1972 Topps #538 Charlie Sands
About Charlie Sands
Sands got into one game for the 1972 Pirates and came to the plate once, a year after he hit .200 with a home run in 28 games. His rookie card, #538, came out in the fifth series with Pittsburgh as his club.
Charlie Sands was a left-handed-hitting catcher, pinch hitter and designated hitter who reached the majors with the New York Yankees in 1967 and appeared in six seasons for four clubs: the Yankees, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1971-72), the California Angels (1973-74) and the Oakland Athletics (1975). Born in Newport News, Virginia, he stood 6 feet 2 inches and threw right-handed. His one World Series at-bat came with the 1971 Pirates, when he pinch hit for Bob Veale in the sixth inning of Game 2 and struck out against Jim Palmer; Pittsburgh beat Baltimore in seven games. In 93 major league games he hit .214 with 6 home runs. He drove in 23 runs and drew 36 walks in 145 at-bats. He died in Naples, Florida, in 2016 at the age of 68.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 206 | 4 | 54 | 118 | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 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: #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 #538 card?
It is card #538 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Charlie Sands of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Is 1972 Topps #538 a rookie card?
Yes - #538 is the 1972 Topps rookie card of Charlie Sands.
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.