1956 Topps #2 Warren Giles
1956 Topps #2 Warren Giles
National League president Warren Giles - the NL half of the first-ever league-president cards. Double-printed.
About Warren Giles
Warren Giles was a baseball executive, not a player, and card #2 pairs him with American League president Will Harridge (#1) as the very first league-president cards Topps ever issued. Born May 28, 1896, in Tiskilwa, Illinois, Giles began a 50-year career in the game in 1919 as president of the Class B Moline Plowboys, then ran St. Louis Cardinals farm clubs at Syracuse and Rochester before Cincinnati hired him to run the Reds. As Reds general manager and later club president (1936-1951), he built the team that won back-to-back National League pennants in 1939 and 1940 and captured the 1940 World Series over the Detroit Tigers. He succeeded Ford Frick as National League president in October 1951 and held the office through 1969, guiding the league through the westward moves of the Dodgers and Giants to California, the Braves' relocations, and expansion to twelve clubs, including the 1969 debut of the Expos and the first NL Championship Series. On this 1956 issue Giles appears as a double-printed card that exists with both white and the scarcer gray back-stock. He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1979, shortly after his death that February, and the NLCS trophy bears his name.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
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.
Double Print
An uncut Series-1 sheet (110 cards, 10x11) shows 20 cards were double-printed - modestly more plentiful than their series-mates. The list happily includes #30 Jackie Robinson and #31 Hank Aaron. The only print-quantity designation in the set (there is no recognized short-print run).
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 1,447 | 1 | 10 | 190 | 314 | 327 | 269 | 336 | 0 |
| SGC | 230 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 39 | 38 | 48 | 95 | 3 |
PSA by variation: Gray Back 352 · White Back 1,095
SGC by variation: Gray Back 101 · White Back 129
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 Warren Giles card?
It is card #2 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 league president.
Does the 1956 Topps Warren Giles 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 Warren Giles 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.