1972 Topps #729 Bob Veale
About Bob Veale
Manager Danny Murtaugh moved Bob Veale to the bullpen in 1971 after seven straight seasons of 200 or more innings. He went 6-0 with a 6.99 ERA, though he pitched strongly in September as the Pirates pushed for the division title. The #729 card, in the last series, shows him with Pittsburgh.
Robert Andrew Veale was a 6-foot-6, bespectacled left-hander, one of the hardest throwers in the National League, who pitched for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1962 through 1972. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, on October 28, 1935, he worked the concession stand at Rickwood Field as a boy and pitched batting practice for the Birmingham Black Barons; his father had pitched for the Homestead Grays. Veale went to Benedictine College on an athletic scholarship and signed with Pittsburgh as an amateur free agent in 1958. A league-leading 208 strikeouts for Columbus of the International League in 1961 earned him the call, and he debuted on April 16, 1962. Wild as well as overpowering, he led the National League in walks four times, led it with 250 strikeouts in 1964, and set a career high of 276 in 1965 that is still the Pirates' modern-era record. A two-time All-Star, he finished 120-95 with a 3.07 ERA and 1,703 strikeouts, and won a ring with the 1971 world champion Pirates. Released by Pittsburgh in May 1972, he signed with Boston that September and pitched there through 1974, then taught pitching in the Atlanta and New York farm systems. He entered the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and died in Birmingham on January 3, 2025, at 89.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 397 | 12 | 134 | 191 | 40 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 20 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 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: #1 World Champions (Pittsburgh Pirates)
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #27 Bob Johnson
- #60 Manny Sanguillen
- #72 Bruce Kison
- #87 1971 N.L. R.B.I. Leaders
- #89 1971 N.L. Home Run Leaders
- #125 Dave Cash
- #152 Gene Clines
- #179 Dock Ellis
- #180 Dock Ellis In Action
- #190 Dave Giusti
- #219 Rennie Stennett
- #221 1971 N.L. Playoffs: Bucs Champs!
- #225 1971 World Series Game No. 3
- #226 1971 World Series Game No. 4
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #729 card?
It is card #729 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bob Veale of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Why is #729 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the sixth and last print series, #657-787 - with the fifth series, the toughest to find, per PSA.
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.