1960 Topps #453 Vern Law
About Vern Law
Vernon Sanders Law signed with the Pirates out of Meridian, Idaho, in 1948, joining his brother Evan after team part-owner Bing Crosby phoned the family to help recruit them for a $2,000 bonus. Law reached Pittsburgh in 1950, then lost two seasons to Army duty in the Korean War before returning in 1954. A control artist who ranked among the National League's stingiest walkers, he broke through with 18 wins in 1959, then authored a career year in 1960: a 20-9 record and 18 complete games, tied for the NL lead, capped by the Cy Young Award, the first ever won by a Pittsburgh pitcher. Nursing a sprained ankle, he won Games One and Four of that fall's World Series and started the legendary Game Seven on three days' rest as the Pirates stunned the Yankees. Devout in his Mormon faith, Law had served as a church deacon by age 12, earning him the lifelong nickname "Deacon." He added the 1965 NL Comeback Player of the Year award, finished with 162 wins across sixteen seasons, and was inducted into the Pirates Hall of Fame in 2025. This card catches him in Pirate flannels during the very season that made him a franchise legend.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 460 | 0 | 13 | 175 | 142 | 67 | 30 | 32 | 1 |
| SGC | 33 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Find on eBay
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #484 Pittsburgh Pirates
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #2 Roman Mejias
- #20 Roy Face
- #48 Hal Smith
- #49 Curt Raydon
- #55 Bill Mazeroski
- #58 Gino Cimoli
- #91 Bennie Daniels
- #104 Dick Schofield
- #113 Bob Skinner
- #115 Fork & Knuckler
- #133 Manuel Javier
- #145 Jim Umbricht
- #157 Rocky Nelson
- #209 Ron Blackburn
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1960 Topps #453 card?
It is card #453 of the 572-card 1960 Topps Baseball set, picturing Vern Law.
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.