1967 Topps #404 Nelson Briles
About Nelson Briles
Briles' solo card #404, a series-5 issue, reports a rougher 1966: a 4-15 record with a 3.21 ERA across 154 innings and 49 games, including his final seven decisions all losses, as he split time between starting and relieving. He later credited watching staff ace Bob Gibson that season with reshaping his approach, learning to pitch to contact rather than work purely for strikeouts.
Nelson Briles pitched 14 major league seasons (1965-1978) as a right-hander, breaking in with the St. Louis Cardinals after Santa Clara University and scout Bill Sayers signed him for a reported bonus near $40,000-50,000. Used mostly in relief as a Cardinals rookie in 1965, he moved into the rotation in July 1967 when ace Bob Gibson broke his leg, won nine straight decisions and finished 14-5 with a 2.43 ERA, the National League's best winning percentage that year. He started and won Game 3 of the 1967 World Series over Boston, then set career highs of 19 wins, 141 strikeouts and 13 complete games in 1968 as St. Louis repeated as National League champions. Traded to Pittsburgh in 1971, he capped that season with a two-hit complete game over Baltimore in World Series Game 5, putting Pittsburgh ahead 3-2 in a World Series it went on to win. He also pitched for Kansas City, Texas and Baltimore before retiring in 1979 with a 129-112 record, 3.44 ERA and 1,163 strikeouts across 452 games. Briles later worked in Pirates broadcasting and as the club's Director of Corporate Sales; he died of a heart attack in 2005 while playing in the Pirates' annual alumni golf outing.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 260 | 2 | 34 | 123 | 62 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 1 |
| SGC | 9 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 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. PSA registers a row for every one of the 624 states; SGC lists no separate row for the #149 white-streak state.
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Related cards
Team card: #173 St. Louis Cardinals
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- #41 Joe Hoerner
- #45 Roger Maris
- #63 Cards Clubbers
- #78 Pat Corrales
- #92 Ray Washburn
- #108 Alex Johnson
- #128 Ed Spiezio
- #146 Steve Carlton
- #195 Al Jackson
- #196 Johnny Romano
- #210 Bob Gibson
- #226 Julian Javier
- #236 National League 1966 Pitching Leaders
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1967 Topps #404 card?
It is card #404 of the 609-card 1967 Topps Baseball set, picturing Nelson Briles of the St. Louis Cardinals.
How many cards are in the 1967 Topps Baseball set?
609 cards, tracked as 624 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 609 without a gap - no number was skipped and none was used twice - and 15 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, Baseball Almanac, BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-12.