1963 Topps #205 Luis Aparicio
About Luis Aparicio
Card #205, in the third series, is Aparicio's first Topps card as a Baltimore Oriole. The back still reports his last Chicago season, 1962, when he hit .241 with 31 stolen bases and 40 RBI. That off year brought a salary-cut offer from the White Sox, Aparicio's demand to be traded, and a January 14 deal that sent him and Al Smith to Baltimore for Hoyt Wilhelm, Ron Hansen, Dave Nicholson and Pete Ward.
Luis Ernesto Aparicio Montiel was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela, the son of a celebrated Venezuelan shortstop, and was signed by White Sox general manager Frank Lane on the recommendation of countryman Chico Carrasquel. Two seasons in the minor leagues followed, and in 1956 he took over Carrasquel's shortstop job in Chicago and won the American League Rookie of the Year, the first Latin American player so honored, after leading the league with 21 stolen bases. With second baseman Nellie Fox he formed one of the game's great double-play combinations, sparking the 1959 Go-Go White Sox to their first pennant in 40 years while finishing second to Fox in the MVP vote. He led the American League in stolen bases in each of his first nine seasons, three more in a row than any other player in either league has managed, and won nine Gold Gloves at shortstop. Traded to Baltimore before the 1963 season, he helped the Orioles win the 1966 World Series before returning to Chicago and finishing with the Boston Red Sox. Picked for ten All-Star teams, he retired in 1973 with 2,677 hits, 506 stolen bases and major-league fielding records for a shortstop. In 1984, on his sixth turn on the ballot, he became the first Venezuelan elected to the Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · National Baseball Hall of Fame
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 742 | 1 | 51 | 297 | 204 | 93 | 46 | 48 | 2 |
| SGC | 144 | 0 | 8 | 21 | 32 | 41 | 22 | 19 | 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: #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
- #208 1963 Rookie Stars
- #209 Hobie Landrith
- #213 Billy Hitchcock
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #205 card?
It is card #205 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Luis Aparicio of the Baltimore Orioles.
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.