1961 Topps #436 Jim Maloney
About Jim Maloney
Maloney's recognized rookie card is #436, a regular fifth-series number in the 1961 set. It reached collectors during a frustrating second summer. Arm and shoulder pain turned up in spring training and stayed with him for the rest of his career, and he bounced from the bullpen to the rotation and back, finishing 6-7 with a 4.37 ERA over 94 2/3 innings. Cincinnati won the pennant anyway, and the 21-year-old got two thirds of an inning of mop-up work in Game Five of the World Series, the game the Yankees won to close out the Reds.
James William Maloney was born in Fresno, California, on June 2, 1940, and was scouted as a shortstop by all sixteen major league clubs before Reds scout Bobby Mattick talked him into pitching. He signed with Cincinnati on April 1, 1959 for a reported $100,000 bonus and reached the majors on July 27, 1960, still 20 years old. Over twelve seasons with the Reds (1960-1970) and the California Angels (1971) he went 134-84 with a 3.19 ERA and 1,605 strikeouts, throwing 74 complete games, 30 of them shutouts. He struck out more than 200 batters every year from 1963 through 1966, threw two no-hitters, and lost a third no-hit bid in the eleventh inning. Chronic arm and shoulder trouble wore him down, and a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered running out a ground ball early in 1970 finished him as a winning pitcher just as the Big Red Machine was taking shape. He retired in 1972 at 32 and was elected in 1973 to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame, the club's own honor.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 390 | 2 | 14 | 147 | 133 | 60 | 17 | 17 | 0 |
| SGC | 38 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 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 #436 card?
It is card #436 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Maloney of the Cincinnati Reds.
Is 1961 Topps #436 a rookie card?
Yes - #436 is the 1961 Topps rookie card of Jim Maloney.
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.