1979 Topps #491 Tippy Martinez
About Tippy Martinez
Trade rumors followed Martinez through spring 1979, and he was nearly sent to Detroit for Milt May before the June 15 deadline. He finished 1979 at 10-3 with a 2.88 ERA, a career best in wins, and on July 23 he retired 23 straight Oakland hitters. In the World Series he struck out Willie Stargell in Game Two. Card #491 carries the Baltimore Orioles.
Tippy Martinez was a left-handed reliever who leaned on a sharp curveball and a pickoff move across 14 seasons, 1974 to 1988, most of them with the Baltimore Orioles. After a Colorado State season with a school-record 1.25 ERA, he signed with the Yankees and reached New York in 1974. The Orioles got him on June 15, 1976, in a ten-player trade that also brought Rick Dempsey, Scott McGregor, Rudy May and Dave Pagan. He stayed through 1986, set an Orioles record with 76 appearances in 1982, and was an All-Star in 1983, the year Baltimore beat Philadelphia in the World Series. On August 24, 1983, he picked off three Toronto runners at first base in a single inning at Memorial Stadium. Fans in the left-field bullpen area formed a fan club, Tippy's Tweeters, in 1980. He finished 55-42 with a 3.45 ERA and 115 saves, ended his career with Minnesota in 1988, and later coached pitchers for the York Revolution of the Atlantic League.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 74 | 0 | 24 | 26 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 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: #689 Baltimore Orioles / Earl Weaver
More Baltimore Orioles cards:
- #10 Lee May
- #37 Joe Kerrigan
- #65 Mark Belanger
- #91 Terry Crowley
- #102 Mike Anderson
- #119 Don Stanhouse
- #160 Mike Flanagan
- #188 Pat Kelly
- #206 Sammy Stewart
- #211 Denny Martinez
- #237 Billy Smith
- #262 Nelson Briles
- #287 Andres Mora
- #314 Larry Harlow
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #491 card?
It is card #491 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tippy Martinez of the Baltimore Orioles.
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.