1969 Topps #461 Mike Epstein
About Mike Epstein
New manager Ted Williams remade Epstein's approach that spring, and the result was a career year: 30 home runs, 85 RBIs, and a .278 average with a .414 on-base percentage for the Senators. Card #461, from the fifth print series, exists in two collectible states distinguished by the color of his last name on the card front. Card #539, from the sixth series, pairs him with manager Ted Williams, who is honored elsewhere on the card as a Hall of Famer.
Mike Epstein was a power-hitting first baseman from the Bronx who starred at Fairfax High and the University of California, Berkeley before choosing baseball over an NFL path. Rival manager Rocky Bridges tagged him "Super Jew" during an MVP minor league season at Stockton, and Topps and The Sporting News both named him Minor League Player of the Year after a huge 1966 at Rochester. He broke in with Baltimore in 1966 but was blocked by Boog Powell and dealt to Washington in 1967. Managed by Ted Williams in 1969-70, Epstein posted career highs across the board in 1969. He was traded to Oakland in 1971 and helped the Athletics win the 1972 World Series, later playing for Texas and California. Over nine seasons he hit .244 with 130 home runs. He was later inducted into the United States National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the California Athletics Hall of Fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Print variations
Two states of #461 are tracked individually: 461a - Last Name In Yellow and 461b - Last Name In White. The difference is on the front of the card (name color).
States catalogued by the PSA master set registry and the Trading Card Database; each is tracked here individually.
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Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 461a - Last Name In Yellow | |||||||||
| PSA | 231 | 0 | 32 | 107 | 41 | 22 | 18 | 11 | 0 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 461b - Last Name In White | |||||||||
| PSA | 155 | 0 | 1 | 16 | 40 | 51 | 21 | 25 | 1 |
| SGC | 23 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
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 a grader registers a variation separately its population is listed under that variation.
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Related cards
More Mike Epstein in this set: #539 Ted Shows How
More Washington Senators cards:
- #3 American League 1968 RBI Leaders
- #5 American League 1968 Home Run Leaders
- #27 Bernie Allen
- #48 Brant Alyea
- #84 Bob Humphreys
- #106 Jim Hannan
- #132 Dave Baldwin
- #153 Ed Brinkman
- #170 Frank Howard
- #199 Jim French
- #226 Bruce Howard
- #246 Joe Coleman
- #272 Ed Stroud
- #294 Jim Lemon
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1969 Topps #461 card?
It is card #461 of the 664-card 1969 Topps Baseball set, picturing Mike Epstein of the Washington Senators.
Does 1969 Topps #461 have variations?
Yes. Two states are catalogued and tracked individually: 461a - Last Name In Yellow ("Epstein" prints in yellow letters on the front - the common state of this fifth-series card) and 461b - Last Name In White ("Epstein" prints in white letters - the scarce state of the pair; white letters are the premium side on all 23 of the set's name-color variations (#440-511)). Owning any one of them fills the #461 slot; the master set counts each state.
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.