1961 Topps #11 Curt Simmons
About Curt Simmons
The Phillies released Simmons on May 17, 1960 after four appearances, and Cardinals manager Solly Hemus, an old Philadelphia teammate, talked general manager Bing Devine into signing him three days later for $25,000. He went 7-4 with a 2.66 ERA the rest of that season and was voted Comeback Player of the Year by the St. Louis baseball writers. Card #11 is his series-1 base card in the 1961 set, listing him with the Cardinals after thirteen seasons in Philadelphia.
Curt Simmons, a left-hander, signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1947 for a $65,000 bonus and debuted that September at 18. Paired with Robin Roberts, he won 17 games for the 1950 'Whiz Kids' pennant winners, then watched the World Series from the stands after his National Guard unit was called up for the Korean War, costing him all of 1951. Simmons made three All-Star teams (1952, 1953, 1957) and led the National League with six shutouts in 1952. Arm trouble cost him most of 1959, and the Phillies released him in May 1960; St. Louis signed him three days later. He anchored the Cardinals' rotation through the 1964 championship, starting Games Three and Six of the World Series with a 2.51 ERA. Sold to the Chicago Cubs in 1966 and to the California Angels in 1967, he retired at 193-183 with a 3.54 ERA and 1,697 strikeouts across 20 seasons. The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame took him in 1968, and the Phillies added him to their Wall of Fame in 1993. He later ran Limekiln Golf Club near Ambler, Pennsylvania, which he owned with Roberts, and died in 2022 at 93.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 341 | 6 | 44 | 173 | 80 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
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: #347 St. Louis Cardinals Team
More St. Louis Cardinals cards:
- #32 Ray Sadecki
- #52 George Crowe
- #64 Alex Grammas
- #75 Lindy Shows Larry
- #91 Walt Moryn
- #118 Chris Cannizzaro
- #127 Ron Kline
- #139 Solly Hemus
- #148 Julian Javier
- #178 Bob Nieman
- #198 Carl Sawatski
- #211 Bob Gibson
- #232 Bill White
- #241 Al Cicotte
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #11 card?
It is card #11 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Curt Simmons of the St. Louis Cardinals.
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.