1963 Topps #528 Carl Willey
About Carl Willey
Milwaukee had all but shelved Willey by 1962: 30 appearances but only six starts, 73.1 innings, a 2-5 record and a 5.40 ERA, the highest of his career. He asked to be dealt, and on March 23, 1963 the Braves sold him to the New York Mets, the team he is listed with here. Card #528 is a seventh-series 1963 Topps card, a high number.
Carlton Francis Willey was a right-handed pitcher from Cherryfield, Maine, who reached the majors with the Milwaukee Braves in 1958 after an earned-run title in the Provincial League, two Army years in Germany, and a Most Valuable Player season with Wichita of the American Association. An even six feet tall, with a fastball once clocked at 93 mph, he broke in at 26 and went 9-7 with a 2.70 ERA, led the National League with four shutouts and was named the league's rookie pitcher of the year by The Sporting News. That October he retired all three men he faced in the eighth inning of Game Five, striking out two, in a 7-0 loss at Yankee Stadium; the Braves lost the Series to New York in seven games. A staff fronted by Warren Spahn, Lew Burdette and Bob Buhl then squeezed him out, and after 1962 he asked to be traded. The Mets bought him, and he spent his last three seasons there. Eight big-league years left him 38-58 with a 3.76 ERA, 28 complete games, 11 shutouts and 493 strikeouts. He later scouted for the Philadelphia Phillies and is a member of the Maine Baseball 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 | 278 | 0 | 32 | 140 | 75 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 28 | 0 | 7 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 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.
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Related cards
Team card: #473 New York Mets
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #528 card?
It is card #528 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Carl Willey of the New York Mets.
Why is #528 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.