1978 Topps #390 Oscar Gamble
About Oscar Gamble
Topps issued Gamble's #390 in a San Diego uniform. His one season with the Padres, 1978, brought 126 games, a .275 average and 7 home runs, and by September he had been benched in favor of Jerry Turner. After the season San Diego sent him with Dave Roberts and $300,000 to Texas.
Oscar Gamble was a left-handed-hitting outfielder and designated hitter who played 17 seasons, 1969 to 1985, for seven clubs: the Cubs, Phillies, Indians, Yankees, White Sox, Padres and Rangers. Cubs scout Buck O'Neil found him on Alabama sandlots, and the Cubs drafted him in 1968. He hit 200 home runs in about 4,500 at-bats, mostly as a platoon bat, and drew more career walks (610) than strikeouts (546). His peak came in 1977 with the White Sox, when he hit 31 home runs, and in 1979 he batted .358 split between the Rangers and Yankees. He appeared in postseason play with New York in 1976, 1980 and 1981. He batted from a deep crouch, and his enormous Afro became one of baseball's iconic images from the 1970s. Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto called him the Big O. After retiring he settled in Montgomery, Alabama, worked as a player agent and ran youth clinics. He died in 2018.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 100 | 21 | 61 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #192 San Diego Padres Team
More San Diego Padres cards:
- #30 George Hendrick
- #56 Randy Jones
- #86 Dave Tomlin
- #116 Tucker Ashford
- #140 Rollie Fingers
- #164 Bob Owchinko
- #208 1977 Leading Firemen
- #240 Gene Tenace
- #266 Bob Shirley
- #292 Gene Richards
- #318 Tom Griffin
- #364 Jerry Turner
- #392 Billy Almon
- #445 Mike Ivie
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #390 card?
It is card #390 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Oscar Gamble of the San Diego Padres.
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.