1951 Topps Red Back #32 Henry Thompson
About Henry Thompson
Thompson moved from second base to third in the spring of 1950 so the Giants could install Eddie Stanky at second, and the change paid off, and he played 138 games at third. He hit .289 with 20 home runs and a team-leading 91 RBI in 148 games. On August 16 he hit two inside-the-park home runs in one game, the first player to do so since 1939. His 43 double plays at third base broke Pie Traynor's National League record, which stood until 1974.
Hank Thompson was a left-handed-hitting third baseman who spent eight seasons with the New York Giants and holds a place in integration history: he was the first black player for the St. Louis Browns, debuting July 17, 1947, and the first for the Giants, on July 8, 1949, alongside Monte Irvin. He began with the Kansas City Monarchs at 17, then served as a machine gunner with the 1695th Combat Engineers, including the Battle of the Bulge. Cuban winter-league crowds called him Ametralladora. For the Giants he hit .302 with 24 home runs in 1953 and drove in 86 runs with 26 homers in 1954, when he batted .364 in the World Series sweep of Cleveland and drew seven walks. He finished with 129 home runs and a .267 average in 933 games. His contract was sold to Minneapolis in 1957, and he died in Fresno on September 30, 1969.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 296 | 1 | 28 | 110 | 46 | 32 | 42 | 37 | 0 |
| SGC | 40 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 18 | 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: Team card New York Giants
More New York Giants cards:
- Red Back #21 Larry Jansen
- Red Back #37 Wes Westrum
- Red Back #41 Whitey Lockman
- Red Back #48 Eddie Stanky
- Red Back #50 Monte Irvin
- Connie Mack's All-Star Christy Mathewson
- Major League All-Star Eddie Stanky
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1951 Topps Red Back #32 card?
It is Red Back #32 in the 135-card 1951 Topps Baseball checklist, picturing Henry Thompson of the New York Giants.
How many cards are in the 1951 Topps Baseball set?
135 cards across five issues - the Red Backs and Blue Backs (52 each), nine Team cards, and eleven each of Connie Mack's All-Stars and the Major League All-Stars. With the Zernial and Holmes variations and both versions of each Team card the master set is 146. All 135 count toward the full set; Jim Konstanty, Robin Roberts and Eddie Stanky, the three rarest Major League All-Stars, are so rarely seen that collectors often count a complete set as 132 without them.
Sources: PSA, BaseballCardPedia, Trading Card Database, Baseball-Reference, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-26.