1961 Topps #469 Ralph Lumenti
About Ralph Lumenti
Topps card #469 puts Lumenti in a Minnesota uniform, and that is the odd part: the franchise he signed with moved from Washington and was renamed the Twins for the start of the 1961 season, but he never threw a big-league pitch for Minnesota. His last major league appearance came for the Senators on September 27, 1959, and by 1961 he was closing out his playing days in the minors. Number 469 sits in the sixth print series. With 1961 the Twins' first season, it is also among the earliest Topps cards to carry the Minnesota name.
Raphael Anthony Lumenti, the left-handed pitcher Milford, Massachusetts knew as Lefty, was born there on December 21, 1936. He attended Boston University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst before signing a $35,000 bonus contract with the Washington Senators on September 2, 1957. He debuted five days later at Griffith Stadium, working a scoreless ninth in a 4-1 loss to the Yankees. Standing 6-foot-3 and known for his fastball, he was also wild: 42 walks against 30 strikeouts in 33.1 major league innings. The Bonus Rule then in force made Washington carry him on the big-league roster for his first two professional seasons, and once that clock ran out he was sent to the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Double-A Southern Association. He pitched 13 games in all, six as a starter, going 1-3 with a 7.29 ERA, and finished in the minors after the 1961 season. He later worked in management for Red Star Express and Yellow Freight. In 2004 Milford High School put him in its hall of fame as the best left-hander the school ever had. He died in Milford on February 7, 2018, at 81.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 388 | 2 | 42 | 197 | 108 | 25 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 19 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 2 | 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.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #469 card?
It is card #469 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ralph Lumenti of the Minnesota Twins.
Why is #469 harder to find?
It is from the sixth print series (cards 447-522) - noticeably tougher than the first five, easier than the true highs.
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.