1958 Topps #463 Vito Valentinetti
About Vito Valentinetti
Valentinetti began 1958 with a trade: in late March the Indians sent him and Milt Bolling to Detroit for Pete Wojey and $20,000. He saved two games for the Tigers in May, drawing the Free Press headline "Viva, Vito!", then finished the year with Washington at 5-6 and 4.80 over 38 games. His 1958 Topps #463 shows him as a Tiger, in the sixth series, between Gary Geiger #462 and Curt Flood #464.
Vito Valentinetti was a right-handed pitcher born in West New York, New Jersey, to immigrants from Lercara Friddi, Sicily. He starred at Iona College on a baseball scholarship, entered pro ball with the White Sox in 1950, and lost two seasons to Army service during the Korean War. His debut on June 20, 1954, was one inning and six runs against the Yankees, a 54.00 ERA that he joked about later. The Cubs took him in the 1955 Rule 5 Draft, and in 1956 he went 6-4 with a 3.78 ERA in 42 games, mostly in relief. After that he bounced between clubs, pitching for the Cubs, Indians, Tigers and Senators before his last game on May 11, 1959. In 108 games he went 13-14 with a 4.73 ERA and three saves. He later worked in construction and in city and state government jobs, threw batting practice for the Mets and Yankees, and was inducted into the Iona College Hall of Fame in 1986. He died in 2021 at age 92.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 275 | 0 | 4 | 54 | 103 | 66 | 32 | 16 | 0 |
| SGC | 16 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-09. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8). PSA counts are straight-graded (the +/Q qualifier rows are excluded).
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Live auctions Buy It Now Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #13 Billy Hoeft
- #13B Billy Hoeft (Yellow Name)
- #32 J.W. Porter
- #32B J.W. Porter (Yellow Name)
- #46 Lou Sleater
- #46B Lou Sleater (Yellow Name)
- #57 Tim Thompson
- #57B Tim Thompson (Yellow Name)
- #70 Al Kaline
- #70B Al Kaline (Yellow Name)
- #81 Steve Boros
- #81B Steve Boros (Yellow Team)
- #95 Frank Bolling
- #112 Gus Zernial
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1958 Topps Vito Valentinetti card?
It is card #463 of the 1958 Topps Baseball set - Topps' sixth flagship issue: 494 cards numbered 1-495 (#145 was never issued), with die-cut player photos on solid-color backgrounds and the first team logos on Topps fronts. It pictures Vito Valentinetti, Detroit Tigers.
How many graded copies of the 1958 Topps Vito Valentinetti #463 are there?
PSA has graded 275 copies and SGC 16 as of the 2026-07-09 snapshot. Population is a scarcity guide, not a price - high-grade 1958s are notoriously tough because of the set's chronic centering and print-quality issues.
How many cards are in the 1958 Topps set?
494 issued cards, numbered 1-495 - #145 (Ed Bouchee) was pulled before release and never issued, leaving a permanent gap. The PSA master census counts 534 items: the 494 base cards plus 33 yellow-letter variations, 4 numerical checklist-back team cards, the 'Herrer' #433 error, and 2 unnumbered ad cards.
Sources: PSA CardFacts, Beckett, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball-Reference, PSA & SGC population reports, and hobby press-sheet research (Topps Archives, 2026). Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-09-30.