1979 Topps #163 Glenn Burke
About Glenn Burke
Burke split 1978 between Los Angeles and Oakland, hitting .233 with 16 stolen bases in 94 games. In 1979 he played 23 games for Oakland, hitting .213, and his final major league game came on June 4. Card #163 lists him with the Athletics.
Glenn Burke was an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Oakland Athletics from 1976 to 1979, batting .237 with two home runs and 35 stolen bases in 225 games. He was the first major leaguer to come out as gay, announcing it in 1982 after he retired, and he is widely credited with inventing the high five. An Oakland native, he led Berkeley High School to the 1970 Northern California basketball championship and was named the region's player of the year before signing with the Dodgers organization out of Merritt College. Early on, a coach described him as the next Willie Mays. After the Dodgers traded him to Oakland for Billy North, he received little playing time, and the 1980 knee injury and demotion under Billy Martin ended his career. He won sprint medals at the first Gay Games in 1982, was in the first class of the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame in 2013, and was inducted into the Baseball Reliquary's Shrine of the Eternals in 2015. He died of AIDS complications in 1995.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 103 | 14 | 51 | 27 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 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.
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 card: #328 Oakland A's / Jack McKeon
More Oakland Athletics cards:
- #29 Rick Langford
- #54 Dell Alston
- #78 Elias Sosa
- #191 Mike Norris
- #201 Mike Edwards
- #224 Dave Revering
- #261 Mario Guerrero
- #295 Mitchell Page
- #352 Steve Renko
- #378 Rob Picciolo
- #406 Joe Wallis
- #432 Dave Heaverlo
- #458 Jim Essian
- #487 Miguel Dilone
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #163 card?
It is card #163 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Glenn Burke of the Oakland Athletics.
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.