1952 Topps #300 Barney McCosky
1952 Topps #300 Barney McCosky
About Barney McCosky
Signed off the Detroit sandlots by Tigers scout Aloysius "Wish" Egan, left-handed-hitting center fielder Barney McCosky (1917-1996) climbed through the club's farm system and reached the majors in 1939, batting .311 as a rookie. Over 11 seasons (1939-1953) he starred for the Detroit Tigers before being traded in May 1946 to the Philadelphia Athletics for George Kell, and later played for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians, the team on this card. His finest year was 1940, when he hit .340 and led the American League with 200 hits and 19 triples for a pennant-winning Detroit club, then batted .304 in the World Series that the Tigers lost to Cincinnati in seven games. Inducted into the Navy in December 1942, he lost three prime seasons to World War II service. A career .312 hitter with 1,301 hits, 24 home runs, and 397 RBI, McCosky drew AL MVP votes six times and was elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1995. His #300 is one of the tougher short-prints in the fifth series of the landmark 1952 Topps set, which culminates in the famously scarce high-number run (#311-407) headlined by the Mickey Mantle card at #311.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Variations & how to tell them apart
Short Print
Cards 281-300 were single-printed relative to the rest of series 5 — EXCEPT #289 Holmes, #295 Cavarretta and #296 Rolfe. 17 SP cards in all.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 499 | 0 | 5 | 45 | 79 | 103 | 116 | 145 | 6 |
| SGC | 75 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 17 | 39 | 3 |
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 Barney McCosky card?
It is card #300 of 407 in the 1952 Topps set - Topps' first flagship issue and the cornerstone of the postwar hobby. It pictures the Cleveland Indians player.
Is the 1952 Topps Barney McCosky 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.