1968 Topps #585 Wilbur Wood
About Wilbur Wood
Refining his knuckleball further with Wilhelm and dropping his windup entirely on his pitching coach's suggestion, Wood became Chicago's top reliever in 1968, setting a major league record with 88 appearances and posting a 1.87 ERA that earned him The Sporting News' AL Fireman of the Year award. A high-number card, number 585 from the seventh series, shows him with the White Sox.
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 | 375 | 4 | 77 | 219 | 46 | 13 | 5 | 11 | 0 |
| SGC | 19 | 0 | 6 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 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. Slabs of the yellow team-letter #49 and #66 are 1968 Milton Bradley game cards and are not counted here.
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Related cards
Team card: #424 Chicago White Sox
More Chicago White Sox cards:
- #8 American League 1967 ERA Leaders
- #14 Jerry McNertney
- #33 Pete Ward
- #51 Bob Locker
- #72 Tommy John
- #99 Rocky Colavito
- #125 Joe Horlen
- #142 White Sox 1968 Rookie Stars
- #172 Walt Williams
- #210 Gary Peters
- #229 Fred Klages
- #259 Ken Boyer
- #265 Tommy Davis
- #287 White Sox 1968 Rookie Stars
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #585 card?
It is card #585 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Wilbur Wood of the Chicago White Sox.
Is 1968 Topps #585 a scarce card?
It is a high number card from the seventh print series, #534-598, by the checklist-card division. The last two series together (#458-598) carry only a modest premium; no short-print list exists.
How many cards are in the 1968 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 606 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 598 without a gap and no printed number carries two different cards; eight cards - six of the seven checklists, #10 AL Pitching Leaders and #400 Mike McCormick - carry a catalogued print variation that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball Almanac, Beckett, 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.