1960 Topps #517 Charley James
About Charley James
Charles Wesley James signed with his hometown Cardinals for an estimated $15,000 bonus in January 1958, turning pro out of the University of Missouri, where he had starred as a football halfback. Raised in suburban Rock Hill and a Webster Groves High School product, he was named Texas League Rookie of the Year with Double-A Houston in 1958 and made the International League All-Star team with Rochester in 1959. He reached St. Louis on August 2, 1960, the recall pictured on his short-printed, high-number 1960 Topps #517 rookie card. James spent five seasons in the Cardinals outfield, platooning in right field with Joe Cunningham, sharing left field with Stan Musial in 1963, and opening 1964 as the regular left fielder until Lou Brock arrived from Chicago. He earned a championship ring on the Cardinals' 1964 World Series winners over the Yankees. Traded to Cincinnati for his final season in 1965, James retired to a successful business career, eventually serving as president of a Missouri manufacturing company, after completing his electrical engineering degree at Washington University in St. Louis.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 290 | 0 | 9 | 110 | 95 | 44 | 20 | 12 | 0 |
| SGC | 23 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-20. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here. The Venezuelan issue, the 1960 Topps Tattoos and Bazooka are separate products and are not counted here.
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Related cards
Team card: #242 St. Louis Cardinals
More St. Louis Cardinals cards:
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- #24 Dick Gray
- #40 Joe Cunningham
- #73 Bob Gibson
- #84 Hal Smith
- #101 Bob Miller
- #120 Duke Carmel
- #124 Jim Donohue
- #149 Bob Nieman
- #168 Alex Grammas
- #195 Lindy McDaniel
- #197 Ron Kline
- #218 Solly Hemus
- #236 Dick Ricketts
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1960 Topps #517 card?
It is card #517 of the 572-card 1960 Topps Baseball set, picturing Charley James.
Is 1960 Topps #517 a rookie card?
Yes - #517 is the 1960 Topps rookie card of Charley James.
Why is #517 harder to find?
It sits in the high-number series, #507-572, printed last and distributed late in the 1960 season when fewer packs were bought. Those 66 cards are the toughest run in the set and carry the twenty Sport Magazine All-Stars.
How many cards are in the 1960 Topps Baseball set?
572 cards, numbered 1-572, issued in seven series - the last Topps flagship printed entirely horizontally. Cards #375-440 exist on two back stocks, white and gray, which collectors chasing every printed variety count as 638 pieces of cardboard in all.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, 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 2026-08-20.