The 6 Most Iconic 1963 Topps Baseball Cards

Baseball was loaded with legendary players in 1963, and Topps took full advantage of this star power in its 1963 baseball card set. Topps produced many outstanding 1963 Topps multiplayer cards, allowing collectors to own multiple Hall of Famers on a single piece of cardboard.

<a href="https://app.cardladder.com/sales-history?sort=price&direction=desc&index=new_salesarchive&saleId=rea-12288&q=bombers%20best” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>

Two Hall of Famers would seem to be better than one, but multiplayer baseball cards are usually worth less than single-player cards of the same players. This is partly because no single player “owns” the card. Some collectors believe that multiplayer cards have crowded designs, with each player’s image shrunk down, reducing their overall eye appeal. But because most collectors prefer a single star player on their cardboard, there are many fantastic values within 1963 Topps, allowing collectors to obtain great bang (multiple Hall of Famers) for their buck.

The 1963 baseball card season was significant for more than just great multiplayer cards. Fleer attempted to challenge Topps’ dominance by releasing a set of its own, packaging its cards with a cherry-flavored cookie instead of bubble gum. However, a successful lawsuit filed by Topps prevented Fleer from releasing additional cards beyond its first series, which left Topps in control of the baseball card market for many years to come.

Fleer produced just 67 cards in 1963, while Topps included 576 cards on its checklist. The Topps cards featured one of the most attractive designs of the decade, with large color photographs accompanied by smaller black-and-white player images on individual base cards. The colorful bottom borders add to the uniqueness and eye appeal of the cards, but also chip easily and make high grade copies extremely rare.

The set also included several important rookie cards, including one that is arguably the most iconic baseball card of the 1960s. Below are six of the most iconic, valuable, and sought-after baseball cards from the 1963 Topps set.

6. Willie Mays 1963 Topps #300

PSA 6 Price:$420
PSA 3 Price: $160
PSA Population:4,225 (one PSA 10 and 38 PSA 9s)

Interesting Info:Willie Mayswas coming off one of his greatest seasons in 1962, when he hit a career-high 49 home runs and helped lead the Giants to the World Series. He followed that performance by accumulating a 10.6 WAR in 1963, one of the highest totals of his career. Despite being a better overall player than Mickey Mantle, Mays’ PSA 9 copy of this card sold for 25 times less ($12,300) than Mantle’s PSA 9 card ($317,200) from the same set.

Mays also appears in the set on card #138 (Pride of N.L.) alongside Stan Musial and in the 1963 Topps Peel-Offs insert set (card #27). 

5. Roberto Clemente 1963 Topps #540

PSA 6 Price: $569
PSA 3 Price: $250
PSA Population:3,725 (two PSA 10s and 35 PSA 9s)

Interesting Info:This card was issued in the seventh and final series of 1963 Topps, making it one of the most difficult cards in the set to find. A PSA 7 of this card could be bought for less than $250 back in 2019, while a recent PSA 7 copy sold for $920.

Roberto Clemente had an excellent season in 1963, finishing second in the National League batting race. Clemente also appears in 1963 Topps on card #18 (Buc Blasters) and in the Topps Peel-Offs insert set.

4. Hank Aaron 1963 Topps #390

PSA 6 Price: $585
PSA 3 Price:$190
PSA Population: 4,007 (two PSA 10s and 38 PSA 9s)

Interesting Info: Hank Aaron had one of the best all-around seasons in 1963, batting .319 with 44 home runs, 130 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases. He led the National League in home runs and RBIs. Back in 2018, a PSA 8 copy of this card could be found for less than $200. Now, this card in a PSA 8 sells for more than $2,000.  

Aaron is also featured on card #242 (“Power Plus” with Ernie Banks) and an iconic League Leaders card that features five Hall of Famers (with Willie Mays, Ernie Banks, Frank Robinson, and Orlando Cepeda).

3. Willie Stargell Rookie Card 1963 Topps #553 ‘Rookie Stars’

PSA 6 Price:$652
PSA 3 Price: $234
PSA Population:3,656 (two PSA 10s and 35 PSA 9s)

Interesting Info:This card and the Tony Oligell shares this rookie with Brock Davis, Jim Gosger, and John Herrnstein, none of whom came close to matching Stargell’s career accomplishments. In 1979, Stragell became the only player to ever win NL MVP, NLCS MVP, and World Series MVP in the same season

2. Mickey Mantle 1963 Topps #200

PSA 6 Price:$2,300
PSA 3 Price:$603
PSA Population:8,960 (two PSA 10s and 40 PSA 9s)

Interesting Info: A Mickey Mantle base card is usually the most popular and iconic card in a 1960s set, but 1963 Topps is an exception. Mantle won his third MVP award in 1962, but a broken foot and a knee injury limited him to just 65 games in 1963. A PSA 9 copy of this card sold for just $3,800 in 2009 (and one recently sold for more than $317,000).

Mantle also appears on card #2 in the set (1962 AL Batting Leaders with Pete Runnels and Leon Wagner) and card #173 (“Bomber’s Best” with Bobby Richardson and Tom Tresh).

1. Pete Rose Rookie Card 1963 Topps #537 ‘Rookie Stars’

PSA 6 Price:$3,380
PSA 3 Price:$1,385
PSA Population:7,712 (one PSA 10 and 30 PSA 9s)

Interesting Info:Many buyers and sellers mistakenly classify the 1964 Pete Rose card as rookie card, but hobby authorities like PSA and Beckett classify the 1963 Topps “floating heads” card as the only Pete Rose rookie. Rose won the National League Rookie of the Year award in 1963 after batting .273 with 170 hits for the Reds.

This card has experienced tremendous price appreciation over the past six years, with a PSA 2 copy selling for just $394 in 2020 (the last PSA 2 sold for $1,344).

Honorable Mentions (with PSA 6 Prices)

Sandy Koufax #210 PSA 6:$355
Yogi Berra #340 PSA 6:$333
Ernie Banks #380: $255
Bob Gibson #415:$250
Tony Oliva Rookie Card #228: $226
Bob Uecker #126:$200

Add us as a preferred
DAVID SOLOW

David is a collector based in Georgia and a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees, New York Giants, and New York Knicks. He is an avid sports card collector with a strong passion for vintage baseball cards and vintage on-card autographs. David enjoys obtaining autographs through the mail and loves connecting with other knowledgeable collectors to discuss the history and evolution of the hobby. He also previously wrote about the New York Giants for GMENHQ.com