1979 Topps #55 Willie Stargell
About Willie Stargell
Stargell batted .295 with 28 homers and 97 RBI for Pittsburgh in 1978. With two games left, his first-inning grand slam against Philadelphia gave the Pirates a 4-1 lead. The Phillies won, ending Pittsburgh's division chase. Topps gave him #55 in its 1979 set.
Wilver Dornel "Willie" Stargell was a left fielder and first baseman who spent his entire 21-season career (1962-1982) with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Pirates scout Bob Zuk signed him out of Alameda, California, for $1,500 in August 1958, and after a minor league climb marked by the indignities of segregated travel he reached Pittsburgh in September 1962. He made the first of seven All-Star teams in 1964 and hit more home runs in the 1970s, 296, than any other player. Windmilling his bat at the pitcher as he waited for the windup, he drove seven of the 18 balls ever hit over the right-field stands at Forbes Field. Stargell helped Pittsburgh win the World Series in 1971 and again in 1979, both times over Baltimore. At 39 he took the 1979 National League Most Valuable Player Award, shared with Keith Hernandez, along with the NLCS and World Series MVP awards, the only player to win all three in one season. He finished with a .282 average and 2,232 hits. He hit 475 home runs and drove in 1,540. The Pirates retired his number 8 in 1982, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame elected him in 1988, his first year of eligibility.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 965 | 2 | 68 | 253 | 217 | 188 | 128 | 109 | 0 |
| SGC | 102 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 15 | 24 | 21 | 28 | 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: #244 Pittsburgh Pirates / Chuck Tanner
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- #4 1978 Stolen Base Leaders
- #28 Steve Brye
- #70 John Candelaria
- #92 Jim Bibby
- #117 Grant Jackson
- #147 Dave Hamilton
- #165 Frank Taveras
- #189 Eddie Whitson
- #208 Clarence Gaston
- #223 Kent Tekulve
- #264 Don Robinson
- #286 Duffy Dyer
- #308 Bert Blyleven
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1979 Topps #55 card?
It is card #55 of the 726-card 1979 Topps Baseball set, picturing Willie Stargell of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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.