1958 Topps #226 Bob Smith
About Bob Smith
Smith spent all of 1958 with the Pirates, starting the year in the rotation but winless in his first three appearances before a move to the bullpen, where he made only one other start. He finished 2-2 with a 4.43 ERA in 35 games and one save. His 1958 Topps card, part of a 494-card set, is #226, a rookie card from the third series, showing him with Pittsburgh.
Robert Gilchrist Smith was a left-handed pitcher from Woodsville, New Hampshire, who worked in the majors from 1955 to 1959 for the Red Sox, Cardinals, Pirates and Tigers. Signed by Boston, he made the 1955 roster and pitched one game in relief, on April 29 against the White Sox, his only appearance in a Red Sox uniform. St. Louis took him in the Rule 5 draft after the 1956 season, then sold him to Pittsburgh in May 1957. With the Pirates he threw an eight-hit complete-game win over the Phillies on September 8, 1957. Every win, save and complete game of his big-league career came in a Pirates uniform. He was released on waivers to Detroit in mid-June 1959 and pitched nine games in relief for the Tigers before a Triple-A assignment ended his major-league days. He kept pitching at the Triple-A level for five more years before retiring. His major-league line was 91 games, 83 of them in relief, a 4-9 record, 2 saves and 93 strikeouts in 166 2/3 innings.
Sources: Wikipedia · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 248 | 0 | 18 | 81 | 87 | 34 | 16 | 10 | 2 |
| SGC | 21 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
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
More Bob Smith in this set: #445
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #4 Hank Foiles
- #45 Dick Groat
- #52 Roberto Clemente
- #52B Roberto Clemente (Yellow Team)
- #74 Roy Face
- #82 Ron Kline
- #94 Bob Skinner
- #104 Jim Pendleton
- #132 Vern Law
- #151 Buddy Pritchard
- #172 Don Gross
- #178 Ted Kluszewski
- #198 Bill Virdon
- #218 Dick Rand
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1958 Topps Bob Smith card?
It is card #226 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 Bob Smith, Pittsburgh Pirates.
Is the 1958 Topps Bob Smith #226 a rookie card?
Yes - #226 is a rookie card, one of 103 in the 1958 Topps set.
How many graded copies of the 1958 Topps Bob Smith #226 are there?
PSA has graded 248 copies and SGC 21 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.