1951 Topps Red Back #30 Warren Spahn
About Warren Spahn
Boston finished fourth in 1950 at 83-71, and three starters carried most of that record: Spahn won 21, Johnny Sain 20 and Vern Bickford 19, together 60 of the club's 83 wins. Spahn reached 21 for the second season in a row against 17 losses, with a 3.16 ERA over 293 innings and 25 complete games in 39 starts. His 191 strikeouts were 40 more than he had managed in 1949 and the most of his career to that point, and he made the National League All-Star team.
Warren Edward Spahn (1921-2003) was a left-handed pitcher who won more games than any left-hander in major-league history. Born in Buffalo, New York, and named for President Warren G. Harding, he learned to pitch on a mound his father built in the backyard and signed with the Boston Bees, soon renamed the Braves, in 1940. Army service in World War II cost him three full seasons and earned the combat engineer a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and a battlefield commission; he returned to the majors in 1946 at age 25. His record from there included 20 or more wins in 13 seasons, eight National League win titles, three earned run average titles, and the 1957 Cy Young Award in the year the Milwaukee Braves beat the Yankees in the World Series. He threw two no-hitters, in 1960 and 1961, at ages 39 and 40, and appeared in 14 All-Star Games, more than any other pitcher of the twentieth century. He picked up the nickname Hooks for the nose a teammate's errant throw broke in 1941 spring training. He finished with 363 wins, a 3.09 earned run average and 2,583 strikeouts over 21 seasons with the Braves, Mets and Giants, and was elected to the Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1973.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · Baseball Almanac
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 724 | 3 | 86 | 182 | 62 | 98 | 106 | 186 | 1 |
| SGC | 212 | 0 | 2 | 20 | 11 | 20 | 28 | 130 | 1 |
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 #52 Tommy Holmes
- Blue Back #9 Johnny Sain
- Blue Back #12 Sam Jethroe
- Blue Back #32 Bob Elliott
- Blue Back #34 Earl Torgeson
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1951 Topps Red Back #30 card?
It is Red Back #30 in the 135-card 1951 Topps Baseball checklist, picturing Warren Spahn 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.