The George Brett Rookie Card and Other Vintage Cards
George Brett Rookie Cards
There is more than one George Brett rookie card, but I consider the 1975 Topps card to be the primary card to own. In this post we’ll take a look at that card — and we’ll discuss other George Brett rookies and early key cards.
1975 Topps George Brett card #228
The 1975 Topps George Brett rookie (card #228) is the most valuable card in the set. This is impressive considering the set also has the rookie card for Hall of Famers Robin Yount, Gary Carter, and Jim Rice. George Brett is one of the greatest 3rd basemen in history and he achieved many great accomplishments in his long career. George Brett won three batting titles and played in 13 All-Star games. Any rookie card of a player with those accomplishments will be in demand. However, there are additional factors that make the George Brett rookie even more valuable:
Other Factors:
- Longevity: Baseball is a sport where lifetime statistics are used as a measure of greatness. This helps the value of George Brett’s cards because he amassed enormous statistics by being a great player for a very long time. Brett ended his career with more than 3,100 hits, 1,500 runs, and 1,500 RBIs.
- Pine Tar Incident: Making history is good for the value of cards, but making history doesn’t always mean winning or putting up statistics. On July 24, 1993, George Brett made history differently. After Brett hit a home run, the game officials inspected his bat, nullified the home run, and called him out (ending the game). The video of George Brett arguing with the umpire is still shown frequently during baseball telecasts. The pine tar incident is so famous that it ensures Brett is remembered by collectors.
- Tough Set: The 1975 Topps set has color from border to border. Cards from this era that have colorful borders are harder to find in good shape than cards with white borders. That is because the colored border makes it easy to see any imperfections. George Brett rookies in mint condition are tough to find and very valuable.
1975 Topps Baseball Set Details
The 1975 Topps Baseball card set has 660 cards. The cards measure 2 1/2″ x 3 1/3″ (standard size). In addition to the George Brett rookie, this set includes rookie cards of Hall of Famers Robin Yount (#223), Gary Carter (#620), and Jim Rice (#616).
- Year: 1975
- Manufacturer : Topps
- Number of Cards: 660
- Card Size: 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ (standard size)
- 1975 Topps Baseball Subsets
- Milestone Cards (#1-7)
- MVPs (#189-212)
- League Leaders (#306-313)
- Playoff and World Series Highlights (#459-466)
1975 George Brett card #228 Details
- Card no: #228 of 660
- Name on front: George Brett
- Name on Back: George Howard Brett
- Trivia question: What is it called when a batter bunts to score runner?
- Answer: A Squeeze Play
- Height: 6’0″
- Weight: 190
- Bats: Left
- Throws: Right
- Born: 05/15/53, Wheeling West Virginia
- Home: Hermosa Beach, California
Front of the card
The front of the 1975 George Brett rookie card (#228) is very brightly colored. The top half of the card has a green border and the bottom half has a purple border. The top of the card has the team name “ROYALS” in pink with a black drop shadow. The photo shows George Brett posing in a hitting position with a KC cap on. His autograph is printed on the photo. The bottom of the card has his name in white letters and his position, “3rd Base” in the lower right corner on a baseball graphic.
Note: There is an O-Pee-Chee version of this card. (affiliate link)
Shop for a 1975 Topps George Brett Rookie card #228 on eBay (affiliate link), because this is the card most commonly considered his rookie.
Back of the card
The back of the 1975 George Brett rookie card (#228) is printed on gray cardstock. The left of the card has George Brett’s size, hitting orientation, birthday, place of birth, and home. The right top has a cartoon player bunting with a trivia question. The answer is on the card written upside down. Just below that is the card number (#228), Brett’s full name (George Howard Brett), and his position (3B). The card has minor and major league stats for Brett from 1971 to 1974. At the bottom of the card, you’ll find a short blurb about some of Brett’s minor league accomplishments.
One of A.L’s fine rookies of 1974, George was named A.A.’s All-Star 3rd baseman for 1973. He led California League with 8 Sacrifice hits in 1973.
1975 Topps George Brett Rookie card #228
George Brett Rookie Card Value
The George Brett rookie card is one of the most valuable cards made in the 1970s. The chart below was pulled from the popular card grading site PSA on 10/08/2021. It shows prices for the George Brett rookie card in various conditions.
Keep in mind that prices fluctuate. While PSA is a great way to find out the value of a card, we recommend going to eBay to see what cards are currently selling for on the world’s most popular auction site. Click here to view current auctions for the 1975 Topps George Brett Rookie card #228.
Other Relevant George Brett Cards
The 1975 Topps (and O-Pee-Chee) card #228 is the primary George Brett rookie card, but several other cards are widely considered or considered by some to be George Brett rookies. There’s a tiny version of his Topps rookie, a team issue “card” that predates his rookie, and a very affordable card (considered by some to be a rookie) from a non-licensed, but very cool, set. Let’s take a look at some of these cards :
1975 Topps Mini George Brett Rookie (#228)
In 1975 Topps created a set of mini cards that are an exact copy of the main set, but smaller. These cards are sometimes listed in price guides at the same price as the main set, but they are rarer and are typically a little more expensive. The 1985 Topps mini George Brett is universally considered a rookie card, and it’s one of the coolest versions out there.
Note: Don’t look for an O-Pee-Chee version of the mini card, because O-Pee-Chee didn’t make a mini-set.
Shop for a 1975 Topps Mini George Brett Rookie card #228 on eBay (affiliate link), because this one is rarer than the full-sized version of his rookie card.
1974 George Brett Kansas City Royals Postcard
The 1974 Royals George Brett postcard is a unique and very rare collectible that is considered a rookie by some. One of the things that makes this card awesome is that it predates Brett’s Topps rookie card, making it the first George Brett card. This was part of a team-issued set that measured 3 1/4″ x 5″. It is extremely rare, but you can find them on eBay sometimes.
Shop for a 1974 Kansas City Royals George Brett Postcard on eBay (affiliate link), because it is extremely rare.
1975 SSPC George Brett #167
The 1975 SSPC George Brett #167 is part of an unlicensed 630-card set. It’s very debatable whether this card is a rookie, but some collectors do consider it to be a Brett rookie. The copyright date on the back of the card says 1975, but the set wasn’t available for purchase until 1976. This set is a favorite of collectors because of the high-quality cardstock, simple design, and clean photography.
Shop for a 1975 SSPC George Brett Rookie card #167 on eBay (affiliate link)
1975 SSPC Checklist (#589)
The 1975 SSPC Checklist (#589) is a second card in the SSPC set that features George Brett. This card is a checklist and can be purchased for a very affordable price. Some collectors consider this to be a rookie card and some do not. It’s certainly memorable because of the face George Brett is making in the photo.
Shop for a 1975 SSPC Checklist #589 card # 228 on eBay (affiliate link)
George Brett’s Legacy
George Brett is one of the greatest 3rd basemen in Major League Baseball history. He is one of only a handful of players to have 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, and a life-time batting average higher than .300. This puts him on a list with the likes of Hank Aaron, Stan Musial, and Willie Mays. A primary reason George Brett put up such amazing statistics is that he maintained a high level of play for an exceptionally long time. This is demonstrated by the fact that he won the American League batting title in three different decades (1976, 1980, 1990). Here’s a list of some of George Brett’s accomplishments:
- 3 time American League Batting title (1976, 1980, 1990)
- 3 time American League Slugging % Leader (1980, 1983, 1985)
- 1 time American League On-Base % Leader (1980)
- 3 time American League Hits Leader (1975, 1976, 1979)
- 2 time American League Doubles Leader (1978, 1990)
- 3 time American League Triples Leader (1975, 1976, 1979)
- 1 time American League Total Bases leader (1976)
- 13 time All-Star
- 3 time Silver Slugger (1980, 1985, 1988)
- 1 time Gold Glove (1985)
- American League MVP (1980)
- Inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1990
Get Your George Brett Rookie
Do you want to own a 1975 Topps George Brett Rookie (#228)? If so, we recommend starting your search on eBay – the world’s #1 card trading place. Even if you’re not planning to buy one just yet, it’s fun to look at all the great cards currently for sale.
Want George Brett Merch?
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All About George Brett Rookies Infographic
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