1964 Topps #557 Leo Burke
About Leo Burke
Number 557 falls in Topps' seventh and final series for 1964, making it a high number, and it pictures Burke with the Chicago Cubs. Chicago used him more than any other club ever did. Burke got into 59 games in 1964 with 111 plate appearances, hitting .262 with three doubles, a triple, a home run and 14 RBI. He logged 18 games in right field, five at second base, four at third, two at first and one inning at catcher, that last on May 31 against Milwaukee, when manager Bob Kennedy realized while Burke was already at the plate that he had used up his catchers.
Leo Patrick Burke, born May 6, 1934 in Hagerstown, Maryland, was a right-handed hitting and throwing utility man who played parts of seven big-league seasons for the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Angels, St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. A 1956 Virginia Polytechnic Institute graduate and a ten-letter athlete there in baseball, basketball and football, he signed with Baltimore in February 1957 and debuted on September 7, 1958. Washington drafted him in the December 1960 expansion draft but never played him, selling him to the Angels in January 1961. Los Angeles sold him to St. Louis on March 25, 1963, and on June 24 the Cardinals traded him to the Cubs for relief pitcher Barney Schultz, who became a central figure in St. Louis's 1964 pennant run. Right field was Burke's most-used position, though he also worked at second base, third base, first base, left field and, late on, catcher. Over 165 games he batted .239 with 72 hits, nine home runs and 45 RBI, appearing for the last time on May 26, 1965. He is a member of the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame, the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame and the Salem, Virginia Baseball Hall of Fame. Burke died October 13, 2023 in Riner, Virginia, at 89.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 293 | 2 | 31 | 153 | 74 | 20 | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 12 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 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: #237 Chicago Cubs
More Chicago Cubs cards:
- #1 1963 National League E.R.A. Leaders
- #29 Lou Brock
- #55 Ernie Banks
- #78 Merritt Ranew
- #96 Bob Buhl
- #111 Don Elston
- #131 Steve Boros
- #175 Billy Williams
- #192 Cubs 1964 Rookie Stars
- #220 Dick Ellsworth
- #252 Ken Aspromonte
- #269 Ellis Burton
- #286 Don Landrum
- #309 Paul Toth
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1964 Topps #557 card?
It is card #557 of the 587-card 1964 Topps Baseball set, picturing Leo Burke of the Chicago Cubs.
Is 1964 Topps #557 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.