1978 Topps #69 Mike Vail
About Mike Vail
Card #69 carries the Mets, but Vail hit .143 in 1978 spring training, was placed on waivers and was claimed by Cleveland. He went 2-for-2 in his American League debut with a game-ending hit, then on June 15 was traded to the Cubs for Joe Wallis. He hit .347 in July, including a homer at Shea Stadium on July 6, and batted .318 for the year.
Mike Vail was a right-handed-hitting outfielder from San Francisco who played ten seasons, 1975 to 1984, for the Mets, Indians, Cubs, Reds, Giants, Expos and Dodgers, hitting .279 with 34 home runs in 665 games. The Dodgers drafted him out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose in 1970; he declined, went to De Anza College, and was taken by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the January 1971 secondary draft. St. Louis sent him to the Mets after 1974, and at Tidewater in 1975 he hit .342 and was named International League Player of the Year. Called up in August, he singled off J. R. Richard in his first major league at-bat and then tied the modern rookie record with a 23-game hitting streak; the ball from the 23rd game is displayed at Cooperstown. His best stretch came with the Cubs, where he hit .317 with 17 home runs in 275 games. As teenagers in the Cardinals system he roomed with the future wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 152 | 27 | 101 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #69 card?
It is card #69 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mike Vail of the New York Mets.
How many cards are in the 1978 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, and 728 collectible states: #23 Bump Wills comes with or without a black circle, and #374 Jose Morales with or without black stitching over the red laces, so the master set counts both states of each.
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.