1955 Topps #170 Jim Pearce
1955 Topps #170 Jim Pearce
About Jim Pearce
A lanky 6-foot-6 right-hander from Zebulon, North Carolina, James Madison Pearce (1925-2005) signed with the Washington Senators as a free agent before the 1949 season and made his major-league debut on September 8, 1949. Over parts of five seasons through 1955 he pitched in just 30 big-league games for the Senators (1949-50, 1953) and Cincinnati Redlegs (1954-55), going 3-4 with a 5.78 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 85-2/3 innings. His fullest season came with Washington in 1950, when he worked 20 games and notched his first complete game, a 9-3 win over the St. Louis Browns on August 28. Purchased by Cincinnati in August 1954, he threw a complete-game 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Braves that September, yielding only an unearned run. Pearce spent most of a 15-year, 426-game pro career in the minors, retiring after 1959. His 1955 Topps card (#170), a high-number double print, is his lone widely collected issue and marks his rookie card.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Variations & how to tell them apart
High Number (#161-210)
Series 2 (#161-210) shipped in the fall against the new football-card season, so retailers cut their orders and far fewer were printed. As a result the set's biggest high-number names - Roberto Clemente (RC), Willie Mays, Yogi Berra, Phil Rizzuto, Gil Hodges and Duke Snider - are tougher than low-number stars such as Williams, Robinson and Aaron.
Double Print (DP)
To make up for the four numbers that were never issued (#175, #186, #203, #209), Topps double-printed four high-number commons - #170 Jim Pearce, #172 Frank Baumholtz, #184 Harry Perkowski and #188 Charlie Silvera - so these are the most available cards in the otherwise-scarce high series.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 939 | 0 | 6 | 190 | 271 | 246 | 130 | 95 | 1 |
| SGC | 93 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 28 | 13 | 17 | 24 | 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 Jim Pearce card?
It is card #170 of 206 in the 1955 Topps set - Topps' first fully horizontal design. It pictures the Cincinnati Redlegs player, and is his rookie card.
Why is the 1955 Topps Jim Pearce a double print?
To fill the four numbers never issued (#175, #186, #203 and #209), Topps double-printed four high-number commons - #170, #172, #184 and #188 - so they are the most available cards in the otherwise-scarce high series.
Why is this card scarce?
It is in the 1955 Topps high-number series (#161-210), which shipped in the fall against the new football cards, so far fewer were printed - the scarcest run in the set.
Is the 1955 Topps Jim Pearce valuable?
Value depends on grade and its scarce high-number status. 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.