1963 Topps #493 Walt Bond
About Walt Bond
Number 493 is a semi-high in the sixth series of 1963, tougher than the low numbers. Bond was still Cleveland property when it was printed, though he never put on an Indians uniform that year. In September 1962 he had hit .380 with six home runs and 17 RBIs in 12 games. Cleveland's answer was to trade for first basemen Joe Adcock and Fred Whitfield and send Bond back to Triple-A Jacksonville, where he hit .276 with 25 homers while this card sat in packs.
Walter Franklin Bond stood 6 feet 7 inches, batted left and threw right, and came out of Denmark, Tennessee, by way of Lane College and a job with the Kansas City Monarchs in the last days of the Negro leagues. Cleveland signed him before the 1957 season. He hit .299 across a long minor league career that included a .320 year at Triple-A Salt Lake City in 1962, the same season he was diagnosed with leukemia while serving as a private first class in the U.S. Army. Houston general manager Paul Richards knew about the illness, had the club doctor confirm it was in remission, and finally gave Bond the everyday job Cleveland never did: 20 home runs and 85 RBIs in 1964, the best of his six big league seasons. He played 365 major league games in all, for the Indians, the Colt .45's and Astros, and the Twins, batting .256 with 41 home runs and 179 RBIs. He died of leukemia in Houston on September 14, 1967, a month short of 30, and is buried at Houston National Cemetery.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 215 | 0 | 12 | 97 | 64 | 26 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 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: #451 Cleveland Indians
More Cleveland Indians cards:
- #8 1962 American League Pitching Leaders
- #14 Pedro Ramos
- #36 Jerry Kindall
- #48 Birdie Tebbetts
- #72 Johnny Romano
- #103 Chuck Essegian
- #129 Gary Bell
- #152 Ron Nischwitz
- #170 Joe Adcock
- #187 Willie Kirkland
- #211 Fred Whitfield
- #227 Jim Grant
- #228 1963 Rookie Stars
- #248 Tito Francona
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #493 card?
It is card #493 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Walt Bond of the Cleveland Indians.
Why is #493 harder to find?
It is a semi-high card from the sixth print series, #447-511 - the run where the set's short prints sit. Scarcer than series 1-5, easier than series 7.
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.