1979 Topps #1 1978 Batting Leaders - Rod Carew / Dave Parker
On this card: Rod Carew, Dave Parker
About this card
Cards #1-8 are the 1978 League Leaders subset, two leaders on each card: batting (Rod Carew and Dave Parker), home runs (Jim Rice and George Foster), RBI (Jim Rice and George Foster), stolen bases (Ron LeFlore and Omar Moreno), victories (Ron Guidry and Gaylord Perry), strikeouts (Nolan Ryan and J.R. Richard), ERA (Ron Guidry and Craig Swan) and the leading firemen (Rich Gossage and Rollie Fingers).
The story on this card
Topps opened its 1979 set with the 1978 batting leaders. Card #1 pairs Rod Carew, printed with the Minnesota Twins, and Dave Parker, printed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the American League and National League batting champions. Carew hit .333 for his seventh and last AL batting title. Parker hit .334 with 30 home runs and 117 RBI, and the Pirates outfielder was named NL Most Valuable Player that season. Carew is printed with the Twins even though they traded him to the California Angels on February 3, 1979, in a deal for Ken Landreaux, Dave Engle, Paul Hartzell and Brad Havens.
Rod Carew batted .328 over 19 seasons with the Twins and Angels. The second baseman and first baseman won seven American League batting titles, made 18 All-Star teams and entered the Hall of Fame in 1991. Dave Parker - Right fielder for the Pirates from 1973 to 1983, then the Reds, Athletics, Brewers, Angels and Blue Jays. The 1978 NL MVP won two batting titles and three Gold Gloves and entered the Hall of Fame with the class of 2025.
Sources: Wikipedia (Rod Carew) · Wikipedia (Dave Parker) · SABR BioProject (Rod Carew) · SABR BioProject (Dave Parker) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 473 | 3 | 72 | 112 | 109 | 91 | 47 | 39 | 0 |
| SGC | 45 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1979 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team cards: #41 Minnesota Twins / Gene Mauch, #244 Pittsburgh Pirates / Chuck Tanner
More Minnesota Twins cards:
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #4 1978 Stolen Base Leaders
- #28 Steve Brye
- #55 Willie Stargell
- #70 John Candelaria
- #92 Jim Bibby
- #117 Grant Jackson
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #1 card?
It is card #1 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rod Carew and Dave Parker. Cards #1-8 are the 1978 League Leaders subset, two leaders on each card: batting (Rod Carew and Dave Parker), home runs (Jim Rice and George Foster), RBI (Jim Rice and George Foster), stolen bases (Ron LeFlore and Omar Moreno), victories (Ron Guidry and Gaylord Perry), strikeouts (Nolan Ryan and J.R. Richard), ERA (Ron Guidry and Craig Swan) and the leading firemen (Rich Gossage and Rollie Fingers).
How many cards are in the 1979 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, tracked as 727 collectible states: #369 Bump Wills comes with a Rangers or a Blue Jays team banner, and the master set counts both.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA, 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.