1979 Topps #162 Tom Johnson
About Tom Johnson
Johnson's 1979 Topps card, #162, shows him with the Twins, who released him on February 8 of that year, before he could get a third opinion on his arm. That autumn he signed a $33,000 minor league contract with Bill Veeck's White Sox. In 1980 he went 2-5 with a 6.65 ERA in 15 starts for Class-AA Glens Falls.
Tom Johnson was a right-handed reliever who spent his entire major league career, 1974 through 1978, with the Minnesota Twins. A St. Paul native from the Como Park neighborhood, he signed with the Twins for a $5,000 bonus in September 1969 after leading St. Paul Murray to a conference title, and worked up through Auburn, Orlando, Wisconsin Rapids, Wilson and Tacoma. He made his debut on September 10, 1974, winning a 15-inning game against the White Sox. In 129 games he went 23-14 with a 3.39 ERA and 22 saves, and 128 of those appearances came out of the bullpen. After leaving the Twins he spent a spell in the White Sox farm system at Glens Falls, and he retired in the spring of 1981, at 29. He later became a pastor in Maple Grove, Minnesota, and works with the non-profit GoodSports International, which operates in Slovakia.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 70 | 4 | 43 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 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: #41 Minnesota Twins / Gene Mauch
More Minnesota Twins cards:
- #1 1978 Batting Leaders
- #27 Dave Goltz
- #58 Bob Randall
- #81 Roger Erickson
- #113 Pete Redfern
- #137 Larry Wolfe
- #193 Glenn Adams
- #219 Roy Smalley
- #246 Darrell Jackson
- #249 Paul Thormodsgard
- #274 Willie Norwood
- #300 Rod Carew
- #362 Mike Cubbage
- #371 Jeff Holly
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #162 card?
It is card #162 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tom Johnson of the Minnesota Twins.
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.