1961 Topps #115 Johnny Antonelli
About Johnny Antonelli
Card 115 in Topps' second series pictures Antonelli with the Cleveland Indians, who had landed him and Willie Kirkland from San Francisco on December 3, 1960, in the trade that sent Harvey Kuenn to the Giants. Cleveland opened 1961 with him as its fourth starter, but the wins would not come, and on July 4 his contract was sold to the Milwaukee Braves, the organization that had signed him thirteen years earlier. He worked nine games in relief there and made his last big league appearance on September 4, closing a twelve-season career.
Johnny Antonelli was a left-handed pitcher from Rochester, New York, who signed with the Boston Braves in June 1948 for $52,000, the largest bonus in baseball history at the time. The era's bonus rule barred such signings from the minor leagues, so the eighteen-year-old went from high school straight onto a pennant-winning big league roster and never pitched an inning in the minors. Two years in the Army during the Korean War cost him 1951 and 1952. He came back to the Braves, by then in Milwaukee, for a 12-12 season in 1953, and the following February went to the New York Giants in a six-player trade that sent popular outfielder Bobby Thomson the other way. Antonelli answered with a 21-7 year in 1954, leading the National League in ERA at 2.30 and in shutouts with six, then beat Early Wynn in Game Two of the World Series and saved Game Four as the Giants swept Cleveland. He won twenty again in 1956 and was a six-time All-Star. He moved west with the club in 1958, but booing followed his complaints about the wind at Seals Stadium, and he was mostly a reliever by 1960. His contract went to the expansion New York Mets in October 1961; he retired instead and ran a Rochester Firestone tire business for forty years.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 311 | 0 | 14 | 157 | 90 | 33 | 9 | 7 | 1 |
| SGC | 13 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 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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Related cards
Team card: #467 Cleveland Indians Team
More Cleveland Indians cards:
- #5 Johnny Romano
- #15 Willie Kirkland
- #18 Jim Grant
- #34 Wynn Hawkins
- #60 Woodie Held
- #77 Dick Stigman
- #101 Bubba Phillips
- #155 Johnny Temple
- #172 Don Dillard
- #191 Mike de la Hoz
- #222 Jimmie Dykes
- #255 Vic Power
- #274 Gary Bell
- #319 Valmy Thomas
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #115 card?
It is card #115 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Johnny Antonelli of the Cleveland Indians.
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.