1963 Topps #453 Jake Wood
About Jake Wood
1963 Topps #453 is a sixth-series semi-high number. It caught the best hitting of Wood's career. He reclaimed second base in May, was batting .291 on June 10, and then, against Washington on July 25, dislocated the middle finger of his left hand on a swing; tendon surgery ended his year. He finished at .271 with 11 home runs, 27 RBI and 18 steals, and only Al Kaline was hitting better for Detroit when he went down.
Jake Wood was a speedy second baseman who broke in with the Detroit Tigers on Opening Day 1961, hitting leadoff and belting a two-run homer off Jim Perry in the seventh inning of his first game. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and signed by the Tigers in 1957 after one season at Delaware State, he was the first African-American player to work his way up through Detroit's own farm system and hold down a regular big-league job. Wood was the Tigers' primary second baseman from 1961 through 1963, finishing third in the American League in stolen bases in all three of those years and pacing the league in triples and strikeouts as a rookie. A dislocated finger in late July 1963 ended that season and required surgery, and once Detroit traded for veteran Jerry Lumpe he spent his remaining years as a utility infielder. He closed out a seven-year career in 1967 with Detroit and the Cincinnati Reds, batting .250 with 35 home runs and 168 RBI in 608 games. He is a member of the Union County, New Jersey 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 | 253 | 0 | 21 | 129 | 73 | 19 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 20 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 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: #552 Detroit Tigers
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #4 1962 American League Home Run Leaders
- #6 1962 American League E.R.A. Leaders
- #8 1962 American League Pitching Leaders
- #10 1962 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #25 Al Kaline
- #44 Terry Fox
- #64 Dick McAuliffe
- #84 Ron Kline
- #134 Bob Scheffing
- #140 Frank Lary
- #164 Bubba Morton
- #169 1963 Rookie Stars
- #177 Bubba Phillips
- #218 Tiger Twirlers
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #453 card?
It is card #453 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jake Wood of the Detroit Tigers.
Why is #453 harder to find?
It is a semi-high card from the sixth print series, #447-511 - the run where the set's short prints sit. Scarcer than series 1-5, easier than series 7.
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.