1968 Topps #561 Lee Elia
About Lee Elia
Elia's 1968 Topps card, a high number, catches him back in the majors with the Cubs, though he appeared in only 15 games that season while splitting most of his time with Triple-A Tacoma. His lone highlight came on August 4, when his pinch-hit single in the 13th inning drove in the go-ahead run against the Cardinals in a 6-5 win, a game he later called the most memorable he ever saw.
Lee Elia was a Philadelphia-born infielder who spent six seasons working through the Phillies farm system before a 1964 trade sent him to the Chicago White Sox, where he finally reached the majors in 1966 at shortstop. A trade to the Cubs the following year brought a second big-league stint in 1968, but recurring knee trouble limited him to sporadic duty and a career line of 43 hits in 95 games. A knee operation and a three-year break followed his final playing season, after which Elia rebuilt a career on the other side of the dugout, managing in the minors for the Phillies before reaching the majors as a coach and, later, as manager of both the Cubs and the Phillies. His scouting and teaching work over decades in the game touched future stars including Ryne Sandberg and Mike Schmidt.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 355 | 16 | 112 | 177 | 40 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 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. Slabs of the yellow team-letter #49 and #66 are 1968 Milton Bradley game cards and are not counted here.
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Related cards
More Chicago Cubs cards:
- #5 National League 1967 Home Run Leaders
- #9 National League 1967 Pitching Leaders
- #11 National League 1967 Strikeout Leaders
- #13 Chuck Hartenstein
- #37 Billy Williams
- #60 Ken Holtzman
- #83 John Stephenson
- #101 Glenn Beckert
- #119 Ted Savage
- #136 Randy Hundley
- #159 Don Kessinger
- #179 Bill Stoneman
- #184 Lou Johnson
- #202 Adolfo Phillips
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1968 Topps #561 card?
It is card #561 of the 598-card 1968 Topps Baseball set, picturing Lee Elia of the Chicago Cubs.
Is 1968 Topps #561 a scarce card?
It is a high number card from the seventh print series, #534-598, by the checklist-card division. The last two series together (#458-598) carry only a modest premium; no short-print list exists.
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.