1951 Topps Red Back #4 Verne Stephens
About Verne Stephens
Stephens drove in 144 runs in 1950, matching first baseman Walt Dropo for the American League lead. It was his third RBI title, one year after he had tied Ted Williams at 159 in 1949, the first time two teammates shared the league lead. He batted .295 with 30 home runs and 125 runs scored, played 146 games at shortstop, and made the All-Star team.
Vern Stephens was a right-handed shortstop and third baseman and one of the strongest-hitting shortstops in major league history. He broke in with the St. Louis Browns in 1941, drove in 92 runs as a 1942 rookie, and batted cleanup for the 1944 Browns, the only St. Louis club to win an American League pennant. He led the league in home runs with 24 in 1945. A Mexican League contract in 1946 lasted two games before his father and a Browns scout drove him back across the border. After the 1947 season the Browns sent him to Boston in an eight-player, $385,000 deal, and he played there through 1952. He finished with 247 home runs and 1,174 RBI in 1,720 games, played in eight All-Star Games, and was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2006. He died of a heart attack in Long Beach, California, on November 4, 1968.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 251 | 0 | 14 | 50 | 27 | 35 | 58 | 67 | 0 |
| SGC | 29 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 22 | 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 Boston Red Sox
More Boston Red Sox cards:
- Red Back #10 Mel Parnell
- Red Back #20 Dominick DiMaggio
- Red Back #42 Ray Scarborough
- Red Back #43 Maurice McDermott
- Red Back #46 Billy Goodman
- Blue Back #5 Johnny Pesky
- Blue Back #37 Bobby Doerr
- Major League All-Star Walt Dropo
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1951 Topps Red Back #4 card?
It is Red Back #4 in the 135-card 1951 Topps Baseball checklist, picturing Verne Stephens of the Boston Red Sox.
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.