1962 Topps #427 Jake Wood
About Jake Wood
Wood appears twice in the 1962 Topps set: #72, a first-series combination card shared with Steve Boros and manager Bob Scheffing, and #427, a fifth-series solo card. Sent to Tampa after his strikeout-heavy debut, he laid down up to 300 bunts a day for coach George Myatt and moved to a heavier 35-ounce bat. He slumped to .226, lost second base to Dick McAuliffe by August, but stole 24 bases, third in the league again.
Jake Wood was a speedy second baseman who broke in with the Detroit Tigers on Opening Day 1961, hitting leadoff and belting a two-run homer off Jim Perry in the seventh inning of his first game. Born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and signed by the Tigers in 1957 after one season at Delaware State, he was the first African-American player to work his way up through Detroit's own farm system and hold down a regular big-league job. Wood was the Tigers' primary second baseman from 1961 through 1963, finishing third in the American League in stolen bases in all three of those years and pacing the league in triples and strikeouts as a rookie. A dislocated finger in late July 1963 ended that season and required surgery, and once Detroit traded for veteran Jerry Lumpe he spent his remaining years as a utility infielder. He closed out a seven-year career in 1967 with Detroit and the Cincinnati Reds, batting .250 with 35 home runs and 168 RBI in 608 games. He is a member of the Union County, New Jersey Baseball Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 248 | 1 | 12 | 102 | 93 | 22 | 11 | 7 | 0 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-09-24. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here. Slabs of the three cards printed #139 are joined by description, never by number alone. PSA registers the green tints as a separate set; a tint's population is listed under that state of the card it belongs to.
Find this card
Search T206 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
More Jake Wood in this set: #72 Combo
Team card: #24 Detroit Tigers Team
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #20 Rocky Colavito
- #62 Steve Boros
- #72 Bob's Pupils
- #87 Mike Roarke
- #92 Sam Jones
- #105 Don Mossi
- #114 Howie Koplitz
- #150 Al Kaline
- #173 Chico Fernandez
- #196 Terry Fox
- #216 Ron Kline
- #250 Norm Cash
- #261 George Alusik
- #299 Don Wert
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1962 Topps #427 card?
It is card #427 of the 600-card 1962 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jake Wood of the Detroit Tigers.
How many cards are in the 1962 Topps Baseball set?
600 cards, tracked as 708 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 598 with no gaps, but three different cards were printed #139 - two Hal Reniff poses, catalogued 139a and 139b, and the Babe Hits 60 Babe Ruth Special, 139c - so 598 numbers make 600 cards; 93 cards carry catalogued print variations, the series-2 green tints among them, that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Baseball Almanac, Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-03.