1956 Topps #196 Tom Poholsky
1956 Topps #196 Tom Poholsky
About Tom Poholsky
Thomas George Poholsky (August 26, 1929 – January 6, 2001) was a right-handed pitcher who spent the bulk of his major-league career with the St. Louis Cardinals. A Detroit native, he pitched for the Durham Bulls as a teenager during World War II and was released by the Boston Red Sox in 1947 before signing with the Cardinals, who developed him in their farm system. Poholsky compiled an 80–54 minor-league record and delivered one of the great performances in International League history on August 13, 1950, when he went the full distance in a 22-inning, 3–2 complete-game victory for the Rochester Red Wings over Jersey City—a marathon that helped earn him the 1950 International League Most Valuable Player Award. The 6-foot-3 righty debuted with St. Louis in 1950 and pitched in the majors across 1950–51, 1954–56 with the Cardinals and a final season with the Chicago Cubs in 1957, his big-league time interrupted by a two-year absence in the early 1950s. Over 159 games he went 31–52 with a 3.93 ERA and 316 strikeouts, never posting a winning big-league record despite his stellar minor-league résumé. He retired after the 1957 season and was inducted into the Rochester Red Wings Hall of Fame in 1990. This is his standard third-series card in the 1956 Topps set, with no known error or variation.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 567 | 0 | 10 | 164 | 172 | 122 | 57 | 42 | 0 |
| SGC | 34 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 15 | 1 | 9 | 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 Tom Poholsky card?
It is card #196 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 Tom Poholsky 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.