1957 Topps #1 Ted Williams
Card #1 of the set — Topps gave the leadoff spot to Ted Williams, fresh off a .345 season at age 38. A classic condition-sensitive #1 card, prone to wear from the top of the stack.
About Ted Williams
Theodore Samuel Williams signed with his hometown San Diego Padres of the Pacific Coast League as a schoolboy and reached the Boston Red Sox in 1939, driving in a rookie-record 145 runs. Boston's left fielder through 1960, he hit .406 in 1941 — still baseball's last .400 season — won Triple Crowns in 1942 and 1947, MVPs in 1946 and 1949, and made 19 All-Star teams despite losing nearly five years to military service, flying Marine combat missions in Korea — sometimes as John Glenn's wingman — and crash-landing a burning jet. An elbow injury marred his lone World Series, a seven-game 1946 loss to St. Louis. Clubhouse man Johnny Orlando dubbed him “The Kid” in 1938; it stuck for life. Topps handed the Splendid Splinter this set's condition-sensitive leadoff card, and the 39-year-old answered with a .388 batting title. He homered in his final 1960 at-bat, retired at .344 with 521 home runs and a record .482 on-base percentage, and used his 1966 Hall of Fame speech to champion Negro League greats.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 6,774 | 1 | 15 | 205 | 510 | 971 | 1,151 | 3,881 | 40 |
| SGC | 2,816 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 89 | 169 | 434 | 1,971 | 118 |
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 Ted Williams card?
It is card #1 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 Ted Williams, Boston Red Sox.
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.