1971 Topps #473 Gary Wagner
About Gary Wagner
Boston sent Wagner to Triple-A Louisville to open 1970, where he posted a 3.62 ERA, and brought him up after starter Bill Lee left for Army duty and shortstop Luis Alvarado was optioned to Louisville. Wagner won his first outing back with two innings of relief. His 1971 Topps card is #473 in the fourth series. Boston released him as 1971 began. After about two months in the Expos' system, he returned to a Boston Triple-A club in late May and was released again on July 5, which ended his professional career.
Gary Edward Wagner was a right-handed relief pitcher from Bridgeport, Illinois, who threw a no-hitter in his first collegiate outing after converting from shortstop at Eastern Illinois University. Signed by the Phillies in 1961, he reached the majors in 1965 and worked 162 games over six seasons for Philadelphia and Boston, almost entirely out of the bullpen, with four starts. His rookie year produced a career-high 59 appearances and a 7-7 record with a 3.00 ERA. A sore shoulder limited him to five games in 1966, and after one appearance with the Phillies in 1967 he again worked mostly with Triple-A San Diego, where he helped the Padres win a Pacific Coast League championship. Back with the Phillies in 1968, he adopted a three-quarter arm slot at manager Gene Mauch's suggestion and worked 44 games with eight saves. Traded to the Red Sox in September 1969 after a demotion to Eugene, he closed out his major-league career in Boston in 1970, finishing 15-19 with 22 saves and a 3.70 ERA.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 273 | 0 | 6 | 152 | 88 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 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: #386 Boston Red Sox
More Boston Red Sox cards:
- #9 George Scott
- #31 Eddie Kasko
- #58 Bill Lee
- #61 1970 American League Batting Leaders
- #63 1970 American League RBI Leaders
- #65 1970 American League Home Run Leaders
- #89 Ken Brett
- #114 Billy Conigliaro
- #159 Jarvis Tatum
- #176 Red Sox 1971 Rookie Stars
- #191 Mike Andrews
- #225 Gary Peters
- #254 Cal Koonce
- #287 Mike Fiore
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #473 card?
It is card #473 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Gary Wagner of the Boston Red Sox.
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.