1963 Topps #12 Steve Barber
About Steve Barber
Card #12, a series-1 base issue, catches Barber after a season the Cold War interrupted. Called to active duty at Fort Bragg when President Kennedy mobilized reservists over the Berlin crisis, he trained on leave and flew up from North Carolina to start on weekends, standing 6-6 when the Army released him on July 9, 1962. He won his ninth game July 28, then entered a hospital with mononucleosis; his year ended at 9-6 with a 3.46 ERA in 28 games.
Steve Barber was a hard-throwing left-hander who anchored the Baltimore Orioles' staff from 1960 into the middle of 1967, part of the young 'Kiddie Korps' rotation with Milt Pappas, Chuck Estrada, Jack Fisher and Jerry Walker. Orioles scout Walter Youse signed him out of Silver Spring, Maryland, in 1957, and three wild years in the low minors followed alongside fellow hard throwers Bo Belinsky and Steve Dalkowski, a trio remembered as 'The Lost Boys.' A live fastball and a heavy sinker made him overpowering when he found the plate: 18 wins in 1961, and in 1963 he became the first pitcher of the modern Orioles to win 20 games in a season. He was an All-Star in 1963 and again in 1966, and was hurt both times without pitching in the game. His elbow gave out in the middle of a dominant 1966 and never fully recovered. He finished 121-106 with a 3.36 ERA over 15 seasons, entered the Orioles Hall of Fame in 1988, and died in 2007.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 254 | 1 | 10 | 114 | 94 | 23 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 12 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 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
- #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
- #213 Billy Hitchcock
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #12 card?
It is card #12 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Steve Barber 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.