1978 Topps #61 Larvell Blanks
About Larvell Blanks
Blanks won the starting shortstop job in spring 1978 after Cleveland traded Frank Duffy to Boston, but he made 13 errors in 43 games at short and Tom Veryzer replaced him after mid-May. He hit .254 with 2 home runs and 20 RBI in 70 games. On October 3 the Indians sent him and Jim Kern to Texas for Bobby Bonds and Len Barker. His 1978 Topps card is #61.
Larvell Blanks was an infielder from Del Rio, Texas, who played 1972 to 1980 for the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers. He played in the 1962 Little League World Series with Val Verde County, and the Braves took him in the third round of the 1969 draft. He was the regular shortstop for Atlanta in 1975, his only year as an everyday player, and he had his most productive seasons in Cleveland in 1976 and 1977. He finished with a .253 average, 20 home runs and 172 RBI in 629 games. After his release by Atlanta in 1980 he played five seasons in the Mexican League and later played in the 1989 Senior Professional Baseball Association. Teammates Ralph Garr and Darrell Evans nicknamed him Sugar Bear in late summer 1969 in the Arizona Instructional League for his aggressive hitting, after the hit song Sugar, Sugar playing on the radio. His uncle Sid played in the AFL and NFL, and his cousin Lance played in the NBA.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 142 | 13 | 86 | 30 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 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: #689 Cleveland Indians Team
More Cleveland Indians cards:
- #11 Rick Manning
- #37 Rick Waits
- #87 John Lowenstein
- #101 Sid Monge
- #122 Dennis Eckersley
- #148 Andre Thornton
- #174 Wayne Garland
- #198 Ron Pruitt
- #227 Al Fitzmorris
- #253 Jim Kern
- #280 Buddy Bell
- #305 Rico Carty
- #332 Duane Kuiper
- #351 Jeff Torborg
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1978 Topps #61 card?
It is card #61 of the 726-card 1978 Topps Baseball set, picturing Larvell Blanks of the Cleveland Indians.
How many cards are in the 1978 Topps Baseball set?
726 cards, numbered 1 through 726 with none skipped and issued as a single series, and 728 collectible states: #23 Bump Wills comes with or without a black circle, and #374 Jose Morales with or without black stitching over the red laces, so the master set counts both states of each.
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.