1961 Topps #68 Deron Johnson
About Deron Johnson
Topps gives first-series card #68 to a Yankee third baseman who had barely played: Johnson got into six games in 1960 and thirteen in 1961. His rookie card had already appeared, in the 1959 Topps set. New York moved him on June 14, 1961, sending him and pitcher Art Ditmar to the Kansas City Athletics for left-hander Bud Daley.
Deron Johnson was an American infielder and outfielder who played 16 major-league seasons between 1960 and 1976 for the Yankees, the Athletics in both Kansas City and Oakland, the Reds, Braves, Phillies, Brewers, Red Sox and White Sox. Signed by the Yankees out of San Diego High School in 1956, where he had starred at end on the football field as well, he was billed for years as the next Mickey Mantle and spent most of his early twenties in the minors instead. Cincinnati bought him in 1963 and got the payoff: he led the National League with 130 runs batted in during 1965 and finished fourth in the MVP voting. He later set a career high of 34 home runs for Philadelphia, and won a World Series ring with the 1973 Oakland Athletics. He retired with 1,765 games played, a .244 average, 245 home runs and 923 RBI, and was never once chosen for an All-Star Game. Johnson coached hitting in the majors for twelve seasons and died of lung cancer in 1992 at 53. San Diego's Hall of Champions had inducted him into its Breitbard Hall of Fame in 1979.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 622 | 9 | 93 | 312 | 126 | 41 | 19 | 22 | 0 |
| SGC | 45 | 0 | 3 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 2 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #68 card?
It is card #68 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Deron Johnson of the New York Yankees.
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.