1961 Topps #481 Hank Sauer
About this card
Cards #471-486 are the Most Valuable Players subset - sixteen tributes to past MVP winners, American League #471-478 and National League #479-486, each printed with the franchise of the MVP season.
About Hank Sauer
Card #481 belongs to the Most Valuable Player subset running from #471 to #486, a sixteen-card run saluting the American and National League MVPs of the 1950s. Sauer's entry honors his 1952 award season with the Cubs, the year he tied Ralph Kiner for the league home run title at 37 and drove in a major league best 121 runs. It sits in the sixth print series; this set's scarce high series comes later with the Sporting News All-Stars. By the time it reached packs, Sauer had been out of the majors since 1959 and was scouting for the Giants.
Hank Sauer was a right-handed slugging left fielder from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who spent more than a decade in the minor leagues before becoming one of the National League's most feared power hitters. Signed by the New York Yankees in 1937, he moved through their farm system until Cincinnati took him in the minor league draft, and although he reached the Reds for brief looks as early as 1941, he did not stay in the majors for good until Cincinnati made him a regular at age 31 in 1948. A June 1949 trade sent him to the Chicago Cubs, where his popularity earned him the nickname the Mayor of Wrigley Field. He hit 30 or more home runs six times in the seven seasons from 1948 through 1954, twice hitting three homers in a single game against the same pitcher, Curt Simmons of the Phillies. His finest season came in 1952, when he tied Ralph Kiner for the league home run lead with 37, drove in a major league best 121 runs and was named National League Most Valuable Player. A two-time All-Star, he played for Cincinnati, the Cubs, St. Louis and the Giants before retiring in 1959 with 288 home runs, then coached and scouted for the Giants. He is a member of the Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Cardboard Connection
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 516 | 2 | 24 | 228 | 174 | 54 | 20 | 14 | 0 |
| SGC | 41 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 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: #122 Chicago Cubs Team
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- #231 Dick Drott
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #481 card?
It is card #481 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Hank Sauer of the Chicago Cubs. Cards #471-486 are the Most Valuable Players subset - sixteen tributes to past MVP winners, American League #471-478 and National League #479-486, each printed with the franchise of the MVP season.
Why is #481 harder to find?
It is from the sixth print series (cards 447-522) - noticeably tougher than the first five, easier than the true highs.
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.