1979 Topps #626 New York Yankees / Bob Lemon
Hall of Famers on the 1978 New York Yankees roster: Rich Gossage, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson and Bob Lemon.
About this card
This is one of the 26 team cards, one for each club, and each also carries the club's manager - there are no separate manager cards in 1979.
The story on this card
The 1978 Yankees were 14 games behind Boston on July 19 and won the World Series anyway. Billy Martin resigned on July 24 after the Reggie Jackson bunting dispute, and Bob Lemon took over, steering New York to 48-20 the rest of the way. The Yankees tied Boston after 162 games and won the one-game playoff 5-4 at Fenway, Bucky Dent hitting a three-run homer in the seventh, to finish 100-63. Ron Guidry went 25-3 with a 1.74 ERA and the Cy Young Award, Goose Gossage led the American League with 27 saves, and the Yankees beat the Dodgers in six games. Topps #626 is the Yankees team card, listed with Lemon as the manager.
Cleveland pitcher Bob Lemon played Jesse Haines in The Winning Team, the 1952 film starring Ronald Reagan as Grover Cleveland Alexander. Lemon also served as Reagan's stand-in during the production.
Sources: Wikipedia (1978 New York Yankees season) · Wikipedia (Bob Lemon) · SABR BioProject · National Baseball Hall of Fame · SABR · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 423 | 22 | 178 | 144 | 48 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 0 |
| SGC | 18 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #626 card?
It is card #626 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing the New York Yankees. This is one of the 26 team cards, one for each club, and each also carries the club's manager - there are no separate manager cards in 1979.
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.