1957 Topps #81 Herman Wehmeier
About Herman Wehmeier
A Cincinnati kid who won 52 straight games for the city's 1944 American Legion national champions, Herm Wehmeier signed with his hometown Reds and debuted at 18 on September 7, 1945. Home proved cruel: local fans booed him relentlessly as he led the NL in walks three times (1949, 1950, 1952) and wild pitches twice. Traded to Philadelphia in June 1954, he learned a slider from Murry Dickson and revived at 10-8, 3.85, then joined the Cardinals with Dickson in a May 1956 swap for Harvey Haddix. On September 29, 1956, he out-dueled Warren Spahn through 12 innings — allowing only a first-inning Bill Bruton homer — in a 2-1 Cardinals win that crushed Milwaukee's pennant hopes, and he opened 1957, the season of this card, by beating the Reds 13-4 before the Cincinnati crowd that once jeered him. He finished 92-108 over 13 seasons, ending with Detroit in 1958, and died at 46 in 1973 of a heart attack suffered while testifying in a Dallas courtroom.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 569 | 1 | 15 | 184 | 206 | 86 | 51 | 26 | 0 |
| SGC | 39 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 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 Herman Wehmeier card?
It is card #81 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 Herman Wehmeier, St. Louis Cardinals.
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.