1972 Topps #284 Ike Brown
About Ike Brown
Brown played 51 games for the 1972 Tigers, mostly in the outfield and at first base, and hit .250 with two home runs. Detroit won the American League East, and in the ALCS against Oakland he went 1-for-2 with two RBIs as the Athletics won the series 3-2. His card is #284, from the third series.
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 | 331 | 11 | 113 | 155 | 34 | 11 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 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: #487 Detroit Tigers
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #6 Fred Scherman
- #33 Billy Martin
- #34 Billy Martin In Action
- #83 Dalton Jones
- #90 1971 A.L. Home Run Leaders
- #94 1971 A.L. Pitching Leaders
- #96 1971 A.L. Strikeout Leaders
- #120 Bill Freehan
- #150 Norm Cash
- #175 Tom Haller
- #176 Tom Haller In Action
- #187 Gates Brown
- #216 Joe Niekro
- #239 Tom Timmermann
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1972 Topps #284 card?
It is card #284 of the 787-card 1972 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ike Brown of the Detroit Tigers.
How many cards are in the 1972 Topps Baseball set?
787 cards, tracked as 794 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 787 with none skipped, in six print series (#1-132, #133-263, #264-394, #395-525, #526-656 and #657-787, the high numbers); 7 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - four Chicago Cubs cards with yellow or green under the "C" and "S" of the team name, the #251 and #478 checklists with smaller or larger print on the front, and the #604 checklist with its copyright line aligned right or left.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, 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.