1961 Topps #474 Al Rosen
About this card
Cards #471-486 are the Most Valuable Players subset - sixteen tributes to past MVP winners, American League #471-478 and National League #479-486, each printed with the franchise of the MVP season.
About Al Rosen
Topps put Rosen in the 1961 set's MVP subset, card #474 with the Cleveland Indians, honoring the season that made him: 1953, when he batted .336 with 43 home runs and 145 RBI, led the American League in both homers and runs batted in, and was voted Most Valuable Player unanimously. Only Mickey Vernon's batting title, decided on the season's final day, kept him from the Triple Crown. The card belongs to the set's sixth print series.
Al Rosen played his entire major league career at third base for the Cleveland Indians, from 1947 to 1956. He spent four years in the U.S. Navy during World War II, navigating an assault boat in the landings on Okinawa, before resuming his career. He was on Cleveland's 1948 World Series winner, pinch-hitting once in the Series. Handed third base in 1950, he hit 37 home runs to become the first rookie to lead the American League in the category, and he drove in 100 or more runs in five consecutive seasons. He led the league in home runs twice and in runs batted in twice, and was an All-Star every year from 1952 through 1955. His masterpiece came in 1953: .336 with 43 homers and 145 RBI, a unanimous American League MVP award, and a Triple Crown missed only when Mickey Vernon edged him for the batting title on the season's final day. Injuries finished him at 32, leaving a career line of .285 with 192 home runs and 717 RBI. He spent 17 years as a stockbroker in Cleveland, then returned to the game as a front-office executive with the Yankees, Astros and Giants, and was inducted into the Cleveland Indians team Hall of Fame in 2006.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 518 | 1 | 26 | 224 | 156 | 62 | 22 | 26 | 1 |
| SGC | 55 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. PSA counts are straight grades only; PSA half grades (PSA 1.5 among them) and qualified slabs are not included. SGC half grades fold down (8.5→8). Slabs of the two cards printed #463 are joined by description, never by number alone.
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Related cards
Team card: #467 Cleveland Indians Team
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- #34 Wynn Hawkins
- #60 Woodie Held
- #77 Dick Stigman
- #101 Bubba Phillips
- #115 Johnny Antonelli
- #155 Johnny Temple
- #172 Don Dillard
- #191 Mike de la Hoz
- #222 Jimmie Dykes
- #255 Vic Power
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #474 card?
It is card #474 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Al Rosen of the Cleveland Indians. Cards #471-486 are the Most Valuable Players subset - sixteen tributes to past MVP winners, American League #471-478 and National League #479-486, each printed with the franchise of the MVP season.
Why is #474 harder to find?
It is from the sixth print series (cards 447-522) - noticeably tougher than the first five, easier than the true highs.
How many cards are in the 1961 Topps Baseball set?
587 cards, tracked as 596 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 589, but #426, #587 and #588 were never issued and two different cards were printed #463 - Jack Fisher and the Milwaukee Braves Team card, catalogued 463b - and eight cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, The Topps Archives, 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 2026-10-05.