1961 Topps #58 Joe Schaffernoth
About Joe Schaffernoth
Topps gave Schaffernoth his own card on the strength of the best season he would have. Called back from Triple-A Houston in June 1960, where he had gone 8-2, he settled into the Chicago bullpen and finished 2-3 with a 2.78 ERA and 33 strikeouts over 55 innings, every one of his 33 appearances coming in relief. Number 58 sits in the first series, and it is his recognized rookie card, printed while he was still a Cubs reliever. At 23 he had finally stuck.
Joseph Arthur Schaffernoth was a right-handed pitcher, born August 6, 1937 in Trenton, New Jersey, and listed at 6-foot-4, 195 pounds. Out of Jonathan Dayton High School, he began his pro career in the Cubs organization and broke out immediately, going 21-6 with a 2.72 ERA in 31 games for Class-D Paris in 1956, then working through Des Moines and Pueblo before reaching Chicago. He made the Cubs out of spring training in 1959 and debuted in relief in April against the Giants; his lone big-league start came three days later against the Dodgers. An elbow injury sent him to the disabled list that May and he finished the year at Fort Worth. His best major-league work came the following season out of the Chicago bullpen. The Cubs sold his contract to Cleveland during 1961, and the Washington Senators briefly held him that winter before returning him to the Indians organization without his ever pitching for Washington. In 74 games, all but one in relief, he went 3-8 with a 4.58 ERA and 68 strikeouts. He finished his playing days in the high minors with Jacksonville, retiring after the 1963 season. He died June 18, 2016 in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 416 | 5 | 68 | 218 | 89 | 19 | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 23 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
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 #58 card?
It is card #58 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Joe Schaffernoth of the Chicago Cubs.
Is 1961 Topps #58 a rookie card?
Yes - #58 is the 1961 Topps rookie card of Joe Schaffernoth.
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.