1966 Topps #24 Don Kessinger
About Don Kessinger
This 1966 Topps card, #24 from the set's first series, catches Kessinger with the Cubs as he pushed his batting average to a career-high .274. New manager Leo Durocher had encouraged him to switch-hit that spring, and after a slow start he hit over .300 in the second half. He also led National League shortstops with 474 assists that season. It is a recognized rookie card.
Don Kessinger was a switch-hitting shortstop who anchored the Chicago Cubs infield for eleven seasons after signing out of the University of Mississippi, where he had also been an All-American basketball player. Paired for nine straight years with second baseman Glenn Beckert, Kessinger made six All-Star teams and won two Gold Gloves, repeatedly leading National League shortstops in assists and putouts. His trademark play, a backhanded stop in the hole that he whipped across his body to first, earned the nickname "The Down Pat" from teammate Ferguson Jenkins. After Chicago traded him to St. Louis in 1975, he finished his career with the Chicago White Sox, where in 1979 he became the last player-manager in American League history. He later coached baseball at Ole Miss, his alma mater.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 291 | 1 | 25 | 106 | 79 | 33 | 19 | 28 | 0 |
| SGC | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 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. Where SGC registers no separate row for a variation state, its slabs of that card are listed under the base state.
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Related cards
Team card: #204 Chicago Cubs
More Chicago Cubs cards:
- #2 Ted Abernathy
- #43 Don Landrum
- #63 Jim Stewart
- #82 Bob Hendley
- #110 Ernie Banks
- #139 Cubs 1966 Rookie Stars
- #146 George Altman
- #166 Chris Krug
- #185 Bob Buhl
- #217 National League 1965 Home Run Leaders
- #232 Glenn Beckert
- #246 Ed Bailey
- #278 Calvin Koonce
- #290 Ron Santo
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1966 Topps #24 card?
It is card #24 of the 598-card 1966 Topps Baseball set, picturing Don Kessinger of the Chicago Cubs.
Is 1966 Topps #24 a rookie card?
Yes - #24 is the 1966 Topps rookie card of Don Kessinger.
How many cards are in the 1966 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 613 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 598 with no gaps and no number used twice, and 14 cards carry catalogued print variations - five checklists, the trade and sold statement backs, the three-state #43 Don Landrum, three team-card dot pairs and the #161 Jerry Lumpe white streak - that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, 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.