1963 Topps #211 Fred Whitfield
The front carries the Topps All-Star Rookie trophy, the emblem Topps printed on the card of the player it picked at each position, earned here for the 1962 season.
About Fred Whitfield
Cleveland landed him in December 1962, sending shortstop Jack Kubiszyn and bullpen arm Ron Taylor to St. Louis, and penciled him in behind veteran Joe Adcock. The backup job turned into a platoon and Whitfield out-played the veteran, batting .251 with 21 home runs and 54 RBIs in 346 at-bats while facing right-handers in roughly nine of every ten trips. Card #211 is a third-series card and the rookie card collectors want, and the trophy on its front is no accident: managers, coaches and players voted him the first baseman on the 1962 Topps All-Star Rookie team for his half-season in St. Louis.
Fred Dwight Whitfield (1938-2013) was a left-handed first baseman from Vandiver, Alabama, who played nine big-league seasons (1962-1970) for the Cardinals, Indians, Reds and Expos. Pittsburgh signed him in 1956 and sent him home from camp; Baltimore signed him that fall and released him the next spring, his shoulder ruined by a sandlot pitching stint. He taught himself to flip the ball with his wrist, and a Cardinals scout signed him on the strength of his bat in 1958. Joe Schultz, one of his managers in that farm system, hung the tag Wingy on the throwing motion and it stuck. Whitfield reached St. Louis in 1962, went to Cleveland that December, and after two seasons of platooning owned the Indians' first-base job from May 1965 on. He hit 26 home runs in 1965 and 27 in 1966, and no staff suffered more than the Yankees, who gave up 23 of his 108 career homers. He batted .253 with 356 RBIs, then went home to Alabama, working as a shipping clerk for 23 years and playing bluegrass and gospel guitar.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 215 | 0 | 10 | 114 | 64 | 18 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 18 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 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.
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
Team card: #451 Cleveland Indians
More Cleveland Indians cards:
- #8 1962 American League Pitching Leaders
- #14 Pedro Ramos
- #36 Jerry Kindall
- #48 Birdie Tebbetts
- #72 Johnny Romano
- #103 Chuck Essegian
- #129 Gary Bell
- #152 Ron Nischwitz
- #170 Joe Adcock
- #187 Willie Kirkland
- #227 Jim Grant
- #228 1963 Rookie Stars
- #248 Tito Francona
- #266 Bob Allen
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #211 card?
It is card #211 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Fred Whitfield of the Cleveland Indians.
Is 1963 Topps #211 a rookie card?
Yes - #211 is the 1963 Topps rookie card of Fred Whitfield.
How many cards are in the 1963 Topps Baseball set?
576 cards, tracked as 583 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 576 with no gaps and no number used twice, and seven cards carry a catalogued print variation - three checklists, the two Rookie Stars cards also printed with a "1962" heading, and the #341 Jack Baldschun and #454 Art Fowler print states - that the master set counts separately.
Sources: 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.