1966 Topps #287 Jack Aker
About Jack Aker
Aker's first full major league season with the Kansas City Athletics was also his best: he appeared in 66 games, all in relief, leading all of baseball in games finished and saves with a career-high 32, an 8-4 record, and a 1.99 ERA. The Sporting News named him AL Fireman of the Year, and he finished 13th in AL MVP voting. His 1966 Topps card, #287 in the fourth series, is his recognized rookie card.
Jackie Delane Aker was a side-arming sinkerballer who spent eleven seasons in the majors as a relief pitcher, breaking in with the Kansas City Athletics in 1964. A standout at the College of Sequoias before signing with the A's organization in 1959, Aker worked his way up through the minors as a starter before the club converted him into a full-time reliever. He is of Potawatomi ancestry and carried the nickname "Chief" through his playing career. Aker also pitched for the Seattle Pilots, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, and New York Mets. As the Athletics' player representative during the 1967 labor dispute with owner Charles Finley, he became a central figure in one of the era's most public front-office conflicts. After retiring, he managed in the minor leagues for a decade, then went on to teach baseball skills to children for two decades, including at-risk Native American youth on southwestern reservations, work that earned him a Giant Steps Award from President Bill Clinton in 1997.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 164 | 0 | 18 | 90 | 37 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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. 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: #492 Kansas City Athletics
More Kansas City Athletics cards:
- #18 Roland Sheldon
- #36 Jim Hunter
- #55 Ken Harrelson
- #74 Don Mossi
- #107 Athletics 1966 Rookie Stars
- #143 Jose Tartabull
- #157 Rene Lachemann
- #175 Bert Campaneris
- #201 Jim Dickson
- #236 Mike Hershberger
- #256 Lew Krausse
- #309 Diego Segui
- #332 Billy Bryan
- #366 Wayne Causey
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1966 Topps #287 card?
It is card #287 of the 598-card 1966 Topps Baseball set, picturing Jack Aker of the Kansas City Athletics.
Is 1966 Topps #287 a rookie card?
Yes - #287 is the 1966 Topps rookie card of Jack Aker.
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.