1951 Topps Blue Back #12 Sam Jethroe
About Sam Jethroe
Jethroe made his debut on April 18, 1950 as the first Black player on the Boston Braves roster, and collected two hits including a home run. He finished the year at .273 with 18 home runs, 58 RBI and 100 runs, and his 35 steals led the National League, the most by a Brave since Hap Myers stole 57 in 1913. He was named Rookie of the Year at 32, though he was then believed to be 28. He also led the National League in errors that season.
Sam Jethroe was a switch-hitting center fielder whose speed earned him the name Jet Propelled Jethroe, later shortened to the Jet. He played for the Cleveland Buckeyes of the Negro American League from 1942 to 1948, won batting titles in 1944 (.353) and 1945 (.393), and was on the Buckeyes team that swept the Homestead Grays in the 1945 Negro World Series. On April 16, 1945 he worked out at Fenway Park for the Red Sox alongside Jackie Robinson and Marvin Williams. The Dodgers bought his contract, and at Montreal in 1949 he led the International League with 89 stolen bases and 154 runs. The Boston Braves bought him in October 1949. He played four major league seasons between 1950 and 1954 with Boston and Pittsburgh, led the National League in steals in 1950 and 1951, and finished with a .261 average, 49 home runs and 98 steals in 442 games. He settled in Erie, Pennsylvania, after baseball, and in 2019 the International League announced that he would be inducted into its hall of fame.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 162 | 2 | 28 | 49 | 26 | 12 | 21 | 24 | 0 |
| SGC | 14 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 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
More Boston Braves cards:
- Red Back #2 Sid Gordon
- Red Back #30 Warren Spahn
- Red Back #52 Tommy Holmes
- Blue Back #9 Johnny Sain
- Blue Back #32 Bob Elliott
- Blue Back #34 Earl Torgeson
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1951 Topps Blue Back #12 card?
It is Blue Back #12 in the 135-card 1951 Topps Baseball checklist, picturing Sam Jethroe of the Boston Braves.
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.