1972 Topps #286 Gene Alley
About Gene Alley
Gene Alley was with the 97-65 Pirates of 1971 when they beat San Francisco in the NLCS and Baltimore in the World Series. A knee injury late in the season limited him to one playoff game and two World Series games. The #286 card, from the third series, shows him as a Pirate.
Leonard Eugene Alley, born July 10, 1940 in Richmond, Virginia, was a shortstop who spent his entire eleven-season major league career (1963-1973) with the Pittsburgh Pirates. After several years bouncing among third base, second base and the outfield in the minors while nursing a throwing-arm problem, he settled in at shortstop and formed a double-play combination with Bill Mazeroski. Alley won Gold Glove Awards in 1966 and 1967, was named to The Sporting News All-Star team both years, and earned back-to-back National League All-Star selections in 1967 and 1968. In 1966 he hit a career-high .299 and helped the Pirates set a National League record with 215 double plays. Alley was part of Pittsburgh's three straight NL East division titles from 1970-1972 and was the Pirates' regular shortstop during their 1971 World Series championship season. Shoulder and knee problems shortened his career, and he retired after the 1973 season. He earned the nickname Alley Oop in 1960, the year he was named the Northern League's Most Valuable Player. After retiring he worked for a printing company in Richmond, and in 1998 he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 320 | 17 | 120 | 140 | 24 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 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 #286 card?
It is card #286 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Gene Alley of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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.