1975 Topps #197 1959 MVPs
Part of the MVP subset (#189-212) — both league MVPs of one season, rendered in that year's Topps design.
About this card
Cards #189-212 are the MVP subset: twenty-four cards, each pairing the American and National League Most Valuable Players of one season from 1951 through 1974, reproducing their cards from that year.
About the players on this card
Nellie Fox
Jacob Nelson Fox was born December 25, 1927, in St. Thomas, Pennsylvania, where his carpenter father taught him the game on the local town team. At 16, a letter from his mother won him a tryout with Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics, who signed him in 1944; after three seasons in the low minors he reached the majors with the A's in 1947. Traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1950, Fox spent the next 14 years in Chicago and grew into the game's toughest hitter to strike out, a slap-hitting second baseman known for his choked-up bottle bat and ever-present chaw of tobacco. He made 12 All-Star teams, won three Gold Gloves, and led the American League in singles eight times. His signature year came in 1959, when he hit .306 and powered the "Go-Go" White Sox to their first pennant in 40 years, earning AL MVP honors. Called "Nellie" — from his middle name — once he turned pro, he retired in 1965 with the Houston Astros and a .288 career average, and the Veterans Committee inducted him into the Hall of Fame in 1997. His 1975 Topps card #197 revisits that MVP season in Topps' MVP subset.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Ernie Banks
Ernie Banks broke into pro ball with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League in 1950, served two years in the U.S. Army, then signed with the Chicago Cubs in September 1953 as the franchise's first Black player. A rangy shortstop with power, he set a single-season home run record for the position with 44 in 1955 and, in 1958-59, became the first National League player to win back-to-back MVP awards — a league-leading 47 homers and 129 RBI in 1958, then 45 homers and a league-best 143 RBI in 1959. He won a Gold Glove at shortstop in 1960, shifted to first base in 1962, and stayed a fixture at Wrigley Field through 1971, finishing with 512 home runs, 1,636 RBI, and 11 All-Star selections; he reached 500 homers on May 12, 1970. Nicknamed "Mr. Cub" and "Mr. Sunshine" for his popularity and sunny disposition, he coined the catchphrase "Let's play two!" His No. 14 was the first number the Cubs retired, in 1982, and he entered the Hall of Fame in 1977, his first year on the ballot. He headlines Topps' 1958 and 1959 National League MVP subset cards (#196, #197) in the 1975 set.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 691 | 7 | 184 | 368 | 76 | 22 | 21 | 11 | 2 |
| SGC | 35 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-19. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here. The graders do not split the 1975 Topps Mini or O-Pee-Chee issues into this set.
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Related cards
Team card: #276 Chicago White Sox
More Chicago White Sox cards:
- #11 Bill Melton
- #35 Ron Santo
- #59 Ken Henderson
- #82 Pat Kelly
- #110 Wilbur Wood
- #137 Terry Forster
- #161 Stan Bahnsen
- #184 Jorge Orta
- #210 1972 MVPs
- #219 Ed Herrmann
- #243 Jim Kaat
- #299 Bucky Dent
- #307 1974 Home Run Leaders
- #313 1974 Leading Firemen
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1975 Topps #197 card?
It is card #197 of the 660-card 1975 Topps Baseball set, picturing Nellie Fox, Ernie Banks. Cards #189-212 are the MVP subset: twenty-four cards, each pairing the American and National League Most Valuable Players of one season from 1951 through 1974, reproducing their cards from that year.
How many cards are in the 1975 Topps Baseball set?
660 cards, numbered 1-660, with no variations and no short prints - PSA reports the cards were printed in equal quantities. The 1975 Topps Mini and the 1975 O-Pee-Chee issues are separate products with their own checklists.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, 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 2026-08-20.