1979 Topps #663 Mike Vail
About Mike Vail
Vail platooned in right field with the left-handed Scot Thompson in 1979 and hit .335 with seven home runs and 35 RBIs for the Cubs. Card #663 shows him with Chicago. Manager Herman Franks resigned with seven games left in the season and named Vail among several players whose attitudes he blamed.
Mike Vail was a right-handed-hitting outfielder from San Francisco who played ten seasons, 1975 to 1984, for the Mets, Indians, Cubs, Reds, Giants, Expos and Dodgers, hitting .279 with 34 home runs in 665 games. The Dodgers drafted him out of Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose in 1970; he declined, went to De Anza College, and was taken by the Cardinals in the fourth round of the January 1971 secondary draft. St. Louis sent him to the Mets after 1974, and at Tidewater in 1975 he hit .342 and was named International League Player of the Year. Called up in August, he singled off J. R. Richard in his first major league at-bat and then tied the modern rookie record with a 23-game hitting streak; the ball from the 23rd game is displayed at Cooperstown. His best stretch came with the Cubs, where he hit .317 with 17 home runs in 275 games. As teenagers in the Cardinals system he roomed with the future wrestler Randy "Macho Man" Savage.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 69 | 2 | 32 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 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.
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: #551 Chicago Cubs / Herman Franks
More Chicago Cubs cards:
- #17 Donnie Moore
- #53 Mick Kelleher
- #86 Rodney Scott
- #98 Ray Burris
- #135 Bobby Murcer
- #153 Dennis Lamp
- #171 Gene Clines
- #240 Rick Reuschel
- #299 Steve Ontiveros
- #323 Lynn McGlothen
- #346 Bill Buckner
- #370 Dave Kingman
- #398 Ivan DeJesus
- #412 All-Time Record Holders: RBI
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #663 card?
It is card #663 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mike Vail of the Chicago Cubs.
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.