1957 Topps #12 Dick Groat
About Dick Groat
Before Bo Jackson, there was Dick Groat—a Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania native and two-time All-American in both basketball and baseball at Duke who signed with Branch Rickey's Pirates in June 1952 and went straight to the hometown team's lineup without playing a single minor-league inning. He even averaged 11.9 points for the NBA's Fort Wayne Pistons before two years in the Army and Rickey's persuasion made him a full-time shortstop. This card caught him mid-breakout: Groat hit .315 in 1957, and by 1960 he was Pittsburgh's captain, winning the NL batting title at .325 and the MVP award as the Pirates stunned the Yankees in the World Series. Traded to St. Louis after 1962, he set career highs with 201 hits and 43 doubles in 1963, finished second to Sandy Koufax for MVP, and earned a second ring in 1964. An All-Star in five seasons, he retired in 1967 with 2,138 hits and a .286 average, then spent 40 years as Pitt basketball's radio analyst. He died in 2023 at 92.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 703 | 3 | 17 | 147 | 235 | 151 | 75 | 74 | 1 |
| SGC | 78 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 19 | 21 | 15 | 14 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-05. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1957 Topps Dick Groat card?
It is card #12 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 Dick Groat, Pittsburgh Pirates.
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 2026-10-13.