1958 Topps #172 Don Gross
About Don Gross
Gross pitched his first season in Pittsburgh in 1958 after the December 1957 trade that sent Bob Purkey to Cincinnati. Working mostly out of the bullpen, he went 5-7 with a 3.98 ERA and seven saves in 40 games. His 1958 Topps card is #172 in the second series of the 494-card set, and it shows him with the Pirates.
Don Gross was a left-handed pitcher from Weidman, Michigan, who threw and batted left after breaking his arm in a washing machine at age seven. He signed with Cincinnati after a year at Michigan State, lost 1952 and 1953 to Army service, and reached the Redlegs in 1955. He went 3-0 with a 1.95 ERA in 1956 and was on the 1957 staff before Cincinnati sent him to Pittsburgh for Bob Purkey in December of that year. Purkey became a three-time All-Star, and Pirates general manager Joe L. Brown later called the deal the worst of his career. Gross worked mostly in relief for the Pirates, but arm trouble limited him in 1959 and 1960, and his last major league game came in May 1960. He finished 20-22 with a 3.73 ERA and 10 saves in 145 games, then pitched in the minors through 1963. He later ran a sporting goods business in Cincinnati and died in Weidman in 2017.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 268 | 0 | 9 | 109 | 76 | 35 | 24 | 15 | 0 |
| SGC | 15 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 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).
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 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
- #178 Ted Kluszewski
- #198 Bill Virdon
- #218 Dick Rand
- #226 Bob Smith
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1958 Topps Don Gross card?
It is card #172 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 Don Gross, Pittsburgh Pirates.
How many graded copies of the 1958 Topps Don Gross #172 are there?
PSA has graded 268 copies and SGC 15 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.