1963 Topps #543 Russ Snyder
About Russ Snyder
Number 543 is a high number out of the seventh and final series of the 1963 Topps set, the toughest stretch of the issue for collectors to run down. The season behind it was Snyder's best to date: a .305 average in 139 games, tops on the Orioles, with 127 hits, nine home runs, 40 runs batted in and 181 total bases, each of those last three a personal major league high. A heavier bat and a more aggressive swing were the reasons he gave; he also admitted he was glad to be platooned against left-handers.
Russell Henry Snyder, born June 22, 1934, in Oak, Nebraska, was a left-handed hitting, right-handed throwing outfielder who spent 12 major league seasons, 1959 through 1970, with five American League clubs. The Yankees signed him in August 1952 and he began his professional career in 1953, leading the Class D Sooner State League at .432. New York traded him to the Kansas City Athletics in April 1959, and he hit .313 as a rookie, finishing third in American League Rookie of the Year voting. A January 1961 trade sent him to Baltimore, where he spent seven seasons as a platoon outfielder and hit a team-best .305 in 1962. He was an important piece of the Orioles' first World Series championship in 1966, then finished up with the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers; his last big league game came September 30, 1970, and Milwaukee released him in March 1971. He batted .271 with 984 hits, 42 home runs and 319 runs batted in over 1,365 games, fielding .981 at all three outfield spots. He is not a National Baseball Hall of Famer, but was inducted into the Nebraska Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 276 | 3 | 32 | 131 | 75 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 19 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 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: #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
- #205 Luis Aparicio
- #208 1963 Rookie Stars
- #209 Hobie Landrith
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #543 card?
It is card #543 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Russ Snyder of the Baltimore Orioles.
Why is #543 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.