1961 Topps #374 Paul Giel
About Paul Giel
Card 374 sits in the fifth series, a plain mid-to-late number; Giel had appeared in Topps sets since the 1950s. He is pictured with the Minnesota Twins, who bought his contract from the Pirates in February 1961 to give the transplanted franchise a hometown face. Giel started the first exhibition game in Twins history and took the last win of his career on May 25, but he lasted only 12 games. On June 1 the Twins sent him and Reno Bertoia to Kansas City for Bill Tuttle. One day later the Athletics used him against Washington, he gave up seven runs in an inning and two-thirds, and he retired on the spot. June 2, 1961 was his last big-league appearance.
Paul Giel grew up in Winona, Minnesota, and became the most celebrated two-sport athlete the University of Minnesota has produced. A single-wing tailback who rushed for 2,188 yards, he was the first two-time Big Ten MVP, a consensus All-American, and the runner-up to Johnny Lattner in one of the closest Heisman Trophy votes ever taken. He also pitched for the Gophers, winning 21 games in three seasons. Turning down football money, he signed with the New York Giants on June 9, 1954 for a reported $60,000 bonus, the largest the club had paid to that point, and bonus-baby rules placed him straight onto the big-league roster at 21. He owned a 1954 World Series ring without throwing a pitch in the Series, lost two seasons to Army duty in Germany, and spent later stretches at Phoenix, Columbus and Salt Lake City still hunting the third pitch every coach asked of him. Over six major-league seasons with the Giants, Pirates, Twins and Athletics he went 11-9. He later called Vikings radio broadcasts, ran WCCO's sports department, and was named Minnesota's athletic director in December 1971. The College Football Hall of Fame took him in 1975.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · SABR Games Project · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 369 | 1 | 21 | 172 | 130 | 27 | 13 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 16 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 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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Team card: #542 Minnesota Twins Team
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #374 card?
It is card #374 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Paul Giel of the Minnesota Twins.
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.