1963 Topps #555 John Blanchard
About John Blanchard
1963 Topps #555 sits in the seventh series, a high number and the one high number among his Topps cards of the decade. The season behind it was lopsided: 76 games, a .225 average and a .305 on-base percentage, yet 16 home runs and 45 runs batted in from just 218 at-bats. He clustered the damage, hitting three homers and driving in nine over a three-game stretch against the Angels in late July, then taking Boston deep twice for six runs batted in at Fenway Park on August 15. The Yankees won the pennant again and were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, Blanchard hitless in three at-bats in his only appearance.
John Edwin Blanchard, born February 26, 1933, in Minneapolis, was a left-handed-hitting catcher and outfielder who spent nearly all of his major league career with the New York Yankees. Signed by New York in 1951 after a summer of semipro ball in Carroll, Iowa, he was turned into a catcher in the low minors at Bill Dickey's suggestion, lost two seasons to the U.S. Army, and debuted on September 25, 1955. Blocked by Yogi Berra and Elston Howard, he did not return to stay until 1959, then became the best-known reserve in the game, riding five straight Yankees pennants from 1960 through 1964 to a .345 average in 15 World Series games and a major league record ten World Series pinch-hit at-bats. He was catching when Bill Mazeroski's home run off Ralph Terry ended the 1960 Series. Blanchard finished with 516 games, 67 home runs and a .239 average, later worked as a color commentator on the first live game ESPN televised, and died in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, on March 25, 2009.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 363 | 1 | 13 | 154 | 122 | 47 | 12 | 10 | 4 |
| SGC | 31 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 1 | 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: #247 New York Yankees
More New York Yankees cards:
- #2 1962 American League Batting Leaders
- #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
- #20 Tony Kubek
- #38 Bud Daley
- #42 Stan Williams
- #54 1963 Rookie Stars
- #60 Elston Howard
- #92 Hector Lopez
- #120 Roger Maris
- #142 World Series Game #1 - Yanks' Ford Wins Series Opener
- #144 World Series Game #3 - Maris Sparks Yankee Rally
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #555 card?
It is card #555 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Blanchard of the New York Yankees.
Why is #555 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.