1961 Topps #555 Sam Jones
About Sam Jones
Jones slipped to 8-8 with a 4.49 ERA for the San Francisco Giants in 1961, no longer a fixture in the rotation and working out of the bullpen in 20 of his 37 appearances. Card #49 is a League Leaders card from the series-1 print run, and the numbers behind it are the 1960 National League strikeout totals: Don Drysdale on top with 246, Sandy Koufax next at 197, Jones third at 190 and Ernie Broglio fourth at 188. Card #555 is the high number out of series 7, a Giant on the front even though San Francisco left him unprotected and Houston took him in the October 10 expansion draft.
Sam Jones was a rangy six-foot-four right-hander who threw hard, chewed a flat toothpick on the mound that made him Toothpick Sam, and snapped off a curveball Stan Musial called the best he ever saw. Born in Stewartsville, Ohio, and raised in the West Virginia coal country around Monongah, he came to the game late, pitched for the Oakland Larks in 1946 and then the Cleveland Buckeyes of the Negro American League, and reached the majors with the Cleveland Indians in September 1951. Wildness came bundled with the power: in 1955, 1956 and 1958 he led the National League in both strikeouts and walks. On May 12, 1955, with the Cubs, he no-hit Pittsburgh 4-0 at Wrigley Field to become the first African American to throw a major league no-hitter, and he did it the hard way, walking the bases loaded in the ninth before striking out Dick Groat, Roberto Clemente and Frank Thomas. His best year was 1959 in San Francisco: 21-15, a league-leading 2.83 ERA, a share of the NL lead in wins, and Pitcher of the Year honors from The Sporting News. He was an All-Star in 1955 and 1959 and pitched for six clubs through 1964. Neck cancer found in 1962 came back and took his life in 1971, at 45.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 343 | 2 | 19 | 132 | 102 | 50 | 24 | 14 | 0 |
| SGC | 33 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 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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Related cards
More Sam Jones in this set: #49 League Leaders
Team card: #167 San Francisco Giants Team
More San Francisco Giants cards:
- #31 Bob Schmidt
- #55 Jim Davenport
- #72 Stu Miller
- #87 Joe Amalfitano
- #96 Billy O'Dell
- #114 Hobie Landrith
- #150 Willie Mays
- #161 Sherman Jones
- #188 Jim Marshall
- #203 Eddie Bressoud
- #220 Al Dark
- #237 Billy Loes
- #258 Jack Sanford
- #279 Jose Pagan
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #555 card?
It is card #555 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Sam Jones of the San Francisco Giants.
Why is #555 harder to find?
It is a high number card (cards 523-589) from the seventh and last print series - the scarce end of the set, including the 22 Sporting News All-Stars.
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.