1963 Topps #273 Sammy Taylor
About Sammy Taylor
This was Taylor's last season, and he spent it with three clubs. He started with the Mets and hit .257 over 22 games, then on July 1 New York sent him and Charlie Neal to Cincinnati for catcher Jesse Gonder. He went hitless in six at-bats across three games for the Reds before an August 1 trade to Cleveland for outfielder-catcher Gene Green; he collected three hits in ten at-bats for the Indians and played his final big league game on August 6. Card 273 belongs to the third series of the 1963 Topps set, a mid-series number, and shows him with the New York Mets.
Samuel Douglas Taylor was a left-handed-hitting catcher who spent six major league seasons, from 1958 to 1963, with the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians. Born in Woodruff, South Carolina, he stood 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, came out of Woodruff High School to play one season of Class D ball in 1950, then served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean Conflict. Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as a free agent in 1956, he spent two full years in that farm system before a December 5, 1957 trade sent him to the Cubs, and he reached the majors in April 1958, drawing a walk as a pinch hitter in his first plate appearance. His best year came in 1959, when he hit .269 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 110 games. He lost the starting job during a .207 season in 1960, moved to the expansion Mets in 1962, and closed things out in 1963 with brief stops in Cincinnati and Cleveland. Over 473 games he hit .245 with 309 hits, 33 home runs and 147 RBI. He died in Woodruff in 2019 at age 86.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 380 | 3 | 59 | 212 | 84 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 22 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 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: #473 New York Mets
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #273 card?
It is card #273 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Sammy Taylor of the New York Mets.
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.