1955 Topps #145 Elmer Valo
1955 Topps #145 Elmer Valo
About Elmer Valo
Born Imrich Valo in 1921 in Rybnik, Czechoslovakia, Elmer Valo came to Palmerton, Pennsylvania as a boy and was signed off his 1939 high-school graduation by Philadelphia Athletics scout Edgar Paulsen, hitting .374 in the Class D Eastern Shore League. A left-handed-hitting, right-throwing outfielder, he debuted with Connie Mack's Athletics on September 22, 1940 and played 20 major-league seasons (1940-1961), spending most of them with the Athletics in Philadelphia and, after the 1955 move, Kansas City, plus later stints with the Phillies, Dodgers, Indians, Senators and Twins. A hustling, aggressive line-drive hitter, Valo batted .282 with 1,420 hits, 58 home runs, and 601 RBI over 1,806 games, topped .300 five times, and posted a career-high .364 for the 1955 Kansas City club pictured on this card. He hit for the cycle on August 2, 1950 and set a major-league career record with 91 pinch-hit walks. Valo was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 1990 and died in 1998.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 500 | 0 | 8 | 95 | 128 | 141 | 78 | 50 | 0 |
| SGC | 40 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 11 | 1 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-06-26. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8); totals are summed across each grader's listed variations.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1955 Topps Elmer Valo card?
It is card #145 of 206 in the 1955 Topps set - Topps' first fully horizontal design. It pictures the Kansas City Athletics player.
Is the 1955 Topps Elmer Valo valuable?
Value depends on grade. 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.