1963 Topps #490 Willie McCovey
About Willie McCovey
Number 490 lands in the sixth series, a semi-high card, and it covers the year the Giants moved McCovey off first base altogether. Dark gave the position to Cepeda full time in 1962 and put McCovey, who had never played the outfield in his life, in left field; Dark also sat him against left-handed starters, so he came to bat only 229 times in 91 games, hitting .293 with 20 home runs. The Giants reached the World Series against the Yankees, and McCovey homered off Ralph Terry in a 2-0 Game 2 win, then tripled off him again in the seventh inning of Game 7 before New York closed it out.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, on January 10, 1938, McCovey signed with the New York Giants in 1955 out of a Florida tryout camp. He reached the majors on July 30, 1959, four-for-four with two triples off Hall of Famer Robin Roberts, and finished at .354 with 13 home runs in 52 games to win National League Rookie of the Year. Six feet four, he was "Stretch" for the reach he gave the Giants at first base, and he grew into a dead-pull line-drive hitter who drew shifts and record intentional walks. He played 19 seasons for San Francisco, with San Diego and Oakland in between. He led the National League in home runs in 1963, 1968 and 1969 and in runs batted in in 1968 and 1969, and his 1969 line of 45 homers, 126 RBI and a .320 average brought the Most Valuable Player award. He made six All-Star teams and homered twice to win the 1969 All-Star Game MVP. His only World Series, in 1962, ended with his ninth-inning liner in the glove of Yankees second baseman Bobby Richardson, tying and winning runs stranded. He retired in 1980 with 521 home runs, entered the Hall of Fame in 1986 on the first ballot, and gave his name to the cove beyond the Giants' right-field wall.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1,538 | 0 | 16 | 256 | 385 | 360 | 237 | 280 | 4 |
| SGC | 427 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 92 | 98 | 91 | 104 | 14 |
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
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- #85 Tom Haller
- #106 Bob Bolin
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- #138 Pride of the N.L.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #490 card?
It is card #490 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Willie McCovey of the San Francisco Giants.
Why is #490 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.