1953 Topps #242 Charlie Silvera
1953 Topps #242 Charlie Silvera
About Charlie Silvera
Charles "Swede" Silvera, a San Francisco native born in 1924, signed with the New York Yankees in 1942 as an outfielder, then served in the Army Air Forces in the Pacific during World War II before returning in 1946 and converting to catcher with the Triple-A Kansas City Blues. He debuted with the Yankees on September 29, 1948, going 3-for-4 with a triple, which earned him the backup job behind Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. Silvera spent his entire prime (1948-1956) as Berra's reserve, seeing his most action in 1949, when a Berra thumb injury pressed him into starting duty and he hit .329 that August. Over 10 seasons he batted .282 with 1 home run and 52 RBI, and though he was eligible for six Yankees championship teams (1949-1953, 1956), his lone World Series appearance came in Game 2 of the 1949 Series. He was dealt to the Chicago Cubs for Harry Chiti before 1957, his final year, then went on to coach and scout for decades.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
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.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 566 | 0 | 5 | 46 | 104 | 119 | 135 | 156 | 1 |
| SGC | 84 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 6 | 19 | 41 | 1 |
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 Charlie Silvera card?
It is card #242 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 New York Yankees player.
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.
Is the 1953 Topps Charlie Silvera 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.