1973 Topps #635 Gene Alley


About Gene Alley
Alley hit .248 with three home runs in 119 games for the 1972 Pirates, who won a third straight division title and lost the NLCS to Cincinnati three games to two. He went 0-for-16 in that series. Card #635 is a high number from the fifth series of 1973 Topps and pictures him with Pittsburgh. His final season, 1973, covered 76 games and a .203 average.
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 | 186 | 2 | 47 | 117 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1973 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #26 Pittsburgh Pirates
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #2 Rich Hebner
- #50 Roberto Clemente
- #95 Steve Blass
- #117 Ramon Hernandez
- #141 Bruce Kison
- #163 Vic Davalillo
- #187 Luke Walker
- #225 Al Oliver
- #250 Manny Sanguillen
- #277 Bob Miller
- #303 Nelson Briles
- #333 Gene Clines
- #348 Rennie Stennett
- #363 Jackie Hernandez
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #635 card?
It is card #635 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing Gene Alley of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Why is #635 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the fifth and last print series, #529-660 - the scarce end of the set.
How many cards are in the 1973 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, tracked as 679 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 660 with none skipped, in five series of 132 - #1-132, #133-264, #265-396, #397-528 and the high numbers, #529-660, printed in lower quantities; 19 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - fifteen Field Leaders cards, the #20 Stan Bahnsen, #31 Buddy Bell and #504 Earl Williams border-gap pairs and the two #280 Al Kaline printings.
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.