1964 Topps #201 Orioles Rookie Stars - Sam Bowens / Wally Bunker
On this card: Sam Bowens, Wally Bunker
About this card
This is one of the fifty-seven two-player Rookie Stars cards in the 1964 Topps set: fifty-three pair two prospects from one club, and the four league cards (#548, #564, #568 and #572) pair prospects from two clubs. Every one of them is a rookie card for at least one of its two players.
The story on this card
1964 Topps #201, in the set's third print series, is a Rookie Stars card pairing Bowens with fellow Orioles prospect Wally Bunker; it is a recognized rookie card for both. That year Bowens claimed a regular spot in the Baltimore outfield, batting .263 across 139 games with 22 homers, 71 driven in and 58 runs scored - the finest all-around production of his seven-year career. Orioles outfielder whose 22-homer, .263 rookie season in 1964 was the high point of a seven-year career that faded through Baltimore and ended with Washington in 1969.
Bunker's first Topps card is #201, a series-3 Orioles Rookie Stars pairing with outfield prospect Sam Bowens. It is Bunker's rookie card. It rests on a single major league appearance: a start against Detroit on September 29, 1963, in which the 18-year-old took a 7-3 loss opposite teenager Denny McLain. Signed the previous June out of a San Bruno, California high school for $75,000, Bunker turned that thin resume into a 19-5 season before this card's year was out. Wally Bunker was a Baltimore Orioles right-hander whose 19-5 rookie season in 1964 made him an overnight star; arm trouble followed, but he shut out the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series and later threw the first pitch in Kansas City Royals history.
Sources: Wikipedia (Sam Bowens) · Wikipedia (Wally Bunker) · SABR BioProject · Baseball Almanac (Wally Bunker) · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 275 | 2 | 21 | 137 | 75 | 19 | 11 | 7 | 3 |
| SGC | 15 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 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.
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Related cards
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1964 Topps #201 card?
It is card #201 of the 587-card 1964 Topps Baseball set, picturing Sam Bowens and Wally Bunker. This is one of the fifty-seven two-player Rookie Stars cards in the 1964 Topps set: fifty-three pair two prospects from one club, and the four league cards (#548, #564, #568 and #572) pair prospects from two clubs. Every one of them is a rookie card for at least one of its two players.
Is 1964 Topps #201 a rookie card?
Yes - #201 is a rookie card for every player pictured on it: Sam Bowens and Wally Bunker.
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.