1964 Topps #472 Vern Law
About Vern Law
Card #472 reports a grim 1963. Soreness returned, Law made only 12 starts in 18 appearances, and he finished 4-5 with a 4.93 ERA in 76.2 innings. Danny Murtaugh suggested he retire rather than spend down the respect he had earned, and Law reluctantly agreed; he changed his mind that winter after a blessing at a church youth conference in Salt Lake City, saying the pain was simply gone. The card comes from the set's sixth series, issued as he pitched his way back.
Vernon Sanders Law pitched all 16 of his major league seasons for the Pittsburgh Pirates, from his 1950 debut through 1967, with 1952 and 1953 given to the Army. He signed out of Meridian, Idaho in 1948 after part-owner Bing Crosby telephoned his parents. Law went 18-9 in 1959, then 20-9 with a 3.08 ERA and 18 complete games in 1960, winning the Cy Young Award when a single trophy still covered both leagues, the first won by a Pirate. He started three games of that World Series and won Games One and Four on an ankle teammates had sprained while tugging at his shoe in the pennant celebration. Favoring it tore muscles at the back of his shoulder; three thin seasons followed, and Danny Murtaugh suggested he retire after 1963. Law came back instead, going 17-9 with a career-low 2.15 ERA in 1965 for National League Comeback Player of the Year and the Lou Gehrig Award. He finished 162-147 with a 3.77 ERA, then coached Pirates pitchers and later at Brigham Young University, where future Hall of Famer Jack Morris pitched for him. An elder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was "Deacon" to teammates for the faith that governed his conduct; Pittsburgh elected him to the club's own Hall of Fame in August 2025.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 191 | 0 | 24 | 89 | 48 | 18 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 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.
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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 #472 card?
It is card #472 of the 587-card 1964 Topps Baseball set, picturing Vern Law of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Why is #472 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.