1965 Topps #478 Wilbur Wood
About Wilbur Wood
Wood spent 1965 buried in Pittsburgh's bullpen, making 34 appearances almost entirely in mop-up roles under manager Harry Walker, with whom he did not get along. He earned his first career win on August 29 in relief against Houston. Card number 478, from the sixth series, shows him with the Pirates.
Wilbur Wood grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts, starring as a pitcher, quarterback and hockey defenseman before signing with his hometown Boston Red Sox in 1960. Relying on a fastball and curveball, he struggled through parts of four seasons with Boston and two more with the Pittsburgh Pirates, unable to stick in the majors. After a standout 1966 season in the minors, the Chicago White Sox acquired him, and knuckleball specialist Hoyt Wilhelm taught him to throw the pitch full time. The transformation made Wood one of the game's most durable arms: he set a major league record with 88 appearances in 1968 as a reliever, then moved into the rotation in 1971 and won 20 or more games four straight years, leading the American League in wins twice and starts for four consecutive seasons. He pitched 17 seasons in the majors, three times an All-Star, before retiring after the 1978 season and settling back in the Boston area.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 319 | 2 | 58 | 176 | 55 | 15 | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 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. The two checklist variations, #79 and #508, are listed under the wording PSA uses for each state.
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Related cards
Team card: #209 Pittsburgh Pirates
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #2 National League 1964 Batting Leaders
- #12 National League 1964 Strikeout Leaders
- #25 Al McBean
- #54 Joe Gibbon
- #69 Bill Virdon
- #95 Bill Mazeroski
- #121 Gene Alley
- #143 Pirates 1965 Rookie Stars
- #160 Bob Clemente
- #195 Bob Veale
- #218 Dick Schofield
- #232 Steve Blass
- #246 Tom Butters
- #265 Jim Pagliaroni
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1965 Topps #478 card?
It is card #478 of the 598-card 1965 Topps Baseball set, picturing Wilbur Wood of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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.