1973 Topps #303 Nelson Briles
About Nelson Briles
In 1972, Briles struck out 120 batters over 195 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh. His third-series 1973 Topps card, #303, shows him with the Pirates. He made 33 starts in 1973 with a 2.84 ERA, and sang the national anthem before Game 4 of that fall's World Series.
Nelson Briles pitched fourteen major league seasons for St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Texas and Baltimore. A right-hander who worked as both a starter and reliever, he finished with a 129-112 record and a 3.44 ERA. He made 452 appearances and struck out 1,163 batters. He studied drama at Santa Clara University and later performed a Pittsburgh nightclub act featuring songs and jokes. After his playing career, Briles became a television commentator for the Pirates, Mariners and USA Network. He joined Pittsburgh's front office as director of corporate sales in 1986, founded the Pirates Alumni Association and directed the club's fantasy camp.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 166 | 8 | 57 | 88 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1973 Topps #303 card?
It is card #303 of the 660-card 1973 Topps Baseball set, picturing Nelson Briles of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
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.