1956 Topps #291 Frank Kellert
1956 Topps #291 Frank Kellert
About Frank Kellert
Frank William Kellert (July 6, 1924 – November 19, 1976) was a right-handed first baseman signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1949 for a $4,000 bonus after earning an Animal Husbandry degree at Oklahoma A&M. The Oklahoma City native climbed through the minors — Rochester, Houston, and Oklahoma City — and was named the 1954 Texas League Player of the Year with San Antonio. He debuted April 18, 1953, with the St. Louis Browns and reached his peak in 1955 with the Brooklyn Dodgers, hitting .325 in 80 at-bats with four home runs over 39 games as a backup for Gil Hodges. That season he was a member of the only Brooklyn club ever to win the World Series; in Game 1 he pinch-hit a single off Whitey Ford in the eighth inning during the famous at-bat in which Jackie Robinson stole home, and he afterward drew backlash by publicly insisting Yogi Berra had tagged Robinson before he scored. Traded to the Chicago Cubs for 1956, the year of this high-number rookie card, Kellert batted just .186 as a part-time first baseman in what proved his final big-league season. Over 122 major-league games he hit .231 with 8 home runs, 37 RBI, and 57 hits. He died of lymphoma in 1976 at age 52.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Variations & how to tell them apart
High Number (Series 4)
Cards 261-340. Unlike most vintage sets, the 1956 high numbers carry NO series premium - they were distributed in similar quantities to the rest of the set.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 581 | 1 | 16 | 170 | 174 | 125 | 65 | 30 | 0 |
| SGC | 39 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 4 | 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 Frank Kellert card?
It is card #291 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 Chicago Cubs player, and is his first Topps card (rookie).
Is the 1956 Topps Frank Kellert 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.