1975 Topps #242 Jay Johnstone
About Jay Johnstone
John William Johnstone Jr. signed with the Los Angeles Angels as an amateur free agent in 1963 and debuted in the majors on July 30, 1966, launching a twenty-season career as a left-handed-hitting outfielder for eight clubs: the Angels, White Sox, Athletics, Phillies, Yankees, Padres, Dodgers, and Cubs. His 1975 Topps card catches him mid-career with Philadelphia, where that season he posted a personal-best .329 average with 115 hits in 122 games, part of a five-year Phillies stretch (1974-78) that included a 7-for-9 tear in the 1976 NLCS against Cincinnati. Traded to the Yankees in 1978, he won a World Series ring that fall, then added a second with the Dodgers in 1981, delivering a pinch-hit, two-run homer in Game Four that turned a 6-3 deficit into an 8-7, series-tying win. He finished with a .267 average, 102 homers, and 531 RBIs, and off the field became one of baseball's most celebrated clubhouse pranksters, chronicling his gags — including trapping Tommy Lasorda in his own office — in three books.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 302 | 10 | 70 | 175 | 31 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 11 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Find on eBay
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #46 Philadelphia Phillies
More Philadelphia Phillies cards:
- #22 Dave Cash
- #70 Mike Schmidt
- #94 Jim Lonborg
- #118 Mike Anderson
- #138 Del Unser
- #162 Willie Montanez
- #185 Steve Carlton
- #267 Dick Ruthven
- #292 Ron Schueler
- #326 Wayne Twitchell
- #351 Bob Boone
- #374 Eddie Watt
- #399 Terry Harmon
- #420 Larry Bowa
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #242 card?
It is card #242 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jay Johnstone.
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.