1960 Topps #312 Charlie Lau
About Charlie Lau
Charles Richard "Charley" Lau signed with the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent out of Romulus Senior High School in Michigan in 1952, then lost two seasons to Army service during the Korean War before debuting in 1956. He spent parts of 11 major-league seasons as a light-hitting catcher for the Tigers, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Athletics, finishing with a .255 average and 298 hits. His 1960 Topps card (#312) catches him as Del Crandall's backup in Milwaukee, a year he hit just .189 in 21 games; the next April he caught the second of Warren Spahn's two career no-hitters. Lau reached his only World Series with the champion 1966 Orioles. He found lasting fame after his playing days ended, becoming the game's premier hitting instructor for the Royals, Yankees and White Sox, reshaping George Brett into a .390 hitter and mentoring Reggie Jackson through his best power seasons. His "Absolutes" of hitting and bestselling instructional books remained influential long after his 1984 death from cancer, and Romulus renamed its ballfield in his honor.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 341 | 0 | 11 | 114 | 119 | 57 | 16 | 24 | 0 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 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: #381 Milwaukee Braves
More Milwaukee Braves cards:
- #3 Joe Adcock
- #19 Felix Mantilla
- #37 Bill Bruton
- #59 Juan Pizarro
- #70 Lew Burdette
- #90 Bobby Avila
- #107 Carl Willey
- #129 Bob Hartman
- #143 Al Spangler
- #158 Wes Covington
- #170 Del Crandall
- #189 Don McMahon
- #205 Johnny Logan
- #213 Chuck Dressen
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1960 Topps #312 card?
It is card #312 of the 572-card 1960 Topps Baseball set, picturing Charlie Lau.
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.