1956 Topps #314 Hobie Landrith
1956 Topps #314 Hobie Landrith
About Hobie Landrith
Hobert Neal "Hobie" Landrith was a left-handed-hitting catcher who signed with the Cincinnati Reds organization in 1949 after starring at the 1948 National Junior Amateur tournament and playing varsity ball at Michigan State. He reached the majors with Cincinnati in 1950 and went on to play parts of 14 seasons through 1963 for the Reds, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Senators, batting .233 with 34 home runs and 203 RBIs in 772 games. The 1956 season pictured on this card was the busiest of his career: dealt to the Cubs, he won the starting catching job and appeared in a career-high 111 games, best remembered for his defensive work behind the plate. Landrith's lasting claim to fame came in October 1961, when he was chosen as the very first pick of the expansion New York Mets, prompting manager Casey Stengel's famous quip, "You gotta have a catcher or you're gonna have a lot of passed balls." He was later traded from the Mets to Baltimore as part of the deal that brought Marv Throneberry to New York. This is a high-number card (#301-340) from the fourth series, the scarcer and more sought-after portion of the 1956 Topps set.
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 | 727 | 1 | 27 | 216 | 229 | 149 | 68 | 37 | 0 |
| SGC | 48 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 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 Hobie Landrith card?
It is card #314 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.
Is the 1956 Topps Hobie Landrith 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.