1960 Topps #206 Claude Osteen
About Claude Osteen
Claude Wilson Osteen was born August 9, 1939, in Caney Springs, Tennessee. A prep phenom at Reading High School in Ohio, going 23-1 with a 0.13 ERA as a senior on a 1957 state title team, he signed with the Reds right out of high school that year and jumped straight to the majors without a day in the minors, debuting at age 17. His 1960 Topps card catches him in Cincinnati during a four-season stretch (1957, 1959-61) in which the Reds never gave him a real shot to start regularly; he was soon traded to Washington for pitcher Dave Sisler. Osteen blossomed into a workhorse with the Senators and was flipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a seven-player deal after 1964. He anchored the Dodgers' rotation for nine years, winning 20 games twice (1969, 1972) and making three All-Star teams (1967, 1970, 1973). His signature moment came in Game Three of the 1965 World Series: down two games to none after losses by Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax, Osteen threw a four-hit shutout that swung the momentum toward a seven-game title. Nicknamed "Gomer" for his resemblance to TV's Gomer Pyle, he retired in 1975 with 196 career wins and later coached pitchers for four big-league clubs.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 317 | 2 | 9 | 119 | 103 | 49 | 16 | 19 | 0 |
| SGC | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1960 Topps #206 card?
It is card #206 of the 572-card 1960 Topps Baseball set, picturing Claude Osteen.
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.