1952 Topps #205 Clyde King
1952 Topps #205 Clyde King
About Clyde King
Clyde King was a right-handed pitcher signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in April 1944 out of the University of North Carolina, where he had played baseball and basketball as a freshman; given a $5,000 bonus, he went straight to the majors with no minor-league apprenticeship and debuted in relief on June 21, 1944, at age 20. King pitched parts of six big-league seasons for the Dodgers (1944-45, 1947-48, 1951-52) and the Cincinnati Redlegs (1953), finishing 32-25 with a 4.14 ERA and 150 strikeouts over 200 games. His best year came in 1951, when he set career highs of 14 wins, 48 appearances, and 121 1/3 innings with six saves as a swingman for the pennant-chasing Dodgers; he was not used in the famous three-game playoff and was in the dugout when Bobby Thomson's home run won the flag for the Giants. King is far better remembered for his long second act, managing the San Francisco Giants (1969-70), Atlanta Braves (1974-75), and briefly the New York Yankees in 1982 (a 234-229 record overall) before serving as Yankees general manager and a longtime front-office fixture under George Steinbrenner. This card belongs to the fourth series, printed in greater quantity than the scarce high-number (#311-407) cards that make the top of the 1952 Topps set so difficult to complete. King died in 2010 in his native Goldsboro, North Carolina, at 86.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 699 | 0 | 10 | 69 | 133 | 169 | 135 | 178 | 5 |
| SGC | 118 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 16 | 34 | 51 | 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 Clyde King card?
It is card #205 of 407 in the 1952 Topps set - Topps' first flagship issue and the cornerstone of the postwar hobby. It pictures the Brooklyn Dodgers player.
Is the 1952 Topps Clyde King 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.