1952 Topps #165 Eddie Kazak
1952 Topps #165 Eddie Kazak
About Eddie Kazak
Eddie Kazak, born Edward Terrance Tkaczuk on July 18, 1920, in Steubenville, Ohio, was a right-handed third baseman whose road to the majors ran through World War II. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals organization but interrupted his career to enlist in the U.S. Army, serving as a paratrooper in the European Theater; after the Normandy invasion he took a bayonet wound to his left arm and had his right elbow shattered by shrapnel near Brest, France, spending 18 months in hospitals through multiple surgeries. Doctors urged him to give up baseball, but he fought back through the Cardinals' farm system and debuted with St. Louis on September 29, 1948. His breakout came in 1949, when he hit .304 with 6 home runs in 92 games and started the All-Star Game at third base as a rookie -- one of the first rookies ever to do so. Kazak played five big-league seasons (1948-1952) for the Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds, batting .273 with 11 home runs and 71 RBI; he was traded to Cincinnati with Wally Westlake on May 13, 1952, the year this card was issued. He died December 15, 1999, in Austin, Texas. Card #165 sits in the 1952 set's mid-number series (not the scarce high-number run of #311-407 that includes the famous Mickey Mantle #311), and is found with both white and gray back stock.
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 | 575 | 0 | 2 | 26 | 76 | 127 | 126 | 209 | 9 |
| SGC | 79 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 17 | 48 | 4 |
SGC by variation: Standard 74 · Gray Back 5
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 Eddie Kazak card?
It is card #165 of 407 in the 1952 Topps set - Topps' first flagship issue and the cornerstone of the postwar hobby. It pictures the St. Louis Cardinals player.
Does the 1952 Topps Eddie Kazak 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 Eddie Kazak 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.