1979 Topps #422 Ruppert Jones
About Ruppert Jones
Jones credited a new offseason workout regimen for his 1979 season. He played all 162 games. His career highs included 109 runs, 166 hits and 33 stolen bases. He became the first Mariner with at least 15 home runs and 15 steals before the All-Star break, and his run total set the club's single-season record. Card #422 shows him with Seattle.
Ruppert Jones was a left-handed center fielder for six major-league clubs from 1976 to 1987: the Royals, Mariners, Yankees, Padres, Tigers and Angels. Kansas City drafted him in the third round in 1973 from Berkeley High School, where he also played football and basketball. He singled off Gaylord Perry in his first major-league at-bat on August 1, 1976. When Kansas City left him unprotected in the 1976 expansion draft, actor Danny Kaye, a Mariners part-owner, announced Jones as the first pick. Seattle traded him to the Yankees on November 1, 1979. The following August 25, he separated his shoulder and suffered a concussion while chasing a Tony Armas fly ball into the Oakland outfield wall. The Padres acquired him in 1981, and he tripled in his only at-bat as their lone All-Star in 1982. A home run over Tiger Stadium's right-field roof in 1984 earned him the nickname Rooftop Jones; he won the World Series with Detroit that fall. Jones ended his major-league career with the Angels in 1987, having hit 147 home runs.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 88 | 0 | 14 | 45 | 13 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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.
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Related cards
Team card: #659 Seattle Mariners / Darrell Johnson
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #422 card?
It is card #422 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ruppert Jones of the Seattle Mariners.
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.