1961 Topps #215 Gus Bell
About Gus Bell
By 1961 Bell was a part-time player, starting 54 games in the outfield and making 39 pinch-hitting appearances while Cincinnati won its first National League pennant in 21 years. He was sent up to pinch hit in Games 3, 4 and 5 of the World Series and went hitless in three at-bats as the Yankees closed it out four games to one. Two cards carry him this year: #25, a first-series card he shares with Reds teammates Vada Pinson and Frank Robinson, and #215, his own card from the third series.
Gus Bell -- born David Russell Bell in Louisville, Kentucky, on November 15, 1928 -- batted left, threw right, and played fifteen major league seasons in the outfield for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets and Milwaukee Braves. He debuted for Pittsburgh on May 30, 1950, led the National League with 12 triples in 1951, and hit for the cycle against the Phillies on June 4 of that year; grandson David matched him in 2004, the only grandfather-grandson cycle pair in major league history. A trade on October 14, 1952 sent Bell to Cincinnati, where he spent nine seasons, first in center field and later in right. He was a four-time All-Star (1953, 1954, 1956 and 1957), drove in 100 or more runs four times, hit .300 with 30 home runs and 105 RBI in 1953, and set a career high with 115 RBI in 1959. Cincinnati elected him to its team Hall of Fame in 1964. He finished with 1,823 hits, 206 home runs, 942 RBI and a .281 average, then worked for an auto dealership, ran a temporary employment agency, and scouted for the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers. His son Buddy and grandsons David and Mike all reached the majors.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 306 | 3 | 36 | 144 | 70 | 29 | 18 | 5 | 1 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 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
More Gus Bell in this set: #25 Reds' Heavy Artillery
Team card: #249 Cincinnati Reds Team
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #9 Bob Purkey
- #25 Reds' Heavy Artillery
- #66 Bill Henry
- #76 Harry Anderson
- #97 Jerry Lynch
- #110 Vada Pinson
- #135 Fred Hutchinson
- #162 Jay Hook
- #166 Danny Kravitz
- #175 Gene Freese
- #194 Gordy Coleman
- #233 Joe Jay
- #244 Chico Cardenas
- #276 Ray Rippelmeyer
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #215 card?
It is card #215 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Gus Bell of the Cincinnati Reds.
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.