1961 Topps #98 Checklist 89-176 (2nd Series)
About this card
The seven checklist cards (#17, 98, 189, 273, 361, 437, 516) were the first numbered checklists in a Topps set. The first was printed with the series it lists; each later checklist was printed with the series before the one it lists.
The story on this card
Number 98 is the second-series checklist, running the numbers 89 through 176, with a third of the front given over to an action photo. Collectors have pegged that shot as a play at Wrigley Field, Cubs second baseman Don Zimmer walking the ball over to Ernie Banks at short. It is a checklist first and last. It sits in the set's first print series. 1961 was the year Topps promoted checklists from unnumbered slips and team-card backs to full numbered cards, and this one comes in three states: red front lettering, or yellow lettering with the card number on the back printed black or white. The chase is finding any of the three unchecked.
Sources: BaseballCardPedia · Cardboard Connection
Print variations
Three states of #98 are tracked individually: 98a - Red Letters, 98b - Yellow Letters, Black 98 and 98c - Yellow Letters, White 98. Tell them apart on both sides: the front lettering is red on the common card and yellow on the other two, and on the yellow-letter cards the 98 on the back prints black in a light circle or white in a dark circle.
States catalogued by the PSA master set registry and the Trading Card Database; each is tracked here individually.
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Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98a - Red Letters | |||||||||
| PSA | 160 | 0 | 3 | 57 | 46 | 23 | 18 | 12 | 1 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 98b - Yellow Letters, Black 98 | |||||||||
| PSA | 236 | 0 | 4 | 95 | 75 | 32 | 17 | 13 | 0 |
| SGC | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| 98c - Yellow Letters, White 98 | |||||||||
| PSA | 254 | 1 | 27 | 113 | 56 | 32 | 16 | 9 | 0 |
| SGC | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Not designated by PSA or SGC | |||||||||
| PSA | 57 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 19 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 19 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 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). Where a grader registers a variation separately its population is listed under that variation; slabs whose label names no variation are listed as not designated. Slabs of the two cards printed #463 are joined by description, never by number alone.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #98 card?
It is card #98 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, Checklist 89-176 (2nd Series). The seven checklist cards (#17, 98, 189, 273, 361, 437, 516) were the first numbered checklists in a Topps set. The first was printed with the series it lists; each later checklist was printed with the series before the one it lists.
Does 1961 Topps #98 have variations?
Yes. Three states are catalogued and tracked individually: 98a - Red Letters ("Checklist" in red lettering on the front - the common card), 98b - Yellow Letters, Black 98 (Yellow lettering on the front; on the back the card number prints black in a light circle, as on the red-letter card) and 98c - Yellow Letters, White 98 (Yellow lettering on the front; on the back the card number prints white in a dark circle - the only difference from 98b). Owning any one of them fills the #98 slot; the master set counts each state.
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.