1956 Topps #3 Elmer Valo
1956 Topps #3 Elmer Valo
About Elmer Valo
Elmer William Valo (born Imrich Valo, 1921 in Rybnik, Czechoslovakia) came to the United States as a boy and grew up in Palmerton, Pennsylvania, where the Philadelphia Athletics signed him out of high school; he reached the majors with Connie Mack's A's in 1940 and went on to play 20 big-league seasons (1940-1961). A left-handed-hitting outfielder famous for his aggressive, fearless pursuit of fly balls, Valo was known to crash into and even through outfield walls chasing catches. He hit .300 or better five times, peaking at a career-high .364 for the 1955 Kansas City Athletics, the season pictured on this first-series card issued the year the franchise had just relocated from Philadelphia. On August 2, 1950, he hit for the cycle. Later a renowned pinch-hitter, he set major-league pinch-hitting records in 1960 and holds the career mark for walks as a pinch-hitter. Over 1,806 games he batted .282 with 58 home runs and 601 RBI, and he was inducted into the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 1990. Like all #1-180 cards in the 1956 set, #3 exists with both the common white back stock and the scarcer gray back stock.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
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 | 626 | 0 | 15 | 124 | 178 | 157 | 79 | 72 | 1 |
| SGC | 58 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 11 | 13 | 17 | 10 | 1 |
PSA by variation: Gray Back 180 · White Back 446
SGC by variation: Gray Back 28 · White Back 30
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 Elmer Valo card?
It is card #3 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 Kansas City Athletics player.
Does the 1956 Topps Elmer Valo 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 Elmer Valo 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.