1979 Topps #426 Chris Speier
About Chris Speier
A winter back injury from weight-lifting cost Speier spring training time, and he spent most of July on the disabled list. He sat for much of September too, even as Montreal played eight doubleheaders and finished 95-65, one game behind in the NL East. He appeared in 113 games and batted .227 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs. His Expos card that year is #426.
Chris Speier was a shortstop for 19 major league seasons, best known for his years with the San Francisco Giants and Montreal Expos, with shorter stops in Chicago, St. Louis and Minnesota. The Giants made him the second overall pick of the January 1970 draft after scout Herman Hannah watched him play for the Stratford Hoods in Ontario's Intercounty League, and he won the starting shortstop job at 20. He was a National League All-Star in 1972, 1973 and 1974, and his strong arm and Bay Area roots earned him the nickname the Alameda Rifle. He hit for the cycle twice, the second time with San Francisco in 1988, and won the 1987 Willie Mac Award for spirit and leadership in his second stretch with the Giants. He finished with a .246 average and 112 home runs in 2,260 games. After playing he coached in the majors, including on Arizona's 2001 World Series champion staff and as bench coach for Cincinnati and Washington.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 69 | 7 | 38 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 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: #606 Montreal Expos / Dick Williams
More Montreal Expos cards:
- #15 Ross Grimsley
- #43 Wayne Twitchell
- #76 Warren Cromartie
- #97 Sam Mejias
- #124 Dan Schatzeder
- #181 Mike Garman
- #235 Steve Rogers
- #269 Woodie Fryman
- #294 Pepe Frias
- #348 Andre Dawson
- #374 Ed Herrmann
- #395 Dave Cash
- #468 Stan Bahnsen
- #495 Tony Perez
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #426 card?
It is card #426 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Chris Speier of the Montreal Expos.
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.