1971 Topps #654 Don Shaw
About Don Shaw
Limited to 17 innings in 1970, Shaw later credited talks about pitching with Tulsa manager Warren Spahn as one reason for his 1971 comeback. He tossed 12 scoreless innings at one point that spring but was optioned to Tulsa again. Recalled in late April, he retired all eight Expos he faced in his second appearance and won when Jose Cardenal drove in the winning runs. Topps pictured him as a Cardinal on #654, a sixth-series card.
Donald Wellington Shaw was a left-handed relief pitcher who spent parts of five seasons in the majors between 1967 and 1972, working 138 games for the Mets, Expos, Cardinals and Athletics. Born in Pittsburgh, he grew up in Reseda, California, and pitched at San Diego State before the Mets drafted him in 1965. He broke in with New York in 1967, working exclusively out of the bullpen his rookie year. Montreal took him in the 1968 expansion draft. In April 1969 he earned the win in the Expos' first-ever game, against the Mets at Shea Stadium, pitching three scoreless innings and leaving in the ninth with a lead that Carroll Sembera protected. A broken hand cost him most of 1970 after his contract moved to St. Louis, but he rebounded with a career-best 1971 season out of the Cardinals bullpen. Arm trouble and a trade to Oakland ended his major league career in 1972. He finished 13-14 with a 4.01 ERA and six saves, and later worked in the employee-benefits and health-insurance business.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 322 | 0 | 23 | 148 | 101 | 30 | 16 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 24 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. 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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Related cards
Team card: #308 St. Louis Cardinals
More St. Louis Cardinals cards:
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- #32 Jerry DaVanon
- #55 Steve Carlton
- #62 1970 National League Batting Leaders
- #70 1970 National League Pitching Leaders
- #72 1970 National League Strikeout Leaders
- #96 Joe Hague
- #117 Ted Simmons
- #158 Jerry Reuss
- #185 Julian Javier
- #216 Cards 1971 Rookie Stars
- #239 Red Schoendienst
- #257 Nelson Briles
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #654 card?
It is card #654 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Don Shaw of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Why is #654 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the sixth and last print series, #644-752 - the scarce end of the set. Some of its cards were printed in larger numbers than others, so scarcity varies card by card inside the run.
How many cards are in the 1971 Topps Baseball set?
752 cards, tracked as 761 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 752 with none skipped, issued in six print series (132/131/130/130/120/109 cards), the sixth (#644-752) the high numbers; seven cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - the #42, #265 and #306 photo pairs and the #123, #206, #369 and #619 checklists, #369 and #619 in three printings each.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA (its price guide, master set registry and set article), BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-25.