1955 Topps #33 Tom Qualters
1955 Topps #33 Tom Qualters
About Tom Qualters
Thomas Francis Qualters (April 1, 1935 - February 15, 2024) was a right-handed pitcher and one of baseball's most famous "bonus babies." A schoolboy star from McKeesport, Pennsylvania, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in June 1953 for roughly $40,000 straight out of high school, a sum that made him one of the club's highest-paid players and earned the mocking clubhouse nickname "Money Bags." Under the era's bonus rule, the Phillies had to keep him on the big-league roster, so his career became a study in idleness: in his only 1953 appearance, his September 13 debut against the Cardinals, he retired just one batter while allowing six runs for a 162.00 ERA, then spent the entire 1954 season on the roster without pitching in a single official game. He resurfaced with the Phillies in 1957 and pitched for both Philadelphia and the Chicago White Sox in 1958. Over 34 big-league games he went 0-0 with a 5.64 ERA and 20 strikeouts, and is remembered as the only player to appear on four Topps cards without ever recording a win or a loss - among them this 1955 Topps #33.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 518 | 0 | 4 | 67 | 126 | 174 | 67 | 79 | 1 |
| SGC | 42 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 14 | 14 | 0 |
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 Tom Qualters card?
It is card #33 of 206 in the 1955 Topps set - Topps' first fully horizontal design. It pictures the Philadelphia Phillies player.
Is the 1955 Topps Tom Qualters 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.