1952 Topps #185 Bill Nicholson
1952 Topps #185 Bill Nicholson
About Bill Nicholson
A power-hitting right fielder out of Washington College in Maryland, Bill Nicholson reached the majors with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1936 and, after a brief return to the minors, established himself with the Chicago Cubs (1939-1948) before finishing with the Philadelphia Phillies (1949-1953), the team pictured on this card. A left-handed slugger, he was a five-time All-Star (1940, 1941, 1943, 1944, 1945) and one of the National League's most feared bats during World War II, leading the league in both home runs and RBIs in back-to-back seasons — 29 HR and 128 RBI in 1943, then 33 HR and 122 RBI in 1944. He finished third in the 1943 MVP vote and lost the 1944 award by a single vote to Marty Marion. Nicknamed "Swish" for the whooshing practice swings East Coast fans chanted along with, he authored one of baseball's oddest feats on July 23, 1944 at the Polo Grounds, when — after homering in four straight at-bats — he was intentionally walked with the bases loaded on Mel Ott's orders. A diabetes diagnosis in 1950 sapped his production, and he retired in 1953 with a .268 average, 235 home runs and 948 RBIs over 16 seasons. He died in 1996 and is not in the Hall of Fame. Card #185 sits in the third series and is found with both white and gray back stock, well short of the scarce #311-407 high numbers.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Variations & how to tell them apart
White Back / Gray Back Series 3 (cards 131-190)
The third series exists on two different card stocks. The standard issue is on white/cream stock; a much scarcer parallel was printed on gray cardboard. The gray stock was used at the END of the series-3 run — leftover stock run through the same press, not a separate or foreign printing. Gray backs have a duller, gloss-less front and are never found with gum stains.
- White Back: Standard issue. White/cream card stock, normal red-ink back. Sharper, glossier front.
- Gray Back — scarcer: Scarce parallel on gray card stock. Duller, gloss-less front; never gum-stained. #189 Pete Reiser is the rarest of the run; #146 Frank House appears with a pale/yellow Tiger logo. NOTE: long mislabeled 'Canadian' (borrowed from the genuinely-Canadian 1954 Topps issue) — there is no evidence the 1952 grays were a Canadian release. TCDB catalogs these as 'Grey Back' against the normal 'Red Back'.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 519 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 86 | 133 | 113 | 154 | 1 |
| SGC | 70 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 17 | 35 | 4 |
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 Bill Nicholson card?
It is card #185 of 407 in the 1952 Topps set - Topps' first flagship issue and the cornerstone of the postwar hobby. It pictures the Philadelphia Phillies player.
Does the 1952 Topps Bill Nicholson have back variations?
Yes. The third series exists on two different card stocks. The standard issue is on white/cream stock; a much scarcer parallel was printed on gray cardboard. The gray stock was used at the END of the series-3 run — leftover stock run through the same press, not a separate or foreign printing. Gray backs have a duller, gloss-less front and are never found with gum stains.
Is the 1952 Topps Bill Nicholson 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.