Welcome to the boards, Brett! Glad to have you.
Congratulations on a swell 1961 Topps Roger Maris. Nice eye appeal. Maybe the centering won't get you compliments, but the key is the crisp photo registration without any pesky print spots. I think you have a beauty there.
This card was in the first series, which happens to be the first Topps cards I ever got; hence my Net54 moniker. Lots of sweet memories of those days. However, I did not get the Roger Maris then. My cousin had one, and I was SO intrigued with it when I saw it for the first time.
I finally got mine from a mail order dealer back in the late 60s. What a thrill. Just a few years ago I got mine graded by SGC. I think it was a little better than near mint. Regardless, great Maris card, all the way.
With Roger, the more you get to know about him, the more you like him. I steadfastly believe he belongs in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The career numbers are not there, and they aren't for a lot of Hall of Famers. What Roger did achieve during his short career, especially the 61 home runs against all odds, causes me to firmly believe he belongs. You'll find a lot of "Hot Stove League" discussions all the time on Net54.
Again, welcome to Net54, Brett. --Brian Powell