1974 Topps #409 Ike Brown
About Ike Brown
Brown's 1974 season lasted two games, both at third base, with two at-bats and no hits, and his final major-league game came on May 4. When he left the Tigers that year he was one of the last Negro league alumni still active in the majors, along with Hank Aaron. His card is #409.
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 | 141 | 13 | 64 | 56 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1974 Topps #409 card?
It is card #409 of the 660-card 1974 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ike Brown of the Detroit Tigers.
How many cards are in the 1974 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, tracked as 678 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 660 with none skipped, issued all at once as a single series and printed in equal quantities; 17 cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - fourteen San Diego / "Washington Nat'l Lea." pairs (thirteen Padres player cards and the #226 team card), the three-state #599 Rookie Pitchers, the #608 Apodaco misspelling and the #654 Jesus Alou front without a position.
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.