1963 Topps #483 Jim Owens
Uncorrected error: On the back, the column of wins in his year-by-year record is headed R instead of W.
About Jim Owens
Card #483, a semi-high sixth-series issue, reports Owens's 1962 season in Philadelphia: 2-4 with a 6.33 ERA in 23 games, only 12 of them starts, his last of seven seasons there. The November trade to Cincinnati for Cookie Rojas put him on the card as a Red, and the back carries a printing slip - his column of wins is headed R instead of W. On April 24, 1963, he balked three times in the second inning against the Dodgers, matching the record, and umpire Shag Crawford ran him.
James Philip Owens, nicknamed "Bear" for his stocky build and round face, was a right-handed pitcher who spent parts of twelve seasons between 1955 and 1967 with the Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and Houston Colt .45s/Astros. Born in Gifford, Pennsylvania, he signed with Philadelphia out of Bradford High School in 1951, won 22 games in the low minors in 1952 and 22 more for Class B Terre Haute in 1953, and was named the International League's Rookie of the Year in 1954, arriving with what Phillies general manager Roy Hamey called the best curveball in baseball. An Army hitch cost him all of 1957 and all but one game of 1958. His one strong year came in 1959: 12-12 with a 3.21 ERA, 11 complete games, 135 strikeouts and the only shutout of his career for a last-place club. He was also a charter member of the hard-drinking group of Phillies that Sports Illustrated made notorious as the "Dalton Gang" in 1960, and that reputation trailed him for good. He finished 42-68 with a 4.31 ERA, 21 saves and 516 strikeouts in 286 games, then coached Houston's pitchers for six seasons, working with Larry Dierker, Mike Cuellar and Don Wilson.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 296 | 1 | 30 | 178 | 63 | 21 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 13 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 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: #63 Cincinnati Reds
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #1 1962 National League Batting Leaders
- #3 1962 National League Home Run Leaders
- #5 1962 National League E.R.A. Leaders
- #7 1962 National League Pitching Leaders
- #21 Marty Keough
- #29 1963 Rookie Stars
- #37 Jerry Lynch
- #70 Jim O'Toole
- #90 Gordy Coleman
- #116 Jim Brosnan
- #133 Gene Freese
- #158 1963 Rookie Stars
- #178 Johnny Edwards
- #194 Joe Nuxhall
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #483 card?
It is card #483 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Owens of the Cincinnati Reds.
Does 1963 Topps #483 have an error?
On the back, the column of wins in his year-by-year record is headed R instead of W.
Why is #483 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.