1966 Topps #311 Reds Rookie Stars - Tommy Helms / Dick Simpson
On this card: Tommy Helms, Dick Simpson
About this card
The 46 Rookie Stars cards group a club's prospects under one number - except #553, which mixes Braves and Angels, and #591 NL Rookie Stars, which mixes Dodgers and Phillies. The class is headlined by #254 (Ferguson Jenkins, with Bill Sorrell) and #288 (Don Sutton, with Bill Singer).
The story on this card
Helms won his first full-time job in 1966, hitting .284 with 9 home runs, but not at shortstop: with Leo Cardenas set at short, the Reds moved him to third base after an early-season experiment at second alongside Pete Rose fell through. His strong defense at an unfamiliar position helped him claim the 1966 National League Rookie of the Year award. It is a Rookie Stars issue shared with fellow Red Dick Simpson; Helms's rookie card is his 1965 issue. A natural shortstop moved to third, then to second, Tommy Helms won 1966 NL Rookie of the Year and two Gold Gloves, anchoring the Cincinnati Reds infield through the early 1970s.
Card #311, a series-4 'Rookie Stars' issue, it is Simpson's first card as a Red after the winter's headline trade: on December 9, 1965, Cincinnati sent Frank Robinson to Baltimore for pitchers Milt Pappas and Jack Baldschun plus Simpson himself, acquired a week after Baltimore had gotten him from the Angels for Norm Siebern. He shares the card with fellow newcomer Tommy Helms. Dick Simpson was an Angels-bred outfielder who spent seven big-league seasons with six clubs, best known as one of three players, with pitchers Milt Pappas and Jack Baldschun, the Reds got from Baltimore for Frank Robinson in December 1965.
Sources: Wikipedia (Tommy Helms) · Wikipedia (Dick Simpson) · SABR BioProject (Tommy Helms) · SABR BioProject (Dick Simpson) · Baseball Almanac (Dick Simpson)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 234 | 2 | 22 | 114 | 47 | 26 | 7 | 11 | 5 |
| SGC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 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.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1966 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
Team card: #59 Cincinnati Reds
More Cincinnati Reds cards:
- #12 John Tsitouris
- #30 Pete Rose
- #72 Tony Perez
- #89 Ted Davidson
- #119 Art Shamsky
- #140 Jim Maloney
- #159 Chico Ruiz
- #180 Vada Pinson
- #196 Don Pavletich
- #214 Tommy Harper
- #219 National League 1965 RBI Leaders
- #233 Dom Zanni
- #250 Sam Ellis
- #269 Don Heffner
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1966 Topps #311 card?
It is card #311 of the 598-card 1966 Topps Baseball set, picturing Tommy Helms and Dick Simpson. The 46 Rookie Stars cards group a club's prospects under one number - except #553, which mixes Braves and Angels, and #591 NL Rookie Stars, which mixes Dodgers and Phillies. The class is headlined by #254 (Ferguson Jenkins, with Bill Sorrell) and #288 (Don Sutton, with Bill Singer).
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.