1979 Topps #243 Buck Martinez
About Buck Martinez
Martinez is pictured with Milwaukee on #243 after a 1978 in which he caught all 89 of his games for the Brewers and hit .219 with one home run. On August 29, 1979, in an 18-8 loss to Kansas City, he entered as the Brewers' sixth pitcher of the day and threw an inning, then singled in a run in the ninth. It was his only appearance as a pitcher in the majors.
Buck Martinez was a right-handed catcher who played 17 major-league seasons, 1969 through 1986, with Kansas City, Milwaukee and Toronto. He batted .225 with 58 home runs in 1,049 games and caught for the Blue Jays from 1981 through 1986, hitting 10 home runs in both 1982 and 1983. On July 9, 1985 in Seattle he broke his leg in a collision at the plate and still tagged out Gorman Thomas to finish a 9-2-7-2 double play. A native of Redding, California, he is a member of the Karuk Tribe, and the name Buck came from his Native American heritage. He retired after 1986 and moved to the broadcast booth, working for TSN, ESPN, TBS and Sportsnet. He managed Toronto in 2001 and 2002 and Team USA at the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He was inducted into the Blue Jays Hall of Excellence on August 29, 2026.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 107 | 19 | 52 | 27 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #577 Milwaukee Brewers / George Bamberger
More Milwaukee Brewers cards:
- #24 Paul Molitor
- #51 Ray Fosse
- #95 Robin Yount
- #108 Eduardo Rodriguez
- #133 Bill Castro
- #154 Jim Gantner
- #180 Larry Hisle
- #213 Bill Travers
- #265 Don Money
- #303 Lary Sorensen
- #325 Cecil Cooper
- #357 Jerry Augustine
- #376 Gorman Thomas
- #394 Randy Stein
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #243 card?
It is card #243 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Buck Martinez of the Milwaukee Brewers.
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.