1960 Topps #551 Ed Rakow
About Ed Rakow
Born Edward Charles Ciuksza in Pittsburgh in 1935, Rakow signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization in 1957 after a chance meeting with scout Doc Ruppan at a friend's wedding. The hard-throwing right-hander advanced through Reno, Green Bay and Montreal, drawing comparisons to Don Drysdale from International League observers, before reaching the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1960 — the season pictured on his short-printed high-number rookie card, #551 in the scarce 507-572 series. Traded to Kansas City the following spring, Rakow blossomed in 1962, starting on Opening Day and leading the Athletics in wins, starts, complete games, shutouts and innings while snapping Harmon Killebrew's nine-game home run streak. Dealt to Detroit that November in the Rocky Colavito trade, he posted a career-best 3.72 ERA in 1964, with Al Kaline calling him the toughest pitcher he faced. Arm trouble cut short his rise; he closed his career with Atlanta in 1967, finishing 36-47, 4.33, with 484 strikeouts over seven big-league seasons. He died in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2000.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 388 | 0 | 15 | 148 | 125 | 59 | 27 | 14 | 0 |
| SGC | 29 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-20. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here. The Venezuelan issue, the 1960 Topps Tattoos and Bazooka are separate products and are not counted here.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1960 Topps #551 card?
It is card #551 of the 572-card 1960 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ed Rakow.
Is 1960 Topps #551 a rookie card?
Yes - #551 is the 1960 Topps rookie card of Ed Rakow.
Why is #551 harder to find?
It sits in the high-number series, #507-572, printed last and distributed late in the 1960 season when fewer packs were bought. Those 66 cards are the toughest run in the set and carry the twenty Sport Magazine All-Stars.
How many cards are in the 1960 Topps Baseball set?
572 cards, numbered 1-572, issued in seven series - the last Topps flagship printed entirely horizontally. Cards #375-440 exist on two back stocks, white and gray, which collectors chasing every printed variety count as 638 pieces of cardboard in all.
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.