1961 Topps #589 Warren Spahn
Printed as #589 and the final card in the 1961 set; the seventh-series checklist lists this All-Star card as #587.
Uncorrected error: The card is printed as #589, but the 7th-series checklist lists this Spahn All-Star card as #587.
About this card
Cards #566-586 and #589 are the 22 Sporting News All-Stars, printed in the scarce seventh series - the toughest run in the set.
About Warren Spahn
1961 was the first Topps set built with a League Leaders subset, and #47 is Spahn's stop in it: he and Ernie Broglio had tied for the 1960 National League lead at 21 wins apiece, with Vern Law and Lew Burdette rounding out the front. Two collectible states exist, told apart by a black vertical bar printed to the right of the 19 in Burdette's square. Card #200 is his series-three base card, following a 1960 season that ended with the first no-hitter of his life at age 39, a 4-0 win in which he struck out 15 Phillies. Card #589, his Sporting News All-Star, comes out of the scarce seventh series and is the last card in the set.
Warren Edward Spahn (1921-2003) was a left-handed pitcher who won more games than any left-hander in major-league history. Born in Buffalo, New York, and named for President Warren G. Harding, he learned to pitch on a mound his father built in the backyard and signed with the Boston Bees, soon renamed the Braves, in 1940. Army service in World War II cost him three full seasons and earned the combat engineer a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and a battlefield commission; he did not win a big-league game until he was 25. He barely stopped again: 20 or more wins in 13 seasons, eight National League win titles, three earned run average titles, and the 1957 Cy Young Award in the year the Milwaukee Braves beat the Yankees in the World Series. He threw two no-hitters, in 1960 and 1961, at ages 39 and 40, and was a 17-time All-Star who pitched in 14 All-Star Games, more than any other pitcher of the twentieth century. He picked up the nickname Hooks for the nose a teammate's errant throw broke in 1941 spring training. He finished with 363 wins, a 3.09 earned run average and 2,583 strikeouts over 21 seasons with the Braves, Mets and Giants, and was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1973.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1,049 | 1 | 38 | 250 | 274 | 203 | 138 | 144 | 1 |
| SGC | 250 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 54 | 43 | 57 | 67 | 3 |
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 Warren Spahn in this set: #47 League Leaders, #200
Team card: #463b Milwaukee Braves Team
More Milwaukee Braves cards:
- #29 Don Nottebart
- #61 Ron Piche
- #73 Al Spangler
- #84 Lee Maye
- #89 Billy Martin
- #105 Carl Willey
- #120 Ed Mathews
- #137 Chuck Dressen
- #145 Bob Buhl
- #164 Felix Mantilla
- #183 Andre Rodgers
- #200 Warren Spahn
- #217 Mel Roach
- #245 Joe Adcock
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1961 Topps #589 card?
It is card #589 of the 587-card 1961 Topps Baseball set, picturing Warren Spahn of the Milwaukee Braves. Cards #566-586 and #589 are the 22 Sporting News All-Stars, printed in the scarce seventh series - the toughest run in the set.
Why is the last card numbered 589 when the set has 587 cards?
Numbers 587 and 588 were never issued, so the 65-card high series runs #523-586 plus #589. The 7th-series checklist calls this Spahn All-Star #587 because it compressed the range; the card itself is printed #589.
Does 1961 Topps #589 have an error?
The card is printed as #589, but the 7th-series checklist lists this Spahn All-Star card as #587. It was never corrected, so there is no variation to chase - every copy of #589 reads the same way.
Why is #589 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.