1979 Topps #48 Merv Rettenmund
About Merv Rettenmund
Rettenmund drove in 14 runs in 108 at-bats for California in 1978. On May 6 he hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in Angels history. His 1979 Topps card, #48, carried the Angels name. He hit .263 in 76 at-bats during their 1979 division-winning season.
Merv Rettenmund played 13 major league seasons as a right-handed-hitting outfielder, beginning with Baltimore in 1968. He played all three outfield positions for the Orioles, who won three consecutive American League pennants from 1969 through 1971. He homered in the 1970 World Series clincher and hit a three-run homer in the opener of the 1971 Series. Traded to Cincinnati after the 1973 season, he won another championship with the 1975 Reds. Rettenmund finished his playing career with San Diego and California, retiring after 1980 with a .271 average, 66 home runs and 329 RBI. As a pinch-hitter, he went 66-for-239, a .276 average. He later worked as a major league hitting coach for Texas, Oakland, San Diego, Atlanta and Detroit.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 60 | 8 | 30 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 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: #424 California Angels / Jim Fregosi
More California Angels cards:
- #6 1978 Strikeout Leaders
- #18 Tony Solaita
- #71 Brian Downing
- #115 Nolan Ryan
- #212 Carney Lansford
- #267 Joe Rudi
- #291 Tom Griffin
- #313 Dyar Miller
- #322 Danny Goodwin
- #339 Ron Jackson
- #368 Don Aase
- #402 Paul Hartzell
- #417 All-Time Record Holders: Strikeouts
- #453 Chris Knapp
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #48 card?
It is card #48 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Merv Rettenmund of the California Angels.
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.