1952 Topps #157 Bob Usher
1952 Topps #157 Bob Usher
About Bob Usher
Robert Royce "Bob" Usher was a right-handed outfielder from San Diego, California, signed as a free agent by the Cincinnati Reds before the 1943 season. He broke in with the Birmingham Barons of the Southern Association, then served two years (1944-45) in the United States Navy during World War II in the Pacific theater before making his major-league debut on April 16, 1946. Usher played parts of six big-league seasons across roughly a decade, all in a reserve outfield role: with the Reds (1946-47, 1950-51), the Chicago Cubs (1952) — the club pictured on this card — and finally the Cleveland Indians and Washington Senators in 1957. A light hitter who never developed into a regular, he batted .235 with 259 hits, 18 home runs, and 102 RBI over 428 games, and was never selected to an All-Star team or reached the postseason. Card #157 falls in the set's more common low-number series, well below the scarce, high-value #311-407 run that includes the iconic Mickey Mantle. After baseball, Usher went into government work as a federal investigator; he died in 2014 at age 89.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
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 | 588 | 0 | 2 | 43 | 104 | 133 | 128 | 172 | 6 |
| SGC | 96 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 32 | 47 | 2 |
SGC by variation: Standard 94 · Gray Back 2
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 Bob Usher card?
It is card #157 of 407 in the 1952 Topps set - Topps' first flagship issue and the cornerstone of the postwar hobby. It pictures the Chicago Cubs player.
Does the 1952 Topps Bob Usher 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 Bob Usher 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.