1962 Topps #88 Ralph Houk
About this card
The set carries nineteen manager cards, including three Hall of Famers: Casey Stengel of the first-year Mets at #29, Walt Alston at #217 and Al Lopez at #286.
About Ralph Houk
The follow-up: 96-66, five games ahead of Minnesota, a 27th American League pennant, and a seven-game World Series win over the San Francisco Giants. That made Houk the first manager to win championships in each of his first two seasons, and it stood as the Yankees' 20th world title and their last until 1977. Card #88 puts him in the manager subset of Topps' first series, one of the first cards out of the gate that spring. For a set that leans on its stars, the manager card is where the dynasty's caretaker gets his one line.
Ralph George Houk was born August 9, 1919, in Lawrence, Kansas, and was catching his way up through the New York Yankees farm system when World War II interrupted him. He served with the 89th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron of the 9th Armored Division, fought at Bastogne and through the Battle of the Bulge, and came home with a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and the rank of Major that became his baseball nickname. Back in the Bronx, he spent eight seasons from 1947 through 1954 as a second- and third-string catcher behind Yogi Berra, getting into only 91 games while batting .272. He managed the Yankees' Triple-A Denver Bears, returned as Casey Stengel's first-base coach, and succeeded Stengel as manager for 1961. Three straight pennants and back-to-back World Series titles followed, then a move upstairs to general manager, a second term in the dugout from 1966 through 1973, and closing stints with Detroit and Boston. Cooperstown never called, but the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame counts him among its members.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 349 | 1 | 7 | 89 | 153 | 51 | 23 | 24 | 1 |
| SGC | 33 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 0 |
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.
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Related cards
Team card: #251 New York Yankees Team
More New York Yankees cards:
- #1 Roger Maris
- #18 Managers' Dream
- #31 Tom Tresh
- #48 Ralph Terry
- #65 Bobby Richardson
- #93 John Blanchard
- #110 Bill Skowron
- #136 Babe Ruth Special: Babe Joins Yanks
- #137 Babe Ruth Special: Babe and Mgr. Huggins
- #138 Babe Ruth Special: The Famous Slugger
- #139a Hal Reniff
- #139b Hal Reniff
- #139c Babe Ruth Special: Babe Hits 60
- #140 Babe Ruth Special: Gehrig and Ruth
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1962 Topps #88 card?
It is card #88 of the 600-card 1962 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ralph Houk of the New York Yankees. The set carries nineteen manager cards, including three Hall of Famers: Casey Stengel of the first-year Mets at #29, Walt Alston at #217 and Al Lopez at #286.
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.