1961 Topps #341 Jim Owens
About Jim Owens
Card #341, a fourth-series issue, reports Owens's 1960 season with the Phillies: 4-14 with a 5.04 ERA in 31 games and 22 starts, only one of those wins coming after June 5. A shoulder that had ached at the end of 1959 was still a worry in spring training, the long ball punished him for 21 homers in 150 innings, and in July manager Gene Mauch suspended him three games for insubordination and personal misconduct.
James Philip Owens, nicknamed "Bear" for his stocky build and round face, was a right-handed pitcher who spent parts of twelve seasons between 1955 and 1967 with the Phillies, Cincinnati Reds and Houston Colt .45s/Astros. Born in Gifford, Pennsylvania, he signed with Philadelphia out of Bradford High School in 1951, won 22 games in the low minors in 1952 and 22 more for Class B Terre Haute in 1953, and was named the International League's Rookie of the Year in 1954, arriving with what Phillies general manager Roy Hamey called the best curveball in baseball. An Army hitch cost him all of 1957 and all but one game of 1958. His one strong year came in 1959: 12-12 with a 3.21 ERA, 11 complete games, 135 strikeouts and the only shutout of his career for a last-place club. He was also a charter member of the hard-drinking group of Phillies that Sports Illustrated made notorious as the "Dalton Gang" in 1960, and that reputation trailed him for good. He finished 42-68 with a 4.31 ERA, 21 saves and 516 strikeouts in 286 games, then coached Houston's pitchers for six seasons, working with Larry Dierker, Mike Cuellar and Don Wilson.
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 | 283 | 3 | 20 | 117 | 104 | 26 | 11 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 8 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #341 card?
It is card #341 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jim Owens of the Philadelphia Phillies.
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.