1951 Topps Blue Back #13 Mickey Vernon
About Mickey Vernon
Vernon's 1950 was divided between Cleveland and Washington, and he appeared in 118 games, 35 fewer than the 153 he played for the Indians in 1949. He hit .281 with 117 hits in 417 at-bats and nine home runs. The run production held up better than the playing time: his 75 RBI came at 0.64 per game, against 0.54 a year earlier. He played 110 of those games at first base.
James Barton Vernon was called Mickey from about age three, when an aunt in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania borrowed the name from a song the boy played over and over on the family Victrola. Tall, lean and left-handed, he was a first baseman of unusual grace. He spent a year at Villanova, signed first with the St. Louis Browns organization, and became Washington property when Senators super-scout Joe Cambria signed him after the 1937 season. He debuted on July 8, 1939 and lasted 20 big league seasons, losing 1944 and 1945 to the Navy. He won the American League batting title in 1946 at .353, eleven points clear of Ted Williams, then again in 1953 at .337, one point ahead of Al Rosen and enough to deny Rosen the Triple Crown. A seven-time All-Star, he finished with 2,495 hits and a .286 average and held American League career records for first basemen in games, putouts, assists and total chances, plus the major league record for double plays at the position. After stops in Cleveland, Boston and Milwaukee he coached first base for the 1960 champion Pirates, pinch-hit in nine September games to close out his playing days, and took a World Series ring without being eligible to play in the Series itself.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 145 | 0 | 19 | 46 | 13 | 20 | 26 | 21 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 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 Washington Senators
More Washington Senators cards:
- Red Back #44 Sid Hudson
- Blue Back #1 Eddie Yost
- Blue Back #22 Bob Kuzava
- Blue Back #25 Sam Mele
- Blue Back #38 Irv Noren
- Connie Mack's All-Star Walter Johnson
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1951 Topps Blue Back #13 card?
It is Blue Back #13 in the 135-card 1951 Topps Baseball checklist, picturing Mickey Vernon of the Washington Senators.
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.