1968 Topps #197 Larry Brown
About Larry Brown
Under new manager Al Dark in 1968, Brown again started 154 games at shortstop, batting .234 while facing constant pressure to justify his roster spot. He was left unprotected in the October 1968 expansion draft but went unselected. Dark publicly pegged him as a future utility man, a label Brown pushed back against, insisting he wanted to be an everyday regular. His 1968 Topps card is a print series 3 issue with the Cleveland Indians.
Larry Brown was a gritty, defensively versatile infielder who carved out a twelve-year major league career built on a rifle arm and sure hands rather than a big bat. Signed by Cleveland out of a Lake Worth, Florida high school, he worked his way up through the minors before debuting with the Indians in 1963. He spent most of his career at shortstop and second base for Cleveland, later moving around the infield as a veteran utilityman for Oakland, Baltimore, and Texas. Teammates and beat writers alike praised his acrobatic fielding and team-first attitude even as his batting average hovered in the .220s and .230s most seasons. He reached the postseason only briefly, appearing in the 1973 ALCS with Baltimore. Off the field he was known for strumming guitar in the clubhouse alongside teammates. He finished with 1,129 career games, a .233 batting average, 47 home runs, and 254 RBI before retiring after the 1974 season.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 340 | 12 | 67 | 176 | 54 | 18 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 19 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 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. Slabs of the yellow team-letter #49 and #66 are 1968 Milton Bradley game cards and are not counted here.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1968 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
More Cleveland Indians cards:
- #8 American League 1967 ERA Leaders
- #12 American League 1967 Strikeout Leaders
- #16 Indians 1968 Rookie Stars
- #35 Steve Hargan
- #54 Stan Williams
- #71 Vern Fuller
- #94 Lee Maye
- #115 Sam McDowell
- #176 Bob Allen
- #218 Ken Suarez
- #237 Alvin Dark
- #269 Bob Tiefenauer
- #295 Sonny Siebert
- #318 Chico Salmon
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #197 card?
It is card #197 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Larry Brown of the Cleveland Indians.
How many cards are in the 1968 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 606 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 598 without a gap and no printed number carries two different cards; eight cards - six of the seven checklists, #10 AL Pitching Leaders and #400 Mike McCormick - carry a catalogued print variation that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball Almanac, Beckett, 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 2026-10-12.