1953 Topps #238 Cal Hogue
1953 Topps #238 Cal Hogue
About Cal Hogue
Calvin Grey "Cal" Hogue was a right-handed pitcher who signed with the St. Louis Browns organization as a 17-year-old in the spring of 1945 before working his way up through a long minor-league apprenticeship. Recalled by Pittsburgh after going 10-3 with the Class A Charleston Rebels of the Sally League, the Dayton, Ohio native made his major-league debut on July 15, 1952, and appeared in 25 games over parts of three seasons (1952-1954), all with the Pirates. In just his second big-league appearance, on July 17, 1952, he threw a complete-game, four-hit 2-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. Baseball men prized his curveball, with Branch Rickey and manager Fred Haney calling it among the best in the league if only he could control it, but persistent wildness left him with a 2-10 record and a 4.91 ERA across 113 2/3 innings, walking 96 batters. Much of his rookie year came with the historically dreadful 1952 Pirates, who lost 112 games. This #238 high-number card, one of the fourth-series double prints, is his sole Topps rookie card. After baseball he worked as a union plumber back home in Ohio, where he died in Kettering in 2005.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Designations, variations & errors
High Number
Series 4 (#221-280). Printed in shorter supply and distributed late in the season, when retailers cut orders for the football months. The scarcest run in the set - holding #244 Willie Mays and the #258 Gilliam and #263 Podres rookies - and routinely 3-4x the price of low-number commons.
Double Print
Marked DP. Roughly 50% more of these cards were printed than their neighbors (the hobby calls it 'double-printed'), so they are the most plentiful cards in the set. TCDB flags 103 of them, concentrated in the low series. Five cards normally in the low run - #94, #107, #131, #145 and #156 - were also printed on the more-plentiful #166-220 sheet. A print-quantity designation, not an error or a separate card.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 464 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 75 | 123 | 106 | 116 | 1 |
| SGC | 67 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 6 | 18 | 27 | 4 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-06-26. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8). PSA counts are straight-graded.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1953 Topps Cal Hogue card?
It is card #238 of the 1953 Topps Baseball set - one of the most beautiful sets ever made, with hand-painted color portraits numbered to 280 (274 cards issued). It pictures the Pittsburgh Pirates player, and is his rookie card.
Why is this card scarce?
It is in the 1953 Topps high-number series (#221-280), released late in the season in shorter supply - the scarcest run in the set, routinely 3-4 times the price of low-number commons.
What does 'double print' mean for this card?
Roughly 50% more of these cards were printed than their neighbors, so double prints (DP) are the most plentiful cards in the set. It is a print-quantity note, not an error or a separate card.
Is the 1953 Topps Cal Hogue valuable?
Value depends on grade and eye appeal. Use the links above to check current T206 Cards inventory and live eBay listings.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Baseball-Reference, PSA & SGC population reports, and Baseball-Almanac. Card data & population compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-07-01.