For a variety of reasons, the 1961 Topps set is one of the most popular post-War vintage card sets of all-time. It was the midst of the Yankee dynasty, the season of the home run chase, the dawn of expansion. The issue gave us a big set with cards from the last series proving somewhat elusive. Jammed with stars, it’s a clean-looking set and some 1961 Topps high numbers have proven to be a headache for ultra high end collectors. Even those just putting together raw sets can learn something here though.
This is the second of a seven-part series in which we provide a list of the cards that have had the fewest number of NM-MT, Mint and Gem 
Mint grades assigned by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) and a list of the high numbers with the fewest total graded cards. The idea is to help those building sets of graded and non-graded common cards to see which might be harder to find and worth picking up.
Below are lists ranking the 20 1961 Topps high number commons that have the fewest high grade examples according to the PSA Population Report. The percentage of PSA 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5 and 10 cards graded vs. the total number of that card show us that the Orioles first baseman Jim Gentile has the fewest cards graded 8-10 compared to the total number of that card examined by PSA graders. Vintage set builders know it’s primarily because the card is rarely found well centered and with sharp corners.
While most knowledgeable collectors don’t submit lower grade examples because they aren’t worth much, the numbers here still offer some insight as to just exactly how difficult some of the high numbers are.
Under the first chart is another listing the fewest total cards graded (A-10) in the high number series as of April 21. It reveals a top 20 list of the cards that might be worth acquiring in any condition since collector demand may be higher than the supply. Marty Kutyna, who is also hard to find in the 1960 Topps high numbers series, is a rare visitor to PSA as they’ve seen only 227 of them (considering that some may have been resubmitted for possible upgrades, the number of different Kutyna cards could be even smaller).
Percentage of 1961 Topps high numbers (#523-589) graded PSA 8-10
Rank Card No. Name Percentage
1 559 Jim Gentile 27.92
2 523 Joe Gibbon 28.81
3 563 Bob Cerv 32.32
4 554 Pirates Team 33.24
5 531 Jim Coates 39.49
6 548 Ted Wills 39.83
7 526 R.C. Stevens 41.18
8 546 Marty Kutyna 41.41
9 553 Bill Fischer 45.11
10 564 Don Cardwell 46.09
11 539 Johnny Klippstein 47.78
12 557 Jose Valdivielso 48.58
13 530 Bobby Malkmus 49.48
14 534 Eddie Kasko 49.60
15 555 Sam Jones 49.62
16 560 Barry Latman 49.83
17 547 Leon Wagner 50.00
18 528 Pedro Ramos 50.40
19 552 Jim Archer 51.64
20 524 Johnny Logan 53.36
Fewest total number of all 1961 Topps high numbers graded (A-10)
Rank Card No. Name Total
1 546 Marty Kutnya 227
2 548 Ted Wills 231
3 553 Bill Fischer 235
4 526 R.C. Stevens 238
5 552 Jim Archer 244
6 534 Eddie Kasko 248
7 528 Pedro Ramos 250
8 564 Don Cardwell 256
9 555 Sam Jones 262
10 524 Johnny Logan 268
11 557 Jose Valdivielso 282
12 532 Bob Hale 282
13 547 Leon Wagner 284
14 530 Bobby Malkmus 287
15 538 Chuck Hiller 289
16 560 Barry Latman 291
17 539 Johnny Klippstein 293
18 536 Bill Tuttle 293
19 523 Joe Gibbon 295
20 533 Jack Curtis 296
