1951 Topps Blue Back #52 Sam Chapman
About Sam Chapman
Chapman played 144 games in 1950, 140 of them in the outfield, and hit .251 with 23 home runs and 95 RBI while leading American League outfielders in putouts for the fourth time. He began 1951 in Philadelphia and was traded to the Cleveland Indians in May. Across both clubs he appeared in 112 games and batted .215 with 6 home runs and 41 RBI. His last major league game came on September 22, and he played the next three seasons for the Oakland Oaks.
Sam Chapman was a right-handed center fielder who spent eleven major league seasons, nearly all of them with the Philadelphia Athletics. He came from the California Golden Bears team that won the 1938 Rose Bowl, where he had been an All-American halfback, and signed with Connie Mack on Ty Cobb's recommendation over $9,000 offers from the Yankees and Indians. He reached the majors on May 16, 1938 with no minor league experience. His best year was 1941, when he hit .322 with 25 home runs, 106 RBI and 178 hits. He then spent nearly four years in the Navy as a pilot and flight instructor, returned for nine games in 1945, and was named to the 1946 American League All-Star team. In 1949 he drove in 108 runs, and he led American League outfielders in putouts four times. Traded to Cleveland in May 1951, he finished with 1,329 hits, 180 home runs and 773 RBI, then played three more seasons for the Oakland Oaks. He was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 1984.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 138 | 3 | 5 | 26 | 7 | 22 | 30 | 45 | 0 |
| SGC | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 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
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- Red Back #12 Jim Hegan
- Red Back #13 Dale Mitchell
- Red Back #22 Bob Feller
- Red Back #23 Ray Boone
- Red Back #26 Luke Easter
- Red Back #29 Bob Kennedy
- Red Back #35 Al Rosen
- Red Back #40 Mike Garcia
- Blue Back #31 Lou Brissie
- Connie Mack's All-Star Tris Speaker
- Major League All-Star Larry Doby
- Major League All-Star Bob Lemon
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1951 Topps Blue Back #52 card?
It is Blue Back #52 in the 135-card 1951 Topps Baseball checklist, picturing Sam Chapman of the Cleveland Indians.
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.