1979 Topps #116 Ozzie Smith
About Ozzie Smith
Smith's 1979 Topps rookie card, #116, followed a San Diego debut season in which he hit .258 and stole 40 bases. On April 20, 1978, he barehanded a bad-hop grounder behind second base and threw out Atlanta's Jeff Burroughs. He finished second to Bob Horner in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Ozzie Smith was a switch-hitting shortstop for San Diego and St. Louis who won 13 consecutive Gold Gloves from 1980 through 1992. Known as the "Wizard of Oz," he made 15 All-Star teams and set the career record for assists by a shortstop. At Cal Poly, coach Berdy Harr taught him to switch-hit after he joined the team as a walk-on. The Padres selected him in the fourth round of the 1977 draft. A trade involving Garry Templeton brought Smith to the Cardinals for the 1982 season, when he helped St. Louis win the World Series. He also played on the club's 1985 and 1987 National League pennant winners. His batting improved to .303 with 75 RBIs and 43 stolen bases in 1987, earning a Silver Slugger and second place behind Andre Dawson in NL MVP voting. Smith finished 19 seasons with 2,460 hits and 580 steals. The Cardinals retired his number 1 in 1996, and he entered the Hall of Fame in 2002. After retirement, he hosted This Week in Baseball and later returned to St. Louis as a spring-training instructor.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · National Baseball Hall of Fame · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 15,044 | 5 | 419 | 2,834 | 3,290 | 3,395 | 2,327 | 2,688 | 86 |
| SGC | 4,569 | 1 | 23 | 247 | 813 | 1,089 | 1,044 | 1,231 | 121 |
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: #479 San Diego Padres / Roger Craig
More San Diego Padres cards:
- #5 1978 Victory Leaders
- #8 1978 Leading Firemen
- #30 Dave Winfield
- #57 Eric Rasmussen
- #138 Mark Lee
- #164 Mickey Lolich
- #194 Randy Jones
- #247 Tucker Ashford
- #263 Oscar Gamble
- #292 Don Reynolds
- #321 Gaylord Perry
- #342 Dave Roberts
- #364 Gene Richards
- #390 Rollie Fingers
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #116 card?
It is card #116 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ozzie Smith of the San Diego Padres.
Is 1979 Topps #116 a rookie card?
Yes - #116 is the 1979 Topps rookie card of Ozzie Smith.
What are the key cards in the 1979 Topps set?
The top cards of the set are the #116 Ozzie Smith rookie, which PSA calls the set's most desirable single, and #369 Bump Wills, printed with a Rangers or a Blue Jays team banner. The other major keys are #24 Paul Molitor, #30 Dave Winfield and #650 Pete Rose, all hard to find in top condition, and three commons that are keys for the same reason: #11 Marc Hill (a smudge in the team banner on almost every copy), #564 Jerry Turner (a print line along the right border) and #619 Ken Landreaux (hard to find with a full right border).
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.