1956 Topps #100 Baltimore Orioles Team
1956 Topps #100 Baltimore Orioles Team
About Baltimore Orioles Team
Card #100 pictures the Baltimore Orioles team, one of the American League's newest franchises when this 1956 set appeared. The club had returned major-league baseball to Baltimore for the 1954 season, when the struggling St. Louis Browns relocated after 1953 and were renamed the Orioles—the city's first big-league team in 52 years, since the original Orioles left for New York after 1902. Their reborn debut at newly expanded Memorial Stadium on April 15, 1954 drew a euphoric crowd, a first-pitch from Vice President Richard Nixon, and a 3-1 win over the White Sox behind young right-hander "Bullet Bob" Turley, with Vern Stephens homering. On the field the early Birds struggled, going 54-100 under Jimmy Dykes in 1954 and 57-97 in 1955, the first season run by manager and general manager Paul Richards, who became the first man since John McGraw to hold both jobs at once. Richards' rebuild would eventually pay off, but Baltimore's first World Series title lay a decade away, in 1966. As a first-series card, #100 exists with both the common white and scarcer gray back stock, and its team-photo front is found in multiple layout variations.
Variations & how to tell them apart
White Back / Gray Back Series 1 & 2 (cards 1-180)
Every card #1-180 exists with the reverse printed on white/cream card stock OR on gray card stock. Cards #181-340 are gray-back only. The scarcity FLIPS at #100: on cards 1-100 the gray back is slightly scarcer (a modest premium); on cards 101-180 the gray backs are far more common (about 12-15 to 1), so the WHITE back is the scarce, premium variation - often +50% or more, and disproportionately so in high grade, since the white-stock cards tend to be more brittle.
- White Back: Printed on white/cream card stock. The standard/common look on cards 1-100; the SCARCE, premium variation on cards 101-180.
- Gray Back: Printed on gray card stock. The scarcer variation on cards 1-100 (modest premium); the common look on cards 101-180; the ONLY back on cards 181-340.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1,545 | 1 | 12 | 185 | 306 | 373 | 298 | 368 | 2 |
| SGC | 186 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 28 | 30 | 45 | 69 | 3 |
PSA by variation: No Date, Name Center-Gray Back 289 · No Date, Name Center-White Back 368 · No Date, Name Left-Gray Back 138 · No Date, Name Left-White Back 333 · With Date-Gray Back 1 · With Date-White Back 416
SGC by variation: Dated 2 · Dated 1955 2 · Dated 1955 White Back 19 · Gray Back 11 · Gray Back, Name Centered 8 · Gray Back, Name Left 6 · Name at Left 3 · Name Centered 11 · Name Centered Gray Back 29 · Name Centered White Back 24 · Name Left 6 · Name Left Gray Back 8 · Name Left White Back 9 · No Date, Name at Left 6 · No Date, Name Centered 5 · White Back 6 · White Back, Dated 1955 8 · White Back, Name Centered 10 · White Back, Name Left 4 · With Date 9
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-06-30. 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 1956 Topps Baltimore Orioles Team card?
It is card #100 of 340 in the 1956 Topps set - Topps' first set after buying out rival Bowman, and one of the most attractive issues in the hobby. It pictures the Baltimore Orioles player.
Does the 1956 Topps Baltimore Orioles Team have front variations?
Yes - this first-series team card exists in three front layouts: dated 1955, no date with the name centered, and no date with the name at the left.
Does the 1956 Topps Baltimore Orioles Team have back variations?
Yes. Every card #1-180 exists with the reverse printed on white/cream card stock OR on gray card stock. Cards #181-340 are gray-back only. The scarcity FLIPS at #100: on cards 1-100 the gray back is slightly scarcer (a modest premium); on cards 101-180 the gray backs are far more common (about 12-15 to 1), so the WHITE back is the scarce, premium variation - often +50% or more, and disproportionately so in high grade, since the white-stock cards tend to be more brittle.
Is the 1956 Topps Baltimore Orioles Team valuable?
Value depends on grade and (where it applies) the back or front variation. Use the links above to check current T206 Cards inventory and live eBay listings.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Baseball-Reference, BaseballCardPedia, PSA & SGC population reports, and Baseball-Almanac. Card data, images & population compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-07-01.