1963 Topps #576 Johnny Temple
About Johnny Temple
Back with Houston in 1963 after minor surgery, Temple split his infield time between second base and third, 61 games at the keystone and 29 at third, and kept up a running argument with the umpires: three fines totaling $175 by the end of June, plus a charge that six or seven of them had conspired against him, which he later took back. A slow-healing groin injury dogged his second half, but he still reached 100 games and 377 plate appearances, batting .264 with one homer, 17 RBIs and 41 walks while the Colt .45s finished ninth at 66-96. His 1963 Topps card, number 576, is a seventh-series high number, the kind collectors chase last when building the set.
Johnny Temple was a scrappy, contact-hitting second baseman who spent thirteen major league seasons (1952-1964) with the Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Colt .45s. A North Carolina farm boy who signed with Cincinnati after a 1948 tryout camp in Mooresville, he reached the majors in 1952 and grew into the Reds' regular leadoff man and second baseman, teaming with shortstop Roy McMillan on one of the era's best double-play combinations. He played in six All-Star Games out of four selections, 1956, 1957 and both games in each of 1959 and 1961, batted over .300 three times, and finished with a .284 average, 648 walks against 338 strikeouts and 140 stolen bases. His best year came in 1959: .311 with career highs of 102 runs, 186 hits, 35 doubles, eight homers and 67 RBIs. That December Cincinnati traded him to Cleveland for Cal McLish, Gordy Coleman and Billy Martin. Baltimore and Houston followed, then a short, unhappy 1964 turn as a Reds coach that ended in an August clubhouse fight and his firing. Cincinnati put him in the Reds Hall of Fame in 1965.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 371 | 0 | 26 | 176 | 92 | 51 | 18 | 8 | 0 |
| SGC | 38 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
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: #312 Houston Colt .45's
More Houston Colt .45's cards:
- #9 1962 National League Strikeout Leaders
- #24 Bob Bruce
- #45 Bob Aspromonte
- #77 Al Spangler
- #99 Jim Umbricht
- #119 Bob Lillis
- #141 Manny Mota
- #153 Hal Smith
- #158 1963 Rookie Stars
- #189 Dave Giusti
- #204 Don Nottebart
- #208 1963 Rookie Stars
- #230 Pete Runnels
- #262 Ellis Burton
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #576 card?
It is card #576 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Johnny Temple of the Houston Colt .45's.
Why is #576 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.