1953 Topps #279 Joe Coleman
1953 Topps #279 Joe Coleman
About Joe Coleman
Joseph Patrick Coleman (1922-1997), a right-handed pitcher from Medford, Massachusetts, signed with Connie Mack's Philadelphia Athletics without a bonus after a brief stint at Boston College. As a schoolboy at Malden Catholic he was coached by Brother Gilbert Mathias, who once introduced him to Babe Ruth; the Bambino watched him throw and helped him sharpen his curveball. After minor-league stops at Newport News, Wilmington, and Triple-A Toronto (and Navy aviation service in World War II alongside Ted Williams and Johnny Pesky), Coleman pitched ten major-league seasons between 1942 and 1955 for the Athletics (1942, 1946-52), Baltimore Orioles (1954-55), and Detroit Tigers (1955). He was named an American League All-Star in 1948, going 14-13 that year. Traded away and rebuilt his career at Baltimore, going 13-17 with a 3.50 ERA in 1954 and earning "Comeback Player" honors; overlooked for that year's All-Star team, he was tagged "Discarded Joe." He finished 52-76 with a 4.38 ERA and 444 strikeouts across 223 games. He fathered Joe Coleman, a two-time 20-game winner in the 1960s-70s, and grandfathered big-leaguer Casey Coleman. This high-number card (#279) is a series-4 double print.
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 | 622 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 95 | 171 | 148 | 161 | 0 |
| SGC | 76 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 9 | 21 | 29 | 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 Joe Coleman card?
It is card #279 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 Philadelphia Athletics 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.
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 Joe Coleman 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.