1953 Topps #130 Turk Lown
1953 Topps #130 Turk Lown
About Turk Lown
Omar Joseph "Turk" Lown (1924-2016), a Brooklyn native who earned his nickname as a boy for his fondness for eating turkey, signed with the Dodgers after a 1942 Ebbets Field tryout, then had his career interrupted by World War II service as an Army infantryman who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and earned a Purple Heart. A right-handed pitcher plagued early by wildness—minor-league foes dubbed him "Omar the Passmaker"—he was taken by the Chicago Cubs in the Rule 5 draft and debuted on April 24, 1951, the card year of this 1953 Topps issue. Converted from starter to reliever, Lown pitched 11 big-league seasons (1951-54, 1956-62) for the Cubs, Cincinnati and the Chicago White Sox, going 55-61 with a 4.12 ERA, 73 saves and 574 strikeouts in 504 games. His finest year came in 1959, when he went 9-2 with a 2.89 ERA and led the American League in saves and games finished for the pennant-winning "Go-Go" White Sox, then threw three scoreless relief outings in the World Series loss to the Dodgers. This #130 card is catalogued with a minor printing variation—the back biography appears in either black or white text. After baseball he was a Pueblo, Colorado mail carrier for 23 years.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Designations, variations & errors
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.
White-text biography
A minor printing variation: on some copies the back biography is printed in white text, on others in black text. Catalogued by TCDB (and noted by price guides for the series-2 range) but considered a minor variation, not a headline.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 390 | 0 | 2 | 29 | 62 | 104 | 100 | 93 | 0 |
| SGC | 58 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 34 | 3 |
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 Turk Lown card?
It is card #130 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 Chicago Cubs player.
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 Turk Lown 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.