1969 Topps #137 Wally Bunker
About Wally Bunker
Kansas City chose Bunker in the October 15, 1968 expansion draft, and card #137 is his first Royals card, a second-series issue in the new club's first Topps set; his rookie card came in 1964. He threw the first pitch in franchise history on Opening Day, April 8, 1969, then led the staff with 12 wins against 11 losses and a 3.23 ERA across 35 games and 31 starts, and was voted the Royals' Most Valuable Player.
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 | 311 | 3 | 58 | 176 | 56 | 11 | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 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.
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- #49 Royals 1969 Rookie Stars
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- #239 Bob Taylor
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- #279 Roger Nelson
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- #376 Royals 1969 Rookie Stars
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #137 card?
It is card #137 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Wally Bunker of the Kansas City Royals.
How many cards are in the 1969 Topps Baseball set?
664 cards, tracked as 696 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 664 with none skipped and no printed number shared by two cards; 32 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately, 23 of them the yellow- and white-letter name pairs of #440-511.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, 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 2026-10-12.