1979 Topps #263 Oscar Gamble
About Oscar Gamble
Card #263 shows Gamble with the Padres, but he spent 1979 in the American League. He was hitting .349 through 19 games for Texas when he fouled a ball off his foot and missed four weeks. The Rangers sent him to the Yankees in a deal announced July 30 for Mickey Rivers. In 36 games for New York he hit .389 with 11 home runs, including a grand slam off Fergie Jenkins on August 27.
Oscar Gamble was a left-handed-hitting outfielder and designated hitter who played 17 seasons, 1969 to 1985, for seven clubs: the Cubs, Phillies, Indians, Yankees, White Sox, Padres and Rangers. Cubs scout Buck O'Neil found him on Alabama sandlots, and the Cubs drafted him in 1968. He hit 200 home runs in about 4,500 at-bats, mostly as a platoon bat, and drew more career walks (610) than strikeouts (546). His peak came in 1977 with the White Sox, when he hit 31 home runs, and in 1979 he batted .358 split between the Rangers and Yankees. He appeared in postseason play with New York in 1976, 1980 and 1981. He batted from a deep crouch, and his enormous Afro became one of baseball's iconic images from the 1970s. Yankees announcer Phil Rizzuto called him the Big O. After retiring he settled in Montgomery, Alabama, worked as a player agent and ran youth clinics. He died in 2018.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 139 | 20 | 86 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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: #479 San Diego Padres / Roger Craig
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- #8 1978 Leading Firemen
- #30 Dave Winfield
- #57 Eric Rasmussen
- #116 Ozzie Smith
- #138 Mark Lee
- #164 Mickey Lolich
- #194 Randy Jones
- #247 Tucker Ashford
- #292 Don Reynolds
- #321 Gaylord Perry
- #342 Dave Roberts
- #364 Gene Richards
- #390 Rollie Fingers
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #263 card?
It is card #263 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Oscar Gamble of the San Diego Padres.
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.