1964 Topps #509 Pirates Rookie Stars - Gene Alley / Orlando McFarlane
On this card: Gene Alley, Orlando McFarlane
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
In 1964, Alley split the season as a utility infielder behind starting shortstop Dick Schofield, appearing in 81 games and batting .211 while posting a sharp .966 fielding percentage in 61 games at short. His 1964 Topps #509 is a Rookie Stars card shared with fellow Pirates farmhand Orlando McFarlane, issued in the sixth print series; it is recognized as Alley's rookie card. Gold Glove shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1963-1973) who teamed with Bill Mazeroski on one of baseball's great double-play combinations, made two All-Star teams, and started at short for the 1971 World Series champions.
The 1964 Topps #509 is a Rookie Stars card, McFarlane sharing the front with fellow Pirate Gene Alley. The season behind it was his longest run in a Pittsburgh uniform, arriving after a season and a half back at Triple-A: 37 games, 78 at-bats, a .244 average built on 19 hits including five doubles, no home runs and a single RBI, with 27 strikeouts. It also closed his National League service, since the rest of his big-league work came in the American League. Orlando McFarlane, a Cuban catcher out of Victoria de las Tunas, reached the Pirates in 1962 on the strength of a big year at Asheville, then caught in parts of four more seasons for Pittsburgh, Detroit and California through 1968.
Sources: Wikipedia (Gene Alley) · Wikipedia (Orlando McFarlane) · SABR BioProject · Baseball Almanac (Orlando McFarlane) · Baseball Almanac · The Baseball Cube
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 192 | 0 | 11 | 90 | 49 | 31 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| SGC | 15 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 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
Team card: #373 Pittsburgh Pirates
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #1 1963 National League E.R.A. Leaders
- #7 1963 National League Batting Leaders
- #20 Bob Friend
- #37 Smoky Burgess
- #62 Ted Savage
- #74 Pirates 1964 Rookie Stars
- #91 Bob Bailey
- #117 Earl Francis
- #141 Danny Murtaugh
- #163 Donn Clendenon
- #193 Jerry Lynch
- #209 Bob Allen
- #224 Tommie Sisk
- #246 Manny Mota
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1964 Topps #509 card?
It is card #509 of the 587-card 1964 Topps Baseball set, picturing Gene Alley and Orlando McFarlane. 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 #509 a rookie card?
Yes - #509 is the rookie card of Gene Alley. Orlando McFarlane had already appeared on an earlier Topps card, so it is not his rookie card.
Why is #509 harder to find?
It is a series 5-6 card. Cards from the fifth and sixth print series (#371-522) are a step tougher to find than #1-370; availability in 1964 runs in three tiers, not a cliff.
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.