1953 Topps #254 Preacher Roe
1953 Topps #254 Preacher Roe
About Preacher Roe
A crafty left-handed pitcher, Elwin "Preacher" Roe was signed out of Arkansas's Harding College by the Cardinals in 1938 and debuted that August, but made his name only after being dealt to Pittsburgh, where he led the National League in strikeouts in 1945. A 1946 skull fracture — suffered when a referee struck him at a high-school basketball game — cost him his fastball, so after Branch Rickey brought him to Brooklyn in 1948 he reinvented himself as a control artist (aided by a notorious, illegal spitball he later confessed to in a 1955 Sports Illustrated piece, nicknamed the "Beech-Nut curve"). A five-time All-Star and mainstay of the "Boys of Summer," Roe went 22-3 in 1951 — long the NL record .880 winning percentage for a 20-game winner. Over 12 seasons he finished 127-84 with a 3.43 ERA and 956 strikeouts, and threw a six-hit, 1-0 shutout of the Yankees in Game 2 of the 1949 World Series. He got his nickname as a three-year-old, telling an uncle his name was "Preacher."
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 | 712 | 0 | 5 | 51 | 89 | 162 | 154 | 248 | 3 |
| SGC | 173 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 24 | 35 | 88 | 16 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-06-26. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8). PSA counts are straight-graded.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Find on eBay
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
More Brooklyn Dodgers cards
- Jackie Robinson
- Ben Wade
- Clem Labine
- Roy Campanella
- George Shuba
- Chuck Dressen
- Pee Wee Reese
- Joe Black
- Bobby Morgan
- Dick Williams
- Rube Walker
- John Rutherford
- Billy Loes
- Don Hoak
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1953 Topps Preacher Roe card?
It is card #254 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 Brooklyn Dodgers 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 Preacher Roe 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.