1961 Topps #259 John Schaive
About John Schaive
Topps placed Schaive at #259 in the third series of its 1961 set, a plain mid-series number, and collectors count it as his recognized rookie card. The timing is the hook. Washington's original club had just moved to Minnesota to become the Twins, and on December 14, 1960, the brand-new American League expansion Senators took Schaive from the Twins with the 36th pick of the expansion draft. He never appeared in a game for that 1961 Washington team, spending the season at second base for the Columbus Jets of the Triple-A International League, where he hit .218 with 11 home runs in 106 games.
John Edward Schaive, born February 25, 1934, in Springfield, Illinois, was a right-handed-hitting infielder who spent parts of five seasons in the American League. He signed with the Chicago White Sox organization in 1952 and led the Class D PONY League in four offensive categories in 1955, batting .333 for Erie, but two years of military service interrupted his climb toward the majors. He debuted with the original Washington Senators on September 19, 1958, and stayed through 1960, then landed with an entirely different Washington Senators franchise, the American League expansion club that took the city's place, after it selected him from the Minnesota Twins in the December 1960 expansion draft. A backup at second and third base, he closed his major league line at .232 with six home runs and 32 RBI in 114 games. Away from the majors he was a far more productive hitter, batting .291 across more than 1,100 minor league games, and he managed while still playing at Double-A York in 1963 and at Monterrey in the Mexican League in 1966. He died in Springfield on May 11, 2009, having helped found the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame and entered it as a charter member in 1991.
Sources: Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · Stats Crew · The Baseball Cube
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 395 | 1 | 60 | 205 | 82 | 26 | 13 | 6 | 2 |
| SGC | 15 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 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 #259 card?
It is card #259 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing John Schaive of the Washington Senators.
Is 1961 Topps #259 a rookie card?
Yes - #259 is the 1961 Topps rookie card of John Schaive.
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.