1957 Topps #54 Elmer Valo
About Elmer Valo
Born Imrich Valo in Rybník, Czechoslovakia, in 1921, Elmer Valo came to Palmerton, Pennsylvania at age six and signed with the Philadelphia Athletics out of high school in 1939, debuting in September 1940 at 19. Over 20 seasons he hit .282 with a .398 career on-base percentage — matching Joe DiMaggio — while earning a reputation as a premier pinch hitter and baseball's most fearless fence-crasher; in 1948 he taped up two ribs he broke against Yankee Stadium's wall and kept playing. He became the first big leaguer to hit two bases-loaded triples in one game (1949), batted .364 for Kansas City in 1955, and was the only player to accompany three relocating franchises: the A's to Kansas City, Dodgers to Los Angeles, and Senators to Minnesota. This Phillies card was obsolete almost on arrival — on March 5, 1957, his 36th birthday, Philadelphia traded him to Brooklyn in the Chico Fernandez deal. He later scouted for the Phillies until his death in 1998.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 498 | 1 | 20 | 159 | 157 | 92 | 38 | 31 | 0 |
| SGC | 38 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 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 Elmer Valo card?
It is card #54 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 Elmer Valo, Philadelphia Phillies.
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.