1971 Topps #669 Ike Brown
About Ike Brown
Brown hit eight home runs in 110 at-bats in 1971. He batted .255 with 19 RBIs, playing first base in 17 games and the outfield in nine. His card is #669, from the sixth series, and lists him with the Tigers.
Ike Brown was a right-handed infielder and outfielder from Memphis who played all six of his major-league seasons, 1969 to 1974, with the Detroit Tigers, and who is recorded as the last former Negro league player to reach the majors. Detroit obtained him from the Kansas City Monarchs in 1961, after he had originally signed with the St. Louis Cardinals for $800, and he spent eight years in the minors. He earned his call-up in 1969 by hitting .356 for Triple-A Toledo and homering twice against the Tigers in an exhibition game. His first major-league hit was a home run at Yankee Stadium. In the minors he once played all nine positions in a single game. In Detroit he was recognizable for his glasses and burly build, and he was often mistaken for the brother of roommate Gates Brown, to whom he was unrelated. Gates recalled that Ike woke every morning saying, "It's a beautiful day." Brown finished with a .256 average, 20 home runs and 65 RBIs in 280 games. He died of cancer in Memphis in 2001, at 59.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 367 | 0 | 4 | 95 | 180 | 55 | 19 | 14 | 0 |
| SGC | 24 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 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: #336 Detroit Tigers
More Detroit Tigers cards:
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- #39 Tigers 1971 Rookie Stars
- #71 1970 American League Strikeout Leaders
- #86 Mike Kilkenny
- #101 Les Cain
- #120 Willie Horton
- #133 Mickey Lolich
- #154 Cesar Gutierrez
- #180 Al Kaline
- #208 Billy Martin
- #229 Jim Hannan
- #265 Jim Northrup
- #296 Tom Timmermann
- #316 Fred Scherman
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #669 card?
It is card #669 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ike Brown of the Detroit Tigers.
Why is #669 harder to find?
It is a high number card from the sixth and last print series, #644-752 - the scarce end of the set. Some of its cards were printed in larger numbers than others, so scarcity varies card by card inside the run.
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.