Manufacturer: Topps
Set: 1967 Topps Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Joe Niekro
Position/Team: Pitcher for Cubs
Card #: 536
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”
Card Value Snapshot: Raw/Ungraded: $60 | Grade 8: $285
⬇️ See More Pricing Data Below
Joseph Franklin “Joe” Niekro was a durable and successful right-handed pitcher, perhaps best known for his unique knuckleball and for being the younger brother of Hall of Famer Phil Niekro. He pitched for 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (1967-1988) for seven different teams, most notably the Houston Astros.
Like his older brother Phil, Joe Niekro primarily relied on the knuckleball, a notoriously unpredictable pitch that flutters with little spin, making it difficult for hitters to track and catchers to handle. Joe truly blossomed as a dominant pitcher after joining the Houston Astros in 1975. He perfected his knuckleball during his 11 seasons with the Astros, becoming the franchise’s all-time leader in wins (144).
He became the first Astros pitcher to record consecutive 20-win seasons, going 21-11 in 1979 (leading the NL in wins) and 20-12 in 1980.
His dominant 1979 season also earned him his only All-Star selection and a second-place finish in the NL Cy Young Award voting. Late in his career, Joe Niekro joined the Minnesota Twins in 1987 and was part of their improbable World Series championship team.
After retiring from baseball, Joe Niekro remained involved in the sport. He was inducted into the Houston Astros Hall of Fame and the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
Tracking the current market value for the 1967 Topps Joe Niekro “Rookie Stars” Card #536. Below, find updated pricing data for ungraded (raw) copies, as well as verified PSA graded sales trends collected from secondary marketplaces.
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Raw/Ungraded: $60
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Grade 7: $155
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Grade 8: $285
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Grade 9: $475
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Grade 10: $2,800
Data Updated: August 2026
➡️ See All 1967 Topps Rookie Card Prices
Pricing data includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
DISCLAIMER: This data is not intended as financial advice and should not be used as such. Please do your own research before making any investment or selling/buying decisions.
Did You Know? After signing with the Houston Astros in 1975, Niekro hit his absolute peak in the late 1970s. In 1979, he led the National League with 21 wins (21–11, 3.00 ERA) while pitching a league-leading 5 shutouts. He followed that up with a 20–12 record in 1980, anchoring the rotation alongside J.R. Richard and Nolan Ryan to carry Houston to its first NL West division title.
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