1957 Topps #73 George Crowe
Uncorrected error: Born in '21, not '23. It was never corrected, so there is only one version of the card.
The #176 "Bakep" error: the back header reads "EUGENF W. BAKEP," the whole name garbled on the printing plate. It is the ONLY error Topps corrected in 1957, which is why the error back carries the premium — a PSA population near 215, topping out at PSA 8.
About George Crowe
Indiana's first "Mr. Basketball" (1939), George Crowe starred for the barnstorming New York Rens in basketball and the New York Black Yankees (1947-48) in the Negro leagues before a 1949 tryout made him possibly the first Black player in the Boston Braves organization. A left-handed-hitting first baseman, he debuted in 1952 and played for the Braves (1952-53, 1955), Cincinnati Redlegs (1956-58), and St. Louis Cardinals (1959-61). Filling in for the injured Ted Kluszewski in 1957, he peaked with 31 home runs and 92 RBIs, made the 1958 All-Star team, and retired with 86 homers plus a then-record 14 pinch-hit home runs. Younger Black players called him "Big Daddy" — "I'm your father, your big daddy up here," he assured Vada Pinson — and Jackie Robinson called him "the most articulate and far-sighted Negro then in the majors." This card's uncorrected error — listing his birth as 1923, not 1921 — preserves the two years Crowe shaved off his age to sign. He died in 2011 at 89.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 621 | 2 | 15 | 212 | 231 | 91 | 48 | 22 | 0 |
| SGC | 44 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
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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Related cards
More Cincinnati Redlegs cards:
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- #32 Hershell Freeman
- #35 Frank Robinson
- #66 Brooks Lawrence
- #69 Roy McMillan
- #93 Hal Jeffcoat
- #103 Joe Nuxhall
- #128 Ed Bailey
- #157 Wally Post
- #165 Ted Kluszewski
- #180 Gus Bell
- #219 Tom Acker
- #222 Alex Grammas
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1957 Topps George Crowe card?
It is card #73 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 George Crowe, Cincinnati Redlegs.
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.