1979 Topps #642 Wilbur Howard
About Wilbur Howard
Howard spent 1979 in the minors with the Charleston Charlies and retired afterward. His #642 card lists him with the Houston Astros, the club he played for from 1974 through 1978, a stretch that included 111 hits and 62 runs scored in 1975.
Wilbur Howard was a switch-hitting outfielder who played six major league seasons, one with Milwaukee and five with the Houston Astros. The Seattle Pilots drafted him in the 19th round in 1969, and the franchise moved to Milwaukee before he reached the majors. He batted .205 in 39 at bats as a September 1973 call-up. The next spring the Brewers sent him to Houston for Larry Yount and another minor leaguer. In 1975 he played 121 games as the Astros' fourth outfielder and hit .283. His 32 stolen bases were eighth in the National League and second on the team to Cesar Cedeno's 50. From 1976 manager Bill Virdon kept him in a more traditional reserve role for three seasons. His last major league game came on September 30, 1978. He finished with a .250 average, six home runs and 60 stolen bases in 466 games. Howard died in 2022.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 89 | 13 | 42 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 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: #381 Houston Astros / Bill Virdon
More Houston Astros cards:
- #6 1978 Strikeout Leaders
- #14 Rafael Landestoy
- #49 Vern Ruhle
- #68 Joe Niekro
- #107 Jesus Alou
- #130 Bob Watson
- #139 Luis Pujols
- #158 Joe Sambito
- #187 Mark Lemongello
- #203 J.R. Richard
- #232 Jimmy Sexton
- #268 Julio Gonzalez
- #289 Jose Cruz
- #306 Floyd Bannister
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #642 card?
It is card #642 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Wilbur Howard of the Houston Astros.
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.