1963 Topps #184 Vern Law
About Vern Law
Law's 1963 card reports a partial recovery. Back in the Pittsburgh rotation for much of 1962, he made 20 starts among 23 appearances, went 10-7 with a 3.94 ERA over 139.1 innings, and completed seven games with two shutouts. He was useful at the plate that year as well, batting .311. Card #184 is a second-series base issue with the Pirates, and it reached collectors the same summer his arm went bad again and his career came within a conversation of ending.
Vernon Sanders Law pitched all 16 of his major league seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates, from his 1950 debut through 1967, with 1952 and 1953 given to the Army. He signed out of Meridian, Idaho in 1948 after part-owner Bing Crosby telephoned his parents. Law went 18-9 in 1959, then 20-9 with a 3.08 ERA and 18 complete games in 1960, winning the Cy Young Award when a single trophy still covered both leagues, the first won by a Pirate. He started three games of that World Series and won Games One and Four on an ankle teammates had sprained while tugging at his shoe in the pennant celebration. Favoring it tore muscles at the back of his shoulder; three thin seasons followed, and Danny Murtaugh suggested he retire after 1963. Law came back instead, going 17-9 with a career-low 2.15 ERA in 1965 for National League Comeback Player of the Year and the Lou Gehrig Award. He finished 162-147 with a 3.77 ERA, then coached Pirates pitchers and later at Brigham Young University, where future Hall of Famer Jack Morris pitched for him. An elder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was "Deacon" to teammates for the faith that governed his conduct; Pittsburgh elected him to the club's own Hall of Fame in August 2025.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 194 | 0 | 7 | 81 | 67 | 29 | 6 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #151 Pittsburgh Pirates
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #18 Buc Blasters
- #34 Dick Schofield
- #55 Bill Virdon
- #87 Bob Veale
- #101 Joe Gibbon
- #122 Julio Gotay
- #159 Jim Pagliaroni
- #169 1963 Rookie Stars
- #215 Bob Skinner
- #228 1963 Rookie Stars
- #239 Harvey Haddix
- #259 Johnny Logan
- #281 Tom Sturdivant
- #299 1963 Rookie Stars
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #184 card?
It is card #184 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Vern Law of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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.