1958 Topps #397B Detroit Tigers Team
Numerical checklist-back variation - the card back lists the Series 6 checklist in numerical order rather than alphabetically. The numerical back is the recognized scarcer/premium version.
One of the 16 team cards — 1958 was the first year Topps printed checklists on team-card backs.
About the 1958 Detroit Tigers
The 1958 Topps Detroit Tigers team card, #397, reports a 1957 club that went 78-76 under manager Jack Tighe and finished fourth in the American League, 20 games behind the New York Yankees. On paper it was a perfectly balanced team: Detroit scored 614 runs and allowed 614, a run differential of exactly zero, playing its home games at Briggs Stadium. The card comes from Series Five, and 1958 was the first year Topps team cards carried a checklist on the back. This is the numerical-back version, listing the Series Six checklist in numerical order; the alphabetical-back version lists the entire set alphabetically, and both are printed #397. Detroit was one of four teams, with Milwaukee, Baltimore and Cincinnati, whose cards came both ways. The set runs 494 cards, with #145 never issued, and 1958 was the first season for the Dodgers and Giants in California.
Sources: Wikipedia · BaseballCardPedia
Variations & how to tell them apart
Team checklist-back variation #397
The four Series-5 team cards each exist with two backs: an alphabetical roster (the base/common version) and a numerical Series-6 checklist. The numerical back is the recognized scarcer/premium version (PSA, 2017: Tigers and Orioles numerical backs each fewer than 10 in PSA 8, none higher). Which printed first is undocumented.
- #397 — base card: the back lists the entire set ALPHABETICALLY (A-Z) — the base, more common version. — see the card page
- #397B — Numerical Back: the back carries the team's NUMERICAL Series-6 checklist — the recognized scarcer, premium back. (this page)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 141 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 21 | 34 | 30 | 43 | 1 |
| SGC | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-09. Counts cover this variation only; the base version is tracked separately. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8). PSA counts are straight-graded (the +/Q qualifier rows are excluded).
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Live auctions Buy It Now Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
More Detroit Tigers Team in this set: #397
More Detroit Tigers cards:
- #13 Billy Hoeft
- #13B Billy Hoeft (Yellow Name)
- #32 J.W. Porter
- #32B J.W. Porter (Yellow Name)
- #46 Lou Sleater
- #46B Lou Sleater (Yellow Name)
- #57 Tim Thompson
- #57B Tim Thompson (Yellow Name)
- #70 Al Kaline
- #70B Al Kaline (Yellow Name)
- #81 Steve Boros
- #81B Steve Boros (Yellow Team)
- #95 Frank Bolling
- #112 Gus Zernial
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1958 Topps Detroit Tigers Team card?
It is the Detroit Tigers team card in 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.
Does the 1958 Topps Detroit Tigers team card have back variations?
Yes. #397 exists with an alphabetical checklist back (the base, more common version, listing the set A-Z) and a numerical Series-6 checklist back - the recognized scarcer, premium version.
How many graded copies of the 1958 Topps Detroit Tigers Team #397 are there?
PSA has graded 141 copies and SGC 20 as of the 2026-07-09 snapshot (this variation only). 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.