1963 Topps #55 Bill Virdon
About Bill Virdon
The bat came back in 1963. Virdon hit .269 with 22 doubles, 8 home runs and 53 runs batted in, and started all 142 of his center-field games. That June, Roberto Clemente told The Sporting News that Virdon went unnoticed because he made everything look easy, and that his glove had kept a few Pittsburgh pitchers in the majors. Number 55 sits in the first series of the 1963 Topps set.
William Charles Virdon grew up in West Plains, Missouri, and signed with the Yankees for an $1,800 bonus after a tryout camp in Branson. Stuck behind Mickey Mantle, he was traded to St. Louis in the spring of 1954 in the deal that sent Enos Slaughter to New York, and in 1955 he hit .281 with 17 home runs and was named National League Rookie of the Year. A slow start the next spring cost him that job: the Cardinals sent him to Pittsburgh in May 1956 for Bobby Del Greco and Dick Littlefield, and he batted .334 the rest of the way to finish second to Hank Aaron in the batting race. Broadcaster Bob Prince called him Quail because his soft hits dipped in front of the outfielders like a dying quail. Ten durable seasons in the deep pastures of Forbes Field followed, with a Gold Glove in 1962 and a leading role in the 1960 World Series, where his bad-hop grounder off Tony Kubek opened Pittsburgh's five-run eighth inning in Game Seven. He left the field after 1965 with 1,596 hits and a .267 average, then managed the Pirates, Yankees, Astros and Expos, twice taking Manager of the Year honors from The Sporting News. The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inducted him in 1983.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 279 | 0 | 6 | 108 | 109 | 42 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 20 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
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.
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Related cards
Team card: #151 Pittsburgh Pirates
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #18 Buc Blasters
- #34 Dick Schofield
- #87 Bob Veale
- #101 Joe Gibbon
- #122 Julio Gotay
- #159 Jim Pagliaroni
- #169 1963 Rookie Stars
- #184 Vern Law
- #215 Bob Skinner
- #228 1963 Rookie Stars
- #239 Harvey Haddix
- #259 Johnny Logan
- #281 Tom Sturdivant
- #299 1963 Rookie Stars
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #55 card?
It is card #55 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bill Virdon of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
How many cards are in the 1963 Topps Baseball set?
576 cards, tracked as 583 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 576 with no gaps and no number used twice, and seven cards carry a catalogued print variation - three checklists, the two Rookie Stars cards also printed with a "1962" heading, and the #341 Jack Baldschun and #454 Art Fowler print states - that the master set counts separately.
Sources: 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.