1958 Topps #317 Albie Pearson
About Albie Pearson
1958 Topps #317, a Series Four rookie card, pictures Albie Pearson as a Washington Senator. It followed the January 1958 trade that sent him and Norm Zauchin from the Red Sox to Washington for Pete Runnels. He had hit .297 for the San Francisco Seals in 1957, helping them win the PCL title, then took the Opening Day center field job. His .275 with 3 home runs and 33 RBIs in 146 games earned American League Rookie of the Year.
Albert Gregory Pearson, born September 12, 1934 in Alhambra, California, was the shortest man in the major leagues, a left-handed hitter and thrower listed at 5 feet 5 inches and 140 pounds. The Boston Red Sox signed him as a pitcher in 1953, and he spent five years in their farm system without reaching the majors; the January 1958 trade that sent him to Washington for Pete Runnels finally got him a job. He hit .275 as the Senators' center fielder and won American League Rookie of the Year. A .188 start in 1959 cost him that job, Washington traded him to Baltimore for Lenny Green, and the Orioles had him back in the minors by 1960. Hearing that Los Angeles had been granted an expansion club, he wrote general manager Fred Haney asking to be taken, and Haney spent the last of the Angels' 30 draft picks on him. Six seasons with the Angels followed, ended by two ruptured discs from a spring training slide in 1966. He retired a .270 hitter with 831 hits, 485 runs and a .369 on-base percentage in 988 games, was ordained a minister in 1972, and in 1997 he and his wife Helen sold their house to found Father's Heart Ranch for abused and neglected boys. He died February 21, 2023.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 282 | 0 | 8 | 116 | 88 | 36 | 16 | 18 | 0 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-09. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8). PSA counts are straight-graded (the +/Q qualifier rows are excluded).
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Related cards
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- #92 Clint Courtney
- #92B Clint Courtney (Yellow Name)
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1958 Topps Albie Pearson card?
It is card #317 of the 1958 Topps Baseball set - Topps' sixth flagship issue: 494 cards numbered 1-495 (#145 was never issued), with die-cut player photos on solid-color backgrounds and the first team logos on Topps fronts. It pictures Albie Pearson, Washington Senators.
Is the 1958 Topps Albie Pearson #317 a rookie card?
Yes - #317 is a rookie card, one of 103 in the 1958 Topps set.
How many graded copies of the 1958 Topps Albie Pearson #317 are there?
PSA has graded 282 copies and SGC 17 as of the 2026-07-09 snapshot. Population is a scarcity guide, not a price - high-grade 1958s are notoriously tough because of the set's chronic centering and print-quality issues.
How many cards are in the 1958 Topps set?
494 issued cards, numbered 1-495 - #145 (Ed Bouchee) was pulled before release and never issued, leaving a permanent gap. The PSA master census counts 534 items: the 494 base cards plus 33 yellow-letter variations, 4 numerical checklist-back team cards, the 'Herrer' #433 error, and 2 unnumbered ad cards.
Sources: PSA CardFacts, Beckett, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball-Reference, PSA & SGC population reports, and hobby press-sheet research (Topps Archives, 2026). Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-09-30.