1959 Topps #202 Roger Maris
Roger Maris's first Topps card as an Athletic, two years before his 61-home-run 1961 season with the Yankees.
About Roger Maris
Roger Maris began his professional career in 1953 with the Fargo-Moorhead Twins, winning Northern League Rookie of the Year honors, and reached the majors with the Cleveland Indians in 1957. Traded to the Kansas City Athletics during the 1958 season, Maris was playing right field for Kansas City in 1959 — the season on this card — batting .273 with 16 home runs and 72 RBIs in 122 games despite missing 45 games for an appendectomy; he was still named to that year's All-Star team. That December the Athletics traded him to the New York Yankees, where he became a superstar: he won back-to-back American League MVP awards in 1960 and 1961, and in 1961 hit a then-record 61 home runs, breaking Babe Ruth's 34-year-old single-season mark with his 61st homer coming off Boston's Tracy Stallard on the season's final day. Maris won World Series titles with the Yankees in 1961 and 1962 and again with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1967, batting .385 in that Series. He finished his 12-year career with 275 home runs and a .260 average, and the Yankees retired his No. 9 in 1984. Despite his MVP hardware, Maris has never been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He died of lymphoma in 1985 at age 51; his American League home run record stood until 2022.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Variations & how to tell them apart
White Back / Gray Back Series 3 (cards 199-286)
Every card #199-286 exists with the reverse printed on white card stock OR gray card stock. Per PSA the GRAY back is the less common of the two (correcting the older "roughly equal" claim), but there is NO price differential (Beckett) — the difference is a scarcity/completeness point, not a value flag. The tint is on the reverse and is not reliably visible on a front scan.
- White Back: Printed on white card stock — the more common Series 3 back.
- Gray Back: Printed on gray card stock — the scarcer Series 3 back (PSA), but with no established price premium.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 5,076 | 0 | 37 | 354 | 750 | 942 | 969 | 2,016 | 8 |
| SGC | 1,772 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 136 | 217 | 423 | 929 | 37 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-05. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. Totals are summed across each grader's listed variations.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1959 Topps Roger Maris card?
It is card #202 of 572 in the 1959 Topps Baseball set - Topps' largest set to that point, issued across seven series with a circular color photo on every front. It pictures the Kansas City Athletics player.
Does the 1959 Topps Roger Maris have back variations?
Yes. Every card #199-286 exists with the reverse printed on white card stock OR gray card stock. Per PSA the GRAY back is the less common of the two (correcting the older "roughly equal" claim), but there is NO price differential (Beckett) — the difference is a scarcity/completeness point, not a value flag. The tint is on the reverse and is not reliably visible on a front scan.
Is the 1959 Topps Roger Maris valuable?
Value depends on grade, the series (the high numbers run scarcer), and any variation. Use the links above to check current T206 Cards inventory and live eBay listings.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Baseball-Reference, BaseballCardPedia, PSA & SGC population reports, and Baseball-Almanac. Card data, images & population compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-13.