1965 Topps #331 Dodgers Rookie Stars - Al Ferrara / John Purdin
On this card: Al Ferrara, John Purdin
About this card
This is one of the 55 Rookie Stars cards in the 1965 Topps set, each picturing two to four young players - 126 players in all - under a team banner, except #577 and #581, which carry American League and National League banners over players from three clubs. Joe Morgan (#16), Steve Carlton (#477), Jim (Catfish) Hunter (#526) and Tony Perez (#581) make their Topps debuts on these cards.
The story on this card
Ferrara won a spot on the Dodgers' 1965 Opening Day roster after two outfielders ahead of him were let go over the winter, and delivered a season highlight on May 15 when his pinch-hit home run broke up a no-hit bid by Cubs left-hander Dick Ellsworth. He shuttled between Los Angeles and the minors before returning for good in September as the Dodgers won the World Series. His 1965 Topps card, #331, is a Rookie Stars subset card shared with pitcher John Purdin, from the set's fourth print series. A Brooklyn native who traded piano recitals for the outfield, Al Ferrara spent most of his career patrolling left and right field for the Los Angeles Dodgers before becoming an original San Diego Padre in 1969.
1965 Topps #331 is a multi-player Rookie Stars card from the set's fourth print series, shared by Al Ferrara and John Purdin, both representing the Los Angeles Dodgers and marking Purdin's rookie card. It followed his September 1964 debut, when he threw two hitless relief innings against Pittsburgh and, weeks later, a two-hit shutout of the Cubs. In 1965 he worked mostly in relief for the Dodgers, appearing in 11 games with 2 starts, going 2-1 with a 6.75 ERA over 22.2 innings. Dodgers relief and spot-start pitcher across four seasons, 1964-1969, whose debut featured two innings of no-hit relief against Pittsburgh and a strikeout of Vern Law, followed weeks later by a two-hit shutout of the Cubs.
Sources: Wikipedia (Al Ferrara) · Wikipedia (John Purdin) · SABR BioProject
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 325 | 3 | 37 | 158 | 78 | 23 | 13 | 9 | 4 |
| SGC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. The two checklist variations, #79 and #508, are listed under the wording PSA uses for each state.
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Related cards
Team card: #126 Los Angeles Dodgers
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- #119 John Kennedy
- #196 Ron Fairly
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1965 Topps #331 card?
It is card #331 of the 598-card 1965 Topps Baseball set, picturing Al Ferrara and John Purdin. This is one of the 55 Rookie Stars cards in the 1965 Topps set, each picturing two to four young players - 126 players in all - under a team banner, except #577 and #581, which carry American League and National League banners over players from three clubs. Joe Morgan (#16), Steve Carlton (#477), Jim (Catfish) Hunter (#526) and Tony Perez (#581) make their Topps debuts on these cards.
Is 1965 Topps #331 a rookie card?
Yes - #331 is the rookie card of John Purdin. Al Ferrara had already appeared on an earlier Topps card, so it is not his rookie card.
How many cards are in the 1965 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 600 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 598 with no gaps and no printed-number collisions, and two checklist cards - #79 and #508 - carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball Almanac, 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 2026-10-11.