1965 Topps #317 Don McMahon
About Don McMahon
Card #317 comes from Topps' fourth series and follows the busiest year McMahon ever had. In 1964 he made 70 relief appearances, breaking the Cleveland club record of 63, and went 6-4 with 16 saves, a 2.41 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 101 innings; that November he was named the Indians' Man of the Year. He then held out into February before coming to terms with general manager Gabe Paul, and turned in a steadier season: 58 games, a 3-3 record, 11 saves and a 3.28 ERA.
Donald John McMahon was a right-handed relief pitcher from Brooklyn, New York, signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent in 1950 and converted from third base to the mound in their farm system. He did not reach the majors until June 30, 1957, at age 27, after roughly five and a half years in the minors and two years in the Army, and he believed he was the first pitcher ever called up strictly as a reliever. Used almost entirely out of the bullpen, he appeared in 874 games, just two of them as a starter, and finished 90-68 with a 2.96 ERA, 1,003 strikeouts and 153 saves. He was a 1958 National League All-Star selection and won World Series rings with the 1957 Braves and the 1968 Tigers, also pitching for the Colt .45's, Indians, Red Sox, White Sox and Giants. Sold or traded six times between ages 32 and 39, he had a habit of pitching his best ball in his first season with a new club. He never spent a day on the disabled list, and he threw his last big league pitch in 1974 at age 44 while serving as the Giants pitching coach.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac (1) · Baseball Almanac (2)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 210 | 2 | 24 | 111 | 45 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1965 Topps #317 card?
It is card #317 of the 598-card 1965 Topps Baseball set, picturing Don McMahon of the Cleveland Indians.
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.