1961 Topps #274 Gary Bell
About Gary Bell
Card #274 is Bell's third-series base card in the 1961 set, and the season behind it was a step backward: 9-10 with a 4.13 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 28 games for Cleveland, 23 of them starts. A year earlier he had been the Indians' workhorse at 16-11 with 136 strikeouts over 234 innings, so 1960 trimmed his innings by nearly a third while he was still only twenty-three years old.
Wilbur Gary Bell was a right-handed pitcher from San Antonio, Texas, who spent twelve big league seasons (1958-1969) with the Cleveland Indians, Boston Red Sox, Seattle Pilots and Chicago White Sox. He signed with Cleveland over the Yankees and Red Sox, reasoning that an aging Indians staff of Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, Mike Garcia and Early Wynn would open a door for him, and he debuted in relief on June 1, 1958. He went 12-10 that first year and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting. Known as 'Ding Dong,' Bell was a four-time All-Star, chosen for both 1960 games and again in 1966 and 1968, and Cleveland shuffled him between the rotation and the bullpen under at least nine managers across ten seasons there. He finished 121-117 with a 3.68 ERA, 51 saves and 1,378 strikeouts in 519 games, then settled back in San Antonio, where he opened his own sporting-goods business in 1987.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 316 | 3 | 35 | 136 | 92 | 32 | 12 | 6 | 0 |
| SGC | 15 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1961 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #467 Cleveland Indians Team
More Cleveland Indians cards:
- #5 Johnny Romano
- #15 Willie Kirkland
- #18 Jim Grant
- #34 Wynn Hawkins
- #60 Woodie Held
- #77 Dick Stigman
- #101 Bubba Phillips
- #115 Johnny Antonelli
- #155 Johnny Temple
- #172 Don Dillard
- #191 Mike de la Hoz
- #222 Jimmie Dykes
- #255 Vic Power
- #319 Valmy Thomas
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #274 card?
It is card #274 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Gary Bell of the Cleveland Indians.
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.