1961 Topps #473 Bobby Shantz
Some checklists list this MVP-subset card as two versions, separated by a small green mark near the word southpaw; the major grading services catalog it as a single card.
About this card
Cards #471-486 are the Most Valuable Players subset - sixteen tributes to past MVP winners, American League #471-478 and National League #479-486, each printed with the franchise of the MVP season.
About Bobby Shantz
The December 1960 expansion draft pulled Shantz off the Yankees to the new Washington club, which flipped him to Pittsburgh two days later for Bennie Daniels, Harry Bright and R.C. Stevens. He went 6-3 out of the Pirates bullpen with six spot starts and won his first National League Gold Glove. Topps gave him two 1961 cards. Number 379 is a regular Pirates card. Number 473 belongs to the MVP subset and carries his 1952 Philadelphia Athletics identity; it comes from the set's sixth series. Some checklists split 473 into two versions over a small green mark near the word southpaw.
Bobby Shantz, born September 26, 1925, in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, was a left-handed pitcher who spent sixteen major league seasons, from 1949 through 1964, with the Philadelphia and Kansas City Athletics, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Colt .45's, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. Listed at 5-foot-6 and about 140 pounds, he was told all his life he was too small to pitch, then went 24-7 in 1952 to lead the American League in wins and take the Most Valuable Player Award for a fourth-place Athletics club. A broken left wrist that September and a shoulder injury the following May ended his run as a frontline starter, and after 1957 he was never again a regular member of a rotation. He still had plenty left: a three-time All-Star, he led the majors in earned run average for the 1957 Yankees, won a World Series title with the 1958 Yankees, and took the first Gold Glove Award ever given to a pitcher in 1957, the start of eight straight, four in each league. He retired at 119-99 with a 3.38 ERA. Philadelphia later put him on its Baseball Wall of Fame and in its Sports Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 460 | 0 | 26 | 185 | 154 | 41 | 31 | 22 | 1 |
| SGC | 41 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. PSA counts are straight grades only; PSA half grades (PSA 1.5 among them) and qualified slabs are not included. SGC half grades fold down (8.5→8). Slabs of the two cards printed #463 are joined by description, never by number alone.
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Related cards
More Bobby Shantz in this set: #379
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #473 card?
It is card #473 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bobby Shantz of the Philadelphia Athletics. Cards #471-486 are the Most Valuable Players subset - sixteen tributes to past MVP winners, American League #471-478 and National League #479-486, each printed with the franchise of the MVP season.
Why is #473 harder to find?
It is from the sixth print series (cards 447-522) - noticeably tougher than the first five, easier than the true highs.
How many cards are in the 1961 Topps Baseball set?
587 cards, tracked as 596 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 589, but #426, #587 and #588 were never issued and two different cards were printed #463 - Jack Fisher and the Milwaukee Braves Team card, catalogued 463b - and eight cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, The Topps Archives, 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 2026-10-05.