The 1961 Topps Baseball set consists of 587 cards.  With the exception of some of the specialty cards, Topps returned to a vertical format with their 1961 cards, which bear a large color photograph of the player on each card's front, with his name and team affiliation printed across the bottom.  

Walter Emmons Alston (1911-1984), nicknamed "Smokey", was an American baseball manager in Major League Baseball who managed the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers from 1954 through 1976, signing 23 one-year contracts with the team. Regarded as one of the greatest managers in baseball history, Alston was known for his calm, reticent demeanor, for which he was sometimes referred to as "the Quiet Man." Some of his career highlights include being a four time World Series Champion. Alston was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983. The autograph on this card is distinct and well placed below the primary image.