1963 Topps #533 Bobby Shantz
About Bobby Shantz
Nineteen sixty-three was Shantz's busiest year on a mound: a career-high 55 appearances, all in relief, with a 6-4 record, 11 saves and a 2.61 ERA for a Cardinals club that won 93 games and still finished six back of the Dodgers. He and Ron Taylor carried the St. Louis bullpen, and he took a third straight National League Gold Glove. His card, number 533, is a Cardinals card from the seventh and final series of the 1963 set, a high number and the scarcest of his 1960s Topps issues. His rookie card is a Bowman card from 1950.
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
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 373 | 0 | 29 | 192 | 117 | 26 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| SGC | 24 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #524 St. Louis Cardinals
More St. Louis Cardinals cards:
- #1 1962 National League Batting Leaders
- #5 1962 National League E.R.A. Leaders
- #9 1962 National League Strikeout Leaders
- #22 Curt Simmons
- #49 Dal Maxvill
- #54 1963 Rookie Stars
- #83 Charley James
- #97 Bob Duliba
- #130 Dick Groat
- #138 Pride of the N.L.
- #166 Johnny Keane
- #172 Gene Oliver
- #190 Minnie Minoso
- #206 Ray Washburn
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #533 card?
It is card #533 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bobby Shantz of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Why is #533 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the seventh print series, #512-576 - the last and scarcest run in the set. Price guides often band the highs as #523-576, but the printing break falls between #511 and #512.
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.