1979 Topps #495 Tony Perez
About Tony Perez
Perez collected 158 hits in each of his first two Montreal seasons. In 1978 he scored 63 runs and played 145 games at first base. Topps issued his 1979 Expos card as #495; he finished that season with 13 home runs and 73 RBI.
Tony Perez grew up in Cuba's Camaguey province, working beside his father in a sugar mill and playing shortstop for the factory team. Cincinnati signed him in 1960 for a plane ticket and the $2.50 cost of an exit visa. Minnie Minoso was his boyhood idol. His American career began with Geneva in the New York-Pennsylvania League. Perez spent 23 seasons in the majors, playing first and third base and collecting 2,732 hits, 379 home runs and 1,652 RBI. A seven-time All-Star, he played for Cincinnati, Montreal, Boston and Philadelphia before returning to the Reds for his final three seasons, ending in 1986. He met his wife, Pituka, while playing winter baseball in Puerto Rico. Their son Eduardo also became a major-league player. Perez coached Cincinnati for six seasons before managing the Reds in 1993; he later managed the Florida Marlins in 2001. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000.
Sources: 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 | 423 | 13 | 178 | 141 | 41 | 19 | 21 | 10 | 0 |
| SGC | 30 | 1 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 3 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #495 card?
It is card #495 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tony Perez of the Montreal Expos.
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.