1961 Topps #500 Harvey Kuenn
About Harvey Kuenn
The Giants gave Kuenn no settled position in his first National League season. He started 64 games in left field, 29 at third base and 27 in right, and pinch-hit ten times, finishing at .265 with 125 hits, 22 doubles, five home runs and 46 RBIs in 131 games. It was the lowest full-season average he had posted anywhere. His card in the 1961 Topps set is #500, out of the sixth series; Kuenn had debuted with Detroit back in September 1952.
Harvey Kuenn, an infielder-turned-outfielder born in West Allis, Wisconsin, was an All-American shortstop at the University of Wisconsin before signing with the Detroit Tigers as an amateur free agent in June 1952. He won the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1953, leading the majors with 209 hits, and captured the AL batting title in 1959 at .353. He led the league in hits four times and in doubles three times, and was an All-Star selection every year from 1953 through 1960, a run that covered ten All-Star Games. Detroit traded him to Cleveland for Rocky Colavito on April 17, 1960, two days before Opening Day; Cleveland sent him to the San Francisco Giants that December for Johnny Antonelli and Willie Kirkland. He finished with the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, retiring after 1966 with a .303 average, 2,092 hits, 671 RBIs and 87 home runs across 15 seasons. Kuenn later spent a decade as Milwaukee's hitting coach and managed the 1982 Harvey's Wallbangers to the American League pennant, earning Associated Press Manager of the Year honors. He is a member of the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 341 | 0 | 24 | 132 | 115 | 35 | 24 | 11 | 0 |
| SGC | 23 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #500 card?
It is card #500 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Harvey Kuenn of the San Francisco Giants.
Why is #500 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.