1963 Topps #15 Ken Hubbs
About Ken Hubbs
Card #15 is an early first-series number. It catches Hubbs at the start of the return to a single manager, after the rotating College of Coaches was scrapped and Bob Kennedy took the job. Kennedy called him a real pro who would be a major leaguer for many more years. The bat cooled to .235 with 8 home runs and 47 runs batted in, and the glove slipped to 22 errors, but Chicago finished 82-80.
Kenneth Douglass Hubbs was born December 23, 1941, in Riverside, California, and grew up in Colton, the second oldest of five brothers. At Colton High School he was a national All-American in both football and basketball, and he turned down college offers to sign with the Chicago Cubs in 1959 for a $50,000 bonus. He came up as a shortstop, but with Ernie Banks holding that job, coach Bobby Adams drilled him at second base in 1961, and Hubbs debuted with Chicago that September. In 1962 he played 160 games, batted .260 with 5 home runs and 49 runs batted in, and led all National League rookies in hits, doubles, triples, runs and average, while setting major league records with 78 straight errorless games and 418 consecutive chances handled cleanly at second base. He became the first rookie ever to win a Gold Glove, and he took the National League Rookie of the Year award with 19 of the 20 votes. Teammates and Cubs officials were still calling him a future star at the position when the 1963 season ended. Hubbs, who took up flying to beat a fear of it and earned his pilot's license in January 1964, died February 13, 1964, at 22 when his Cessna 172 went down in Utah Lake near Provo, Utah.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · National Baseball Hall of Fame
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 375 | 0 | 5 | 106 | 137 | 78 | 32 | 15 | 2 |
| SGC | 42 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 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.
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Related cards
Team card: #222 Chicago Cubs
More Chicago Cubs cards:
- #3 1962 National League Home Run Leaders
- #31 Cal Koonce
- #54 1963 Rookie Stars
- #58 Bob Will
- #81 Jimmie Schaffer
- #95 Larry Jackson
- #113 Don Landrum
- #175 Bob Buhl
- #193 Andre Rodgers
- #212 Glen Hobbie
- #242 Power Plus
- #252 Ron Santo
- #272 Danny Murphy
- #287 Dick Bertell
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #15 card?
It is card #15 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ken Hubbs of the Chicago Cubs.
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.