1956 Topps #247 Bill Sarni
1956 Topps #247 Bill Sarni
About Bill Sarni
Bill Sarni was a Los Angeles-born catcher whose professional career began remarkably early, when he joined the Pacific Coast League's Los Angeles Angels in 1943 at just 15 years old. He reached the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1951 and spent five big-league seasons split between the Cardinals (1951-52, 1954-56) and the New York Giants (1956). Sarni's breakout came in 1954, when he took over as St. Louis's regular catcher after Del Rice was hurt in a home-plate collision on June 7; he responded by batting .300 with 9 home runs and 70 RBI in 123 games while leading National League catchers with a .996 fielding percentage. In June 1956 he was dealt to the Giants as part of the multi-player trade that sent Red Schoendienst to New York and brought Alvin Dark to St. Louis. His playing days ended abruptly when he suffered a heart attack during spring training in 1957 at age 29. Over 390 games he batted .263 with 311 hits, 22 home runs, and 151 RBI. He died in 1983 at age 55.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 616 | 2 | 22 | 165 | 177 | 146 | 65 | 39 | 0 |
| SGC | 44 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 15 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
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 Bill Sarni card?
It is card #247 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 St. Louis Cardinals player.
Is the 1956 Topps Bill Sarni 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.