1965 Topps #290 Wally Bunker
The trophy emblem on the front marks Bunker's selection to the 1964 Topps All-Star Rookie Team, chosen off his 19-5, 2.69 ERA rookie season for Baltimore.
About Wally Bunker
A 19-5 rookie year put Bunker on two 1965 cards. Series-1 card #9, 'American League 1964 Pitching Leaders,' places his 19 wins behind 20-game winners Dean Chance and Gary Peters and alongside Juan Pizarro and Dave Wickersham. His series-4 solo card #290 carries on its front the trophy emblem Topps printed for its All-Star Rookie Team, marking his 1964 selection. He hurt his shoulder warming up that September 25, and the pain never fully left.
Wallace Edward Bunker signed with the Baltimore Orioles for a $75,000 bonus out of Capuchino High School in San Bruno, California, and reached the majors at 18. His 1964 rookie season remains one of the best in Orioles history: 19-5 with a 2.69 ERA and the American League's top winning percentage at .792, good for The Sporting News AL Rookie Pitcher of the Year award and a place on the Topps All-Star Rookie Team. A rotator cuff injury in late September 1964 began years of arm trouble, yet Bunker still threw a six-hit, 1-0 shutout of the Dodgers in Game 3 of Baltimore's 1966 World Series sweep, part of a Series-record 33 1/3 scoreless innings by Orioles pitching. Kansas City took him in the October 1968 expansion draft, and he led the first Royals staff in wins. His last major league season was 1971; he retired in June 1972 at 27, at 60-52 with a 3.51 ERA. San Mateo County's Sports Hall of Fame inducted him in 1995.
Sources: Wikipedia · 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 | 256 | 5 | 24 | 125 | 65 | 20 | 13 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 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. The two checklist variations, #79 and #508, are listed under the wording PSA uses for each state.
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Related cards
More Wally Bunker in this set: #9 League Leaders
Team card: #572 Baltimore Orioles
More Baltimore Orioles cards:
- #1 American League 1964 Batting Leaders
- #3 American League 1964 Home Run Leaders
- #5 American League 1964 RBI Leaders
- #9 American League 1964 Pitching Leaders
- #15 Robin Roberts
- #33 Jackie Brandt
- #49 Orioles 1965 Rookie Stars
- #67 Harvey Haddix
- #94 Charlie Lau
- #113 Steve Barber
- #150 Brooks Robinson
- #169 Dave Vineyard
- #188 Sam Bowens
- #204 Russ Snyder
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1965 Topps #290 card?
It is card #290 of the 598-card 1965 Topps Baseball set, picturing Wally Bunker of the Baltimore Orioles.
How many cards are in the 1965 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 600 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 598 with no gaps and no printed-number collisions, and two checklist cards - #79 and #508 - carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, 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.