1967 Topps #506 Smoky Burgess
About Smoky Burgess
Burgess's last Topps card, #506, sits in the sixth series of the 1967 set, and the season on its back is the strangest of his career. In 1966 he appeared in 79 games for the White Sox, only two of them behind the plate, batted .313 with 15 RBI - and never scored a run. Those 79 runless games remain a major-league record for a non-pitcher. His 20 pinch hits that year matched the American League record Ed Coleman had set in 1936. Chicago released him that October at his own request, then signed him again for 1967; he played his final game on October 1 at age 40, still the career pinch-hit leader.
Forrest Harrill "Smoky" Burgess spent 18 major-league seasons (1949-1967) as a catcher and, in his final years, as the game's premier pinch hitter, playing for the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox. A native of Caroleen, North Carolina, the stocky left-handed hitter was chosen for six All-Star squads, nine selections in all under the era's two-game format, and he hit .368 for the 1954 Phillies. Traded to Pittsburgh in January 1959, he won a World Series ring in 1960, batting .333 as the Pirates upset the Yankees, and he led National League catchers in fielding percentage three times, in 1953, 1960 and 1961. Claimed on waivers by the White Sox in September 1964, Burgess was used almost exclusively off the bench over his last three seasons and retired as the career leader in pinch hits, a mark that stood until Manny Mota passed him in 1979. He finished at .295 with 126 home runs and 673 RBI, and is enshrined in the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. Accounts of his nickname vary, crediting the nearby Smoky Mountains, his father's nickname, his lack of speed, or the fact that he never smoked.
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 | 259 | 0 | 42 | 114 | 50 | 34 | 12 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 19 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 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: #573 Chicago White Sox
More Chicago White Sox cards:
- #9 Ron Hansen
- #29 Tom McCraw
- #52 Dennis Higgins
- #67 Ken Berry
- #81 Eddie Stanky
- #107 Joel Horlen
- #143 Sox Sockers
- #159 Bruce Howard
- #178 John Buzhardt
- #208 Jack Lamabe
- #232 Don Buford
- #233 American League 1966 ERA Leaders
- #259 Don Dennis
- #286 Wayne Causey
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1967 Topps #506 card?
It is card #506 of the 609-card 1967 Topps Baseball set, picturing Smoky Burgess of the Chicago White Sox.
Why is #506 harder to find?
It is from the sixth print series, #458-533 - noticeably tougher than the first five.
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.