1961 Topps #284 Dick Gernert
About Dick Gernert
Detroit bought Gernert from the Cubs on August 31, 1960, which is how he turns up in a Tigers uniform here after a .300 finish in 21 games. His 1961 stay in Detroit ran six games before a May 10 trade to Cincinnati for Jim Baumer, and he closed the year batting .302 off the Reds bench, then went hitless in four World Series pinch-hit trips. Card #284 belongs to the fourth series.
Dick Gernert was a 6-foot-3 right-handed first baseman from Reading, Pennsylvania, who played football, basketball and baseball at Temple University and was signed by Red Sox scout Charlie Wagner after two big summers with Kentville in the Nova Scotia Senior League. He debuted for Boston on April 16, 1952, hit 19 home runs as a rookie, then took the first-base job in 1953 and belted 21. Hepatitis wrecked his 1954 and 1955 seasons, but he returned to bat a career-high .291 in 1956 and hit 20 homers in 1958, sharing the position across the decade with Vic Wertz, Norm Zauchin, Mickey Vernon and Pete Runnels. On November 21, 1959, Boston traded him to the Chicago Cubs for Jim Marshall and Dave Hillman, the first interleague trade made without waivers. Detroit, Cincinnati and expansion Houston followed, and he finished 11 seasons at .254 with 103 home runs and 402 RBIs. He later managed in the minors, coached for the Texas Rangers and scouted for decades, most notably for the New York Mets. His uncle, Dom Dallessandro, was also a major leaguer.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 343 | 1 | 40 | 197 | 66 | 24 | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #51 Detroit Tigers Team
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #284 card?
It is card #284 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Dick Gernert of the Detroit Tigers.
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.