Harmon Killebrew (1936-2011) is best remembered for his days in MLB from 1954 to 1974 with the Washington Senators / Minnesota Twins. He played first base, third base, and left field.
Killebrew finished his career with a .256 batting average, 2,086 hits, and 1,584 runs batted in. He was a fantastic home run hitter, and his 573 home runs was fourth all time when he retired, as well as second behind Babe Ruth in the American League.
A 13 time All-Star, six time AL home run leader, three time AL RBI leader, and the 1969 AL MVP, Killebrew was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984 on the fourth ballot with 83.1% of the vote. Additionally, the Twins retired his jersey and inducted him into the Hall of Fame.
Born in Payette, Idaho, Killebrew was raised in farm country as the youngest of four. His father was an All American football player, while his grandfather, according to family legend, was the heavyweight wrestling champion in the Union Army.
Killebrew grew up lifting ten-gallon milk cans, and the extra muscle helped him letter in 12 different sports. This included an All American
nomination as a high school quarterback.
Declining athletic scholarship for college, Killebrew joined a local semipro team where he had a .847 batting average. Everybody seemed to be talking about him, including an Idaho senator and baseball owners.
He was soon signed by the Washington Senators for $50,000. Since he signed under MLB’s Bonus Rule, Killebrew debuted in ML four days after signing, and he became the youngest active player in league history as he debuted six days after turning 18.
Killebrew played behind Eddie Yost at third base, and he had difficulties on offense and defense. This was considered predictable and acceptable. When the Bonus Rule expired, he was sent to the minors, as expected.
He was sent to the minors and recalled more than once, and he continued to show excessive promise. For example, in 1956, Killebrew smashed a home run over Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium’s center field, which was only the second ever.
When Eddie Yost was traded in December of 1958, Killebrew became the set starter at third base. He had a tremendous breakout season in 1959, and he had 28 home runs by the middle of the season.
Killebrew had officially lived up to his promise. President Eisenhower was a big fan, and the Senators turned down a massive $500,000 offer for Killebrew from the Reds. By way of practicality, he was a rookie, but he was ineligible for a rookie of the year award due to his earlier experience.
Killebrew had an unexciting sophomore season which was stunted by a hamstring injury, and the Senators moved to Minnesota during that offseason.
With the move and a healthy hamstring, Killebrew became one of the most consistent producers in baseball, and he was named the team captain.
In 1969 Killebrew had his career best in RBIs, walks, OBP, and he tied his career high of 49 home runs in a season, and he led the AL in every one of those categories. For perspective on his sheer dominance, in the 1969 ALCS, the Orioles intentionally walked Killebrew six times in three games.
Part of Killebrew’s brilliance was his consistency, and he did not start to decline until 1972. The Twins offered him a position as a coach, but Killebrew signed with the Kansas City Royals in 1975. His career was over, and he soon retired as a color commentator for the Twins.
Killebrew was a hell of a slugger, and he had mounds of respect from every pitcher in MLB that he faced. Killebrew is a key on several important Topps sets, and there are plenty of great cards that represent him.
Here are some of the best Killebrew cards.
1955 Topps Harmon Killebrew Rookie Card
This set has 206 cards, and Killebrew lies at #124. Each card measures at 2 ⅝” x 3 ¾”. Topps was in fierce competition with Bowman this year, and this set is the smallest by number of cards. Keys to the set include Willie Mays, Yogi Berra, Bob Feller, Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle,
Duke Snider, and Phil Rizzuto, as well as Killebrew.
This set is well preserved, as is every Topps set that Killebrew appears in. For reference, PSA has over 170,000 cards from this set registered. Well over 5,000 cards are registered with PSA.
A rare Gem Mint copy sold for $59,135 in 2012, and it would most likely go for much more today.
In 2020, two PSA Mint 9’s sold for $21,600 and $22,622.
On a budget of $1,000, a collector would have to drop to at least a PSA 7, maybe a PSA 6.
1956 Topps Harmon Killebrew
The 1956 Topps set has 340 cards, and Killebrew’s card is at #164. Each card measures at 2 ⅝” x 3 ¾”. Keys to the set include Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, and Bob Feller.
There are over 320,000 cards from this set registered with PSA alone, and over 2,400 of those cards are Killebrew copies.
As expected, the prices drop in Killebrew’s second year. A Gem Mint card would go for over $10,000, but a Mint copy has gone for $3,000 to $4,000 in recent times. On a budget of $1,000, a PSA 8 is likely.
1958 Topps Harmon Killebrew
Killebrew was left of the 1957 Topps due to his time in the minors, but he was brought back in 1958.
The 1958 Topps set has 494 cards, and each card measures at 2 ½” x 3 ½”. Killebrew sits at #288.
There are nearly 250,000 cards from this set registered with PSA, and 1,700 of those cards are Killebrew copies.
Gem Mint copies are rare and will be expensive. Mint copies have sold for around $1,500 since 2015. Since the last sale is from November of 2019, prices have likely risen on this card due to the Covid bump in baseball card prices.
1959 Topps Harmon Killebrew
1959 marks the breakout year for Killebrew. By fans, players, managers, and writers, this was the first real year for Killebrew, but he had been in MLB for a few years. So, despite this being his first extensive season, this card is not priced or in any way treated like his rookie card.
This set has 572 cards of standard size (2 ½” x 3 ½”). Killebrew sits at #515. Keys to the set include Ernie Banks, Duke Snider, and Hank Aaron.
There are over 330,000 cards registered for this set with PSA, and over 1,500 cards are Killebrew copies.
The most recent sale of a Mint copy was $4,062.12 in March of 2021. PSA 8’s have sold for $300 or $400 for the last few years.
Conclusion
There is a quality Topps entry of Killebrew every year until the end of his career. Those cards stay well preserved and expensive because of his Hall of Fame caliber. A few of the best cards were covered here.
Killebrew is one of the best sluggers ever. There are millions of fans who will never forget a home run that they saw from Killebrew. His cards help us to commemorate and remember such fantastic moments.