987 with a .281 average, 2,011 hits, 234 home runs and 978 RBIs over 16 seasons.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 325 | 6 | 67 | 182 | 35 | 15 | 12 | 8 | 0 |
| SGC | 12 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-19. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here. The graders do not split the 1975 Topps Mini or O-Pee-Chee issues into this set.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #79 card?
It is card #79 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Gary Matthews.
How many cards are in the 1975 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1-660, with no variations and no short prints - PSA reports the cards were printed in equal quantities. The 1975 Topps Mini and the 1975 O-Pee-Chee issues are separate products with their own checklists.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, 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 2026-08-20.