1972 Topps #599 Billy Champion
About Billy Champion
The 1972 Topps #599, from the fifth series, has Champion as a Phillie. He returned to the rotation that year with 22 starts in 30 games. He went 4-14 with a 5.09 ERA over 132 2/3 innings. He also hit the only home run of his career, one of five hits in 34 at-bats.
Bill Champion was a right-handed pitcher, 6 ft 4 in, who worked 202 major-league games for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers between 1969 and 1976. He came from Shelby, North Carolina, where he helped Shelby High win the 1964 Western North Carolina championship. The Phillies picked him in the third round, 58th overall, in 1965, and he led his minor league in ERA twice, with Huron in the Northern League in 1965 and Tidewater in the Carolina League in 1968. He debuted in June 1969. On October 31, 1972, Philadelphia sent him with Don Money and John Vukovich to Milwaukee for Jim Lonborg, Ken Brett, Ken Sanders and Earl Stephenson. He finished his career 34-50 with a 4.69 ERA, later scouted for the Cubs, coached pitchers for the Greenville Braves and died in Shelby in 2017.
Sources: Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 223 | 18 | 71 | 107 | 15 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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: #397 Philadelphia Phillies
More Philadelphia Phillies cards:
- #14 Phillies 1972 Rookie Stars
- #43 Rick Wise
- #44 Rick Wise In Action
- #69 Roger Freed
- #112 Greg Luzinski
- #139 Tim McCarver
- #167 Deron Johnson
- #168 Deron Johnson In Action
- #188 Frank Lucchesi
- #252 Ken Reynolds
- #283 Darrell Brandon
- #324 Mike Ryan
- #345 Rick Wise
- #357 Woodie Fryman
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #599 card?
It is card #599 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Billy Champion of the Philadelphia Phillies.
How many cards are in the 1972 Topps Baseball set?
787 cards, tracked as 794 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 787 with none skipped, in six print series (#1-132, #133-263, #264-394, #395-525, #526-656 and #657-787, the high numbers); 7 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - four Chicago Cubs cards with yellow or green under the "C" and "S" of the team name, the #251 and #478 checklists with smaller or larger print on the front, and the #604 checklist with its copyright line aligned right or left.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, 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.