1962 Topps #31 Tom Tresh
About Tom Tresh
Topps put Tresh in the first series of its 1962 set at #31, and the card became his recognised rookie card - an early-series card of a 23-year-old the Yankees were about to hand the shortstop job. Tony Kubek's National Guard call-up opened it, and Tresh, fresh off being named the International League's Rookie of the Year at Richmond, beat out Phil Linz in spring training. He answered with a .286 average, 20 home runs and 93 RBI, an All-Star nod, and American League Rookie of the Year honors from both the Baseball Writers and The Sporting News.
Tom Tresh was a switch-hitting shortstop and outfielder who played nine big-league seasons, 1961 through 1969, with the New York Yankees until a midseason 1969 trade sent him home to the Detroit Tigers. Born in Detroit, the son of big-league catcher Mike Tresh, he starred at Allen Park High School and went back to Central Michigan University every off-season until he had his physical education degree. Named the International League's Rookie of the Year at Richmond in 1961, he took the Yankees' shortstop job the next spring while Tony Kubek served a National Guard call-up, hit .286 with 20 home runs and 93 runs batted in, and was voted American League Rookie of the Year by both the Baseball Writers and The Sporting News. His three-run homer off Jack Sanford broke an eighth-inning tie in Game Five of the 1962 World Series, and New York beat San Francisco in seven. Tresh was an All-Star in 1962 and 1963 and won a Gold Glove for his outfield work in 1965, but a right knee injury in 1967 spring training drained his speed and power; Detroit released him in the spring of 1970 at 31. He later worked at his alma mater, helped invent a sliding-technique training aid, and died in Venice, Florida, in 2008.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 839 | 0 | 17 | 225 | 306 | 134 | 83 | 73 | 1 |
| SGC | 134 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 39 | 32 | 27 | 17 | 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
- #48 Ralph Terry
- #65 Bobby Richardson
- #88 Ralph Houk
- #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 #31 card?
It is card #31 of the 600-card 1962 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tom Tresh of the New York Yankees.
Is 1962 Topps #31 a rookie card?
Yes - #31 is the 1962 Topps rookie card of Tom Tresh.
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.