1973 Topps #451 John Vukovich
About John Vukovich
Vukovich was on his honeymoon when the Phillies traded him, Don Money and Bill Champion to Milwaukee for four pitchers on October 31, 1972. In 1973 he played 55 games, mostly at third base, and hit .125. After an April series against Baltimore, Earl Weaver said, 'I can't believe some of the plays Vukovich made,' and compared him favorably with Brooks Robinson. Topps issued his rookie card as #451, in the fourth series, with the Milwaukee Brewers.
John Vukovich was a utility infielder who played parts of ten seasons between 1970 and 1981 for the Phillies, Brewers and Reds, then stayed in the game for the rest of his life, chiefly with the Phillies. His .161 career average is the lowest of any non-pitcher with 500 or more at-bats. He caught Pete Rose's soft liner for the final out of Rick Wise's no-hitter on June 23, 1971. He opened 1975 as the Reds' starting third baseman, but on April 16 Sparky Anderson sent a pinch hitter up for him in the second inning, and Vukovich smashed every light bulb between the dugout and the clubhouse. On the Phillies' 1980 World Series champions he appeared in 49 games, and manager Dallas Green called him 'a spearhead to that team.' He coached the Cubs from 1982 to 1987 and managed them for one day in 1986, splitting a doubleheader. With the Phillies he managed the last nine games of 1988 after Lee Elia was fired, going 5-4, and coached through 2004. A benign brain tumor was removed in 2001, and he was back in the third-base coach's box just over a month later. He died in Philadelphia in 2007, and the Phillies wore a 'Vuk' sleeve patch that season.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 202 | 4 | 68 | 103 | 19 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 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: #127 Milwaukee Brewers
More Milwaukee Brewers cards:
- #45 Ellie Rodriguez
- #71 Johnny Briggs
- #74 Billy Champion
- #92 Jerry Bell
- #152 Dave May
- #176 Chuck Taylor
- #212 Joe Lahoud
- #231 Bill Parsons
- #263 George Scott
- #286 Frank Linzy
- #308 Skip Lockwood
- #332 John Felske
- #366 Brock Davis
- #386 Don Money
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #451 card?
It is card #451 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Vukovich of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Is 1973 Topps #451 a rookie card?
Yes - #451 is the 1973 Topps rookie card of John Vukovich.
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.