1961 Topps #427 Dick Ellsworth
About Dick Ellsworth
Card #427 is a fifth-series issue following Ellsworth's first full major-league season. Farmed out to Houston in the spring of 1960, he threw a three-hit shutout on the last day of April to finish at 0.86 in 21 minor-league innings and was recalled at once, first appearing for Chicago on May 4. The 20-year-old went 7-13 with a 3.72 ERA and 94 strikeouts in 31 games, paced the Cubs starters in earned run average, and never pitched in the minors again.
Richard Clark Ellsworth was born March 22, 1940, in Lusk, Wyoming, and grew up in Fresno, California, where he went 15-0 as a senior on a Fresno High staff that also produced Jim Maloney and Pat Corrales. Cubs scout Gene Handley signed him in June 1958, outbidding the Phillies, and the 18-year-old left-hander made his major-league debut nine days later, at Cincinnati on June 22. Back for good in 1960, he held a Cubs rotation spot for seven seasons: 20 losses in 1962, then 22 wins the next summer, the first Cubs 20-game winner in 18 years, which brought the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award and induction into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame. He was an All-Star in 1964. Traded to Philadelphia for Ray Culp, he later pitched for the Red Sox, Indians and Brewers and retired in 1971 at 115-137 with a 3.72 ERA and 1,140 strikeouts over 13 seasons. He sold real estate in Fresno, bought into the Fresno Grizzlies, and died there on October 10, 2022. His son Steve pitched for the Red Sox.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 336 | 3 | 54 | 181 | 66 | 24 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 12 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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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Team card: #122 Chicago Cubs Team
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #427 card?
It is card #427 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Dick Ellsworth of the Chicago Cubs.
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.