1969 Topps #417 Ken Harrelson
About this card
Cards #416-435 are the twenty Sporting News All-Stars, ten from each league - a catcher, the four infielders, three outfielders and two pitchers - with the National and American League picks alternating from #416; the run straddles the fourth and fifth series, and the backs assemble into two puzzle photos.
About Ken Harrelson
Traded from Boston to Cleveland in April 1969 following a brief retirement, Harrelson hit .221 with 30 home runs and a career-high 99 walks for the Indians. He appears four times in the 1969 Topps set, none of them a rookie card: League Leaders cards #3 and #5, both from the set's first print series, crediting his 1968 RBI title alongside Frank Howard, Jim Northrup and Willie Horton; a Sporting News All-Star card, #417, from the fourth series, honoring his 1968 season with Boston; and his regular card, #240, from the third series, with the Red Sox.
Kenneth Smith Harrelson, born September 4, 1941 in Woodruff, South Carolina, played nine major league seasons (1963-1971) as a first baseman and outfielder for the Kansas City Athletics, Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians. Signed by Kansas City out of high school, he reached the majors in 1963 and became known as "Hawk" for his distinctive profile. Outspoken criticism of Athletics owner Charlie Finley led to his release in 1967, and he signed with Boston for a lucrative sum, helping the Red Sox win the pennant that year before losing the World Series to St. Louis. In 1968 he had his finest season, leading the American League in RBI and earning his only All-Star selection. Traded to Cleveland in 1969, he retired mid-season in 1971 after a broken leg limited his mobility. Harrelson finished with a .239 average, 131 home runs and 421 RBI in 900 games, and is credited with helping popularize the batting glove. He later spent decades as a Chicago White Sox broadcaster.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 309 | 2 | 39 | 154 | 69 | 25 | 11 | 8 | 1 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 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.
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Related cards
More Ken Harrelson in this set: #3 League Leaders, #5 League Leaders, #240
More Boston Red Sox cards:
- #1 American League 1968 Batting Leaders
- #3 American League 1968 RBI Leaders
- #5 American League 1968 Home Run Leaders
- #21 Jose Santiago
- #52 Mike Andrews
- #89 Russ Gibson
- #109 Jim Lonborg
- #130 Carl Yastrzemski
- #148 Lee Stange
- #172 Jerry Stephenson
- #189 Red Sox 1969 Rookie Stars
- #215 Rico Petrocelli
- #240 Ken Harrelson
- #264 Bill Landis
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #417 card?
It is card #417 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ken Harrelson of the Boston Red Sox. Cards #416-435 are the twenty Sporting News All-Stars, ten from each league - a catcher, the four infielders, three outfielders and two pitchers - with the National and American League picks alternating from #416; the run straddles the fourth and fifth series, and the backs assemble into two puzzle photos.
How many cards are in the 1969 Topps Baseball set?
664 cards, tracked as 696 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 664 with none skipped and no printed number shared by two cards; 32 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately, 23 of them the yellow- and white-letter name pairs of #440-511.
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 2026-10-12.