1952 Topps #351 Al Dark
About Al Dark
Alvin Ralph "Al" Dark (1922-2014), a right-handed shortstop out of Louisiana State University, signed with the Boston Braves in 1946 and won the 1948 National League Rookie of the Year award, batting .322 and helping Boston to the pennant. Traded to the New York Giants after 1949, he was installed as team captain by Leo Durocher and became the first NL shortstop to hit 20 home runs in more than one season. A three-time All-Star (1951, 1952, 1954), Dark led off the ninth-inning rally in the 1951 pennant playoff with a single, setting the table for Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World." He then hit .412 in the Giants' 1954 World Series sweep of Cleveland for a championship. Over 14 seasons with the Braves, Giants, Cardinals, Cubs and Phillies he batted .289 with 2,089 hits and 126 home runs. Nicknamed "Blackie" (and later "the Swamp Fox" for flooding the infield as a manager to slow base-stealers), Dark managed five clubs and won the 1974 World Series with Oakland. This is a scarce high-number card (#311-407), the series that also carries the famous Mickey Mantle #311.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Variations & how to tell them apart
High Number
Series 6 (311-407). Minimally distributed in the fall of 1952 when retailers cut orders — the scarcest and most coveted run in the set, holding Mantle, Robinson, Campanella, the Mathews rookie and more.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 548 | 1 | 10 | 41 | 63 | 89 | 99 | 238 | 7 |
| SGC | 117 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 18 | 74 | 10 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-06-22. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8); totals are summed across each grader's listed variations.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1952 Topps Al Dark card?
It is card #351 of 407 in the 1952 Topps set - Topps' first flagship issue and the cornerstone of the postwar hobby. It pictures the New York Giants player.
Why is this card scarce?
It is in the 1952 Topps high-number series (311-407), which was minimally distributed in the fall of 1952 and is the scarcest, most sought-after run in the set.
Is the 1952 Topps Al Dark valuable?
Value depends on grade and (where it applies) the back variation. Use the links above to check current T206 Cards inventory and live eBay listings.
Sources: the Trading Card Database, Baseball-Reference, and PSA & SGC population reports. Card data & population compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-07-01.