1961 Topps #350 Ernie Banks
About Ernie Banks
Banks turns up four times in 1961: the National League home run leaders card #43 alongside Aaron, Mathews and Boyer, his fourth-series base card #350, the sixth-series #485 in the MVP run, and #575 in the Sporting News All-Star group, a seventh-series high number from what collectors consider the scarcest high series Topps ever printed. The base card reports 1960, when Banks led the majors with 41 home runs, drove in 117, and won the first Gold Glove ever given a Cub.
Ernest Banks of Dallas turned pro in 1950 with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League, then spent two Army years in Germany during the Korean War. The Cubs bought his contract in September 1953, and he became the first Black player to appear in a game for Chicago, debuting on the 17th without ever spending a day in the minors. A shortstop until he became the Cubs' regular first baseman in 1962, Banks was the first National League player to win back-to-back MVP awards, in 1958 and 1959, both for losing clubs. He hit a major-league-best 47 home runs in 1958, led the NL in RBI both seasons with 129 and then 143, and in 1960 won the first Gold Glove given a Cub. Called Mr. Cub and Mr. Sunshine for the disposition behind his standing invitation to play two, he was an All-Star in 11 seasons, played in 14 All-Star Games, and hit 512 home runs, the 500th on May 12, 1970, at Wrigley Field. He retired after 1971 having never played a postseason game. His No. 14 became the first number the Cubs retired, in 1982; he entered the Hall of Fame in 1977 on the first ballot, took the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013, and died in Chicago in 2015.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 3,443 | 0 | 57 | 506 | 752 | 683 | 548 | 888 | 9 |
| SGC | 1,209 | 0 | 1 | 50 | 154 | 217 | 317 | 450 | 20 |
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
More Ernie Banks in this set: #43 League Leaders, #485 MVP, #575 Sporting News All-Stars
Team card: #122 Chicago Cubs Team
More Chicago Cubs cards:
- #12 Moe Thacker
- #27 Jerry Kindall
- #35 Ron Santo
- #58 Joe Schaffernoth
- #88 Richie Ashburn
- #107 Seth Morehead
- #141 Billy Williams
- #169 Don Elston
- #196 Ed Bouchee
- #214 Danny Murphy
- #231 Dick Drott
- #253 Sammy Taylor
- #264 Glen Hobbie
- #283 Bob Anderson
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #350 card?
It is card #350 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ernie Banks 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.