1961 Topps #78 Lee Walls
About Lee Walls
Walls came to Philadelphia from Cincinnati in a June 1960 trade and spent 1961 wherever Gene Mauch needed him, starting 24 games at third base, 24 at first base and 15 in the outfield. He hit .280 in 261 at bats with eight home runs, 30 RBIs and 32 runs, his best season at the plate since 1958, for a club that went 47-107 and lost 23 in a row, the longest losing streak in the majors since 1900. Left unprotected that October, he was the Mets' seventh pick in the expansion draft's premium phase. Card #78 is a first-series Phillies card.
Ray Lee Walls Jr., born January 6, 1933 in San Diego and raised in Pasadena, played ten National League seasons (1952, 1956-1964) as an outfielder and utility man for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Dodgers. A right-handed hitter and thrower listed at 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, he wore eyeglasses on the field, a rarity in his era, and was nicknamed "Captain Midnight" because of them. His best year came in 1958 with the Cubs: .304 with 24 home runs, 72 RBIs and a spot on the National League All-Star team, a season after he hit for the cycle at Wrigley Field. Left unprotected in the October 1961 expansion draft, he was taken by the new Mets and flipped to Los Angeles that December, and he spent three seasons there as a reserve and one of the best pinch hitters of the day. He finished at .262 with 670 hits, 66 home runs and 284 RBIs in 902 games, played 1965 in Japan for the Hankyu Braves, later coached for the Oakland Athletics and followed Billy Martin to the Yankees, and worked as an agent for athletes including Don Drysdale. He died October 11, 1993 in Los Angeles.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 366 | 1 | 46 | 193 | 88 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 16 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1961 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #491 Philadelphia Phillies Team
More Philadelphia Phillies cards:
- #3 John Buzhardt
- #20 Robin Roberts
- #59 Jim Woods
- #93 Tony Gonzalez
- #103 Ruben Amaro
- #111 Jack Meyer
- #144 Jim Coker
- #154 Bobby Del Greco
- #179 Joe Koppe
- #202 Al Neiger
- #219 Gene Mauch
- #234 Ted Lepcio
- #262 Tony Curry
- #281 Frank Sullivan
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #78 card?
It is card #78 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Lee Walls 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.