1963 Topps #488 Jerry Adair
About Jerry Adair
Card #488 is a sixth-series semi-high, and the season behind it is 1962, the one year Adair spent mostly at shortstop: 113 games there against 34 at second base. He hit .284 in 139 games with 11 home runs, 48 RBI and a career-high 153 hits. He always called a late-August five-game sweep of the Yankees his biggest thrill in the majors, 13 hits across the five games, opening with a 3-for-4 in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader and a 5-for-6 with a double and a triple in the nightcap.
Kenneth Jerry Adair, born December 17, 1936, in Sand Springs, Oklahoma, was a sure-handed infielder across 13 major league seasons, 1958-1970, with the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox and Kansas City Royals, before a 1971 season in Japan with the Hankyu Braves. A two-sport star at Oklahoma State under basketball coach Hank Iba, he signed with Baltimore for a $40,000 bonus and debuted the same day, September 2, 1958. Called the Iceman in high school for his composure and Casper the Friendly Ghost in the majors, he made his name with the glove: 458 consecutive errorless chances at second base over 89 games in 1964 and 1965, a major league record until Manny Trillo passed it in 1982, and a career .985 fielding mark that bettered Hall of Famers Nellie Fox, Joe Morgan and Bill Mazeroski. He coached Oakland through all three of its championship seasons, 1972-1974, then the California Angels. He died of liver cancer on May 31, 1987, in Tulsa at 50.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 280 | 0 | 22 | 159 | 67 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 0 |
| SGC | 18 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 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: #377 Baltimore Orioles
More Baltimore Orioles cards:
- #4 1962 American League Home Run Leaders
- #6 1962 American League E.R.A. Leaders
- #12 Steve Barber
- #19 Pete Burnside
- #41 Charlie Lau
- #65 Jackie Brandt
- #88 Ron Hansen
- #108 Hoyt Wilhelm
- #112 Dick Brown
- #125 Robin Roberts
- #158 1963 Rookie Stars
- #205 Luis Aparicio
- #208 1963 Rookie Stars
- #209 Hobie Landrith
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #488 card?
It is card #488 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jerry Adair of the Baltimore Orioles.
Why is #488 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.