Welcome to The Athletic Collectibles Staff’s Sports Card of the Week! Here we’ll highlight a notable, interesting, or just plain fun sports card. This week, with Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh edging closer to a 60-plus home run season, we look back at a vintage baseball card of a player who achieved the milestone.
The 1961 Topps Baseball set contains 587 cards and features three different Roger Maris cards, with his #2 base card being the most notable among collectors. Key Hall of Famers in the set include Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, as well as rookie cards of Juan Marichal and Billy Williams.
The card shows a mild-mannered close-up of Maris in Yankee pinstripes, with a bat resting on his shoulder as he looks off to the side. His name stands out in bold red font on a yellow background positioned at the bottom left. This, combined with the card’s standard white border design gives it a clean and classic look.
Why It Matters
Maris’ 1961 Topps #2 card is one of his most popular because of the historic season it represents. The 1961 season featured an epic home run race between Yankees sluggers Maris and Mantle as they chased Babe Ruth’s single-season record of 60 home runs. Maris ultimately beat out Mantle and broke the long-standing record with 61 dingers.
During the same season, Maris captured his second consecutive American League MVP award and his first World Series title. It was the peak of his baseball stardom and the defining moment of his career.
In 2001, Billy Crystal produced and directed an HBO movie titled “61*,” which chronicles the 1961 baseball season and the home run race between Maris and Mantle.
Despite Maris still not yet enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, his 1961 Topps #2 remains highly sought-after because of the season it represents. The fact that he broke the home run record while playing for an iconic team like the Yankees further adds to its enduring collectibility.
PSA graded population and current market value
Of the nearly 6,000 Roger Maris 1961 Topps #2 graded by PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), only one has achieved a Gem-Mint PSA 10 grade and has no recorded sales.
The most common grade is PSA 4 (1,125 copies), which typically sells on eBay for around $80, depending on its visual appeal. Near-Mint-to-Mint examples graded a PSA 8 typically command prices exceeding $1,000. The record sale for a PSA 9 came in 2021, when one sold at auction for $12,148, but the next two highest sales came earlier this year at exactly $10,370 each in auctions three months apart. The PSA 9 population is just 24.
The card’s popularity compared to other Roger Maris cards is reflected in the number of PSA graded examples (total population of 5,985). The only Maris card that’s been graded more by PSA is his 1958 Topps rookie card (total population of 7,171), according to GemRate, which tracks graded card populations.
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(Top photo: Bettmann / Getty Images; card images: eBay)