1971 Topps #241 Dave Nelson


About Dave Nelson
Nelson hit .159 in 47 games for the 1970 Senators, who had landed him from Cleveland with Ron Law and Horacio Pina for Dennis Higgins and Barry Moore. Card #241, a second-series issue, pictures him in Washington. After a few exhibition games in 1971 he was sent to Denver, then returned to play 85 games at .280 and score the last run the Senators ever scored at RFK Stadium.
David Earl Nelson was born June 20, 1944, in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and starred in football, baseball, basketball and track at Junipero Serra High School in Gardena, California, before playing at Compton Junior College and Los Angeles State College. Signed by Cleveland Indians scout Bob Mattick, he climbed the minor-league ladder as a prolific base stealer and reached the majors with Cleveland in 1968, earning a spot on the Topps Major League Rookie All-Star Team at second base. He played for the Washington Senators in 1970 and 1971, then moved with the franchise to Texas as it became the Rangers, shifting to third base and then back to second. His best year came in 1973, when he hit .286, stole 43 bases and made his only All-Star Game appearance. He spent the 1976-77 seasons with the Kansas City Royals, reaching the postseason in the 1976 ALCS. Nelson later coached and broadcast in the majors for decades, including as Milwaukee Brewers first base coach, before his death in 2018.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 379 | 0 | 20 | 207 | 120 | 19 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 13 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. 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
Team card: #462 Washington Senators
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- #11 Elliott Maddox
- #33 Del Unser
- #60 Dick Bosman
- #63 1970 American League RBI Leaders
- #65 1970 American League Home Run Leaders
- #82 Casey Cox
- #93 Senators 1971 Rookie Stars
- #139 Paul Casanova
- #167 Tom Grieve
- #217 Ed Stroud
- #261 Darold Knowles
- #283 Dick Such
- #307 Don Wert
- #326 Richie Scheinblum
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #241 card?
It is card #241 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Dave Nelson of the Washington Senators.
How many cards are in the 1971 Topps Baseball set?
752 cards, tracked as 761 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 752 with none skipped, issued in six print series (132/131/130/130/120/109 cards), the sixth (#644-752) the high numbers; seven cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - the #42, #265 and #306 photo pairs and the #123, #206, #369 and #619 checklists, #369 and #619 in three printings each.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA (its price guide, master set registry and set article), BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-25.