1964 Topps #586 Jim Piersall
About Jim Piersall
Piersall's high-numbered series-7 card #586 follows a 1963 season split three ways: Washington traded him to the Mets for Gil Hodges on May 23, New York released him on July 27, and the Los Angeles Angels signed him the same day. In between, on June 23 at the Polo Grounds, he hit his 100th career home run off Philadelphia's Dallas Green and ran the bases in the proper order but facing backward, the stunt collectors still know him for.
James Anthony Piersall, born November 14, 1929 in Waterbury, Connecticut, played 17 major-league seasons (1950, 1952-1967) as an outfielder for the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, New York Mets and Los Angeles/California Angels. Prized for his center-field glove, he made two All-Star teams (1954, 1956), won Gold Gloves in 1958 and 1961, and finished at .272 with 104 home runs and 591 RBI in 1,734 games. In 1952, the rookie season that collapsed into a publicized breakdown, he was calling himself the 'Waterbury Wizard' after his hometown; that summer ended at Westborough State Hospital with electroshock treatment. His recovery became the 1955 memoir Fear Strikes Out, written with Al Hirshberg, and the 1957 film starring Anthony Perkins. The showmanship never stopped: he batted in a Beatles wig and played air guitar on his bat. After retiring in 1967 he broadcast for decades, most famously beside Harry Caray on Chicago White Sox games beginning in 1977. The Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame inducted him in September 2010. He died June 3, 2017 in Wheaton, Illinois.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 320 | 2 | 33 | 138 | 73 | 41 | 21 | 12 | 0 |
| SGC | 24 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1964 Topps 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: #213 Los Angeles Angels
More Los Angeles Angels cards:
- #32 Dean Chance
- #41 Friendly Foes
- #48 Bob Perry
- #61 Angel Backstops
- #71 Jack Spring
- #97 Jim Fregosi
- #110 Albie Pearson
- #127 Angels 1964 Rookie Stars
- #149 Paul Foytack
- #159 Charlie Dees
- #227 Barry Latman
- #255 Lee Thomas
- #273 Mel Nelson
- #279 Joe Koppe
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1964 Topps #586 card?
It is card #586 of the 587-card 1964 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Piersall of the Los Angeles Angels.
Is 1964 Topps #586 a scarce card?
It is a high number card from the seventh print series, #523-587, distributed last. Scarcer than the rest of the set but only mildly so - the high premium runs roughly 55-60 percent, far milder than the 1952-62 highs.
How many cards are in the 1964 Topps Baseball set?
587 cards, tracked as 589 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 587 with no gaps, and no number carries two different cards; two cards - #4, the A.L. Pitching Leaders, and #517, the seventh-series checklist - carry a catalogued back variation that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, The Topps Archives, Baseball Almanac, 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 2026-10-11.