1963 Topps #249 Leo Burke
About Leo Burke
This 1963 Topps card, number 249 in the third series, shows Burke in a Los Angeles Angels cap, the club he had played for in 1961 and 1962. It is recognized as his rookie card. The uniform was already out of date: Los Angeles sold his contract to St. Louis on March 25, 1963, and he came north with the Cardinals, greeting the National League with a pinch-hit RBI triple off Philadelphia's Chris Short on April 14. Stuck behind Stan Musial, George Altman and Ken Boyer, he hit .204 in 30 games before the June 24 trade to Chicago for Barney Schultz.
Leo Patrick Burke, born May 6, 1934 in Hagerstown, Maryland, was a right-handed hitting and throwing utility man who played parts of seven big-league seasons for the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. A 1956 Virginia Polytechnic Institute graduate and a ten-letter athlete there in baseball, basketball and football, he signed with Baltimore in February 1957 and debuted on September 7, 1958. Washington drafted him in the December 1960 expansion draft but never played him, selling him to the Angels in January 1961. Los Angeles sold him to St. Louis on March 25, 1963, and on June 24 the Cardinals traded him to the Cubs for relief pitcher Barney Schultz, who became a central figure in St. Louis's 1964 pennant run. Right field was Burke's most-used position, though he also worked at second base, third base, first base, left field and, late on, catcher. Over 165 games he batted .239 with 72 hits, nine home runs and 45 RBI, appearing for the last time on May 26, 1965. He is a member of the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame, the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame and the Salem, Virginia Baseball Hall of Fame. Burke died October 13, 2023 in Riner, Virginia, at 89.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 334 | 0 | 25 | 184 | 100 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 18 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 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: #39 Los Angeles Angels
More Los Angeles Angels cards:
- #4 1962 American League Home Run Leaders
- #6 1962 American League E.R.A. Leaders
- #17 Ryne Duren
- #33 Bo Belinsky
- #57 Billy Moran
- #98 George Thomas
- #114 Dan Osinski
- #117 Jacke Davis
- #167 Jim Fregosi
- #169 1963 Rookie Stars
- #182 Albie Pearson
- #207 Ken Hunt
- #231 Eli Grba
- #280 Bob Rodgers
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #249 card?
It is card #249 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Leo Burke of the Los Angeles Angels.
Is 1963 Topps #249 a rookie card?
Yes - #249 is the 1963 Topps rookie card of Leo Burke.
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.