1957 Topps #252 Carl Erskine
About Carl Erskine
Carl Erskine spent all twelve of his big-league seasons (1948–59) with the Dodgers, in Brooklyn and finally Los Angeles. Signed out of the Navy by Branch Rickey — Commissioner Happy Chandler briefly voided the deal before Brooklyn re-signed him — the Anderson, Indiana right-hander became "Oisk," his name rendered in Brooklynese by Ebbets Field fans, and a Boys of Summer mainstay. He went 20–6 in 1953, then struck out 14 Yankees in Game 3 of that fall's World Series, a Series record until Sandy Koufax broke it in 1963. He added two Ebbets Field no-hitters (June 19, 1952 vs. the Cubs; May 12, 1956 vs. the Giants), a 1954 All-Star nod, and Brooklyn's lone championship in 1955, finishing 122–78 with 981 strikeouts. This card catches Oisk in Brooklyn's farewell 1957 season. The last surviving Boy of Summer, he received the Hall of Fame's 2023 Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award for Special Olympics advocacy inspired by his son Jimmy, and died in 2024 at 97.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 890 | 2 | 27 | 237 | 278 | 178 | 94 | 74 | 0 |
| SGC | 101 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 26 | 22 | 26 | 17 | 1 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-05. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8). PSA counts are straight-graded (the +/Q qualifier rows are excluded).
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1957 Topps Carl Erskine card?
It is card #252 of the 1957 Topps Baseball set - the 407-card, 2-1/2 by 3-1/2 inch set that was Topps' first at the modern standard card size, with full-color photography and complete career stats on the back. It pictures Carl Erskine, Brooklyn Dodgers.
How many cards are in the 1957 Topps set?
407 numbered cards. Collectors usually count 408 because #176 Gene Baker exists in an error ('Bakep') and a corrected back. The PSA master set adds the 8 checklists, 4 contest cards and the Lucky Penny for 421 items.
Sources: PSA CardFacts, Beckett, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball-Reference, PSA & SGC population reports, and hobby press-sheet research (Net54 / Topps Archives). Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-07-10.