1961 Topps #494 Tom Cheney
About Tom Cheney
Card #494 sits in the sixth series of the 1961 Topps set and pictures Cheney with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the club he had helped to a World Series title the previous fall. His first Topps card was #359 in the 1957 set, as a Cardinal. The Pirates uniform was already stale by the time these packs hit the shelves: Cheney failed to record an out in his only Pittsburgh appearance of 1961, was sent down to the minors in May, and on June 29 was traded to the expansion Washington Senators for Tom Sturdivant. In Washington he would set his 21-strikeout record the following September.
Thomas Edgar Cheney was a right-handed pitcher from Morgan, Georgia who spent eight major league seasons between 1957 and 1966 with the St. Louis Cardinals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Washington Senators. Signed by the Cardinals out of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College for a $1,500 bonus, he battled control problems in his early trials, walking 15 in nine innings as a 1957 rookie. Pittsburgh acquired him on December 21, 1959, in a trade that also brought outfielder Gino Cimoli in exchange for pitcher Ron Kline. Recalled from Triple-A in late June 1960, he went 2-2 as a spot starter and reliever for the pennant-winning Pirates and worked three games in relief in that year's World Series win over the Yankees. Traded to Washington on June 29, 1961 for Tom Sturdivant, he became one of the American League's most effective starters for a last-place club: a 3.17 ERA with 147 strikeouts in 1962, then a career-best 2.71 in 1963. On September 12, 1962, he threw a 16-inning complete game at Baltimore and struck out 21, a single-game record that still stands. An elbow injury in July 1963 ended his effectiveness; he finished 19-29 with a 3.77 ERA, eight of his 19 wins shutouts. Teammates called him Skins or Skinhead for his premature baldness.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2) · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 258 | 1 | 17 | 127 | 68 | 28 | 13 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 15 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 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.
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: #554 Pittsburgh Pirates Team
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #1 Dick Groat
- #22 Clem Labine
- #54 Earl Francis
- #70 Bill Virdon
- #82 Joe Christopher
- #100 Harvey Haddix
- #126 Dick Stuart
- #138 Danny Murtaugh
- #149 Bob Oldis
- #165 Gino Cimoli
- #181 Fred Green
- #204 Bob Skinner
- #230 Don Hoak
- #242 Hal W. Smith
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #494 card?
It is card #494 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tom Cheney of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Why is #494 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.