1962 Topps #543 Bob Allen
About Bob Allen
Allen's 1962 Topps card, #543, is a short-printed high number from the set's seventh series. The season it caught him in was a lean one: the Cleveland Indians left-hander slipped to a 1-1 record and a 5.87 ERA in 30 2/3 innings over 30 games, walking 25 men in that short span while finishing nine games and saving four. He spent much of 1962 down at Cleveland's Salt Lake City farm club, where he went 5-2. The short-printed seventh series is the hardest stretch of the 1962 set to complete, which is what gives this common name its scarcity.
Robert Gray Allen was a left-handed relief pitcher who spent his entire five-season major league career with the Cleveland Indians, appearing exclusively out of the bullpen and never making a start in 204 games. Born in Tatum, Texas on October 23, 1937, he signed with Cleveland as an amateur free agent in 1956 and went 16-11 for the Indians' Mobile farm club in 1960. He reached the American League on April 14, 1961, retiring all three batters he faced, and went 3-2 over 81 2/3 innings as a rookie. He pitched for Cleveland again in 1962 and 1963, and that December the Indians traded him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for players to be named; the Pirates sent him back to Cleveland in April 1964 without his ever pitching a big-league game for them, and he was out of the majors through 1964 and 1965. Allen resurfaced with the Indians in 1966 and 1967, closing with a 7-12 record, a 4.11 ERA, 199 strikeouts and 19 saves. He died in Tatum in December 2023 at the age of 86.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 289 | 0 | 13 | 92 | 115 | 51 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 36 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-09-24. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here. Slabs of the three cards printed #139 are joined by description, never by number alone. PSA registers the green tints as a separate set; a tint's population is listed under that state of the card it belongs to.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1962 Topps #543 card?
It is card #543 of the 600-card 1962 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bob Allen of the Cleveland Indians.
Why is #543 harder to find?
It is a high number card (cards 523-598) from the seventh print series, distributed last and in the smallest quantity - the toughest cards in the set and home to all 42 short prints and the Rookie Parade. It is also a short print card (42 cards, all in 523-598). Printed in smaller quantity than the rest of the seventh series.
How many cards are in the 1962 Topps Baseball set?
600 cards, tracked as 708 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 598 with no gaps, but three different cards were printed #139 - two Hal Reniff poses, catalogued 139a and 139b, and the Babe Hits 60 Babe Ruth Special, 139c - so 598 numbers make 600 cards; 93 cards carry catalogued print variations, the series-2 green tints among them, that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Baseball Almanac, Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-03.