1975 Topps #495 Nelson Briles
About Nelson Briles
Nelson "Nellie" Briles pitched fourteen big-league seasons and twice reached the World Series podium as a champion. Signed by St. Louis out of Santa Clara University in 1963, the right-hander broke into the Cardinals' rotation in 1965 and blossomed in 1967, going 14-5 after an injury to ace Bob Gibson opened a starting job; he closed the year with a complete-game win over Boston in Game 3 of that year's World Series, plunking Carl Yastrzemski en route to a 5-2 victory. He won a career-high 19 games in 1968 and returned to the Series with St. Louis again that fall. Traded to Pittsburgh in 1971, Briles delivered a two-hit complete game in Game 5 of that year's Fall Classic to help topple Baltimore for his second ring. Dealt to Kansas City for the 1974 season — the club pictured on his 1975 Topps card — knee and elbow injuries limited him to spot duty across two seasons with the Royals before stops in Texas and Baltimore closed out his career in 1978. Afterward he broadcast for the Pirates and founded the club's alumni association, collapsing suddenly in 2005 during the annual Pirates alumni golf tournament.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 254 | 1 | 61 | 155 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| SGC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-19. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here. The graders do not split the 1975 Topps Mini or O-Pee-Chee issues into this set.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #495 card?
It is card #495 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Nelson Briles.
How many cards are in the 1975 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1-660, with no variations and no short prints - PSA reports the cards were printed in equal quantities. The 1975 Topps Mini and the 1975 O-Pee-Chee issues are separate products with their own checklists.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, 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 2026-08-20.