1958 Topps #243 Larry Raines
About Larry Raines
The 1958 Topps card reflects Raines's 1957 rookie year with Cleveland, when he played 96 games and hit .262 with two home runs, with third base and shortstop his busiest spots. In 1958 itself he got into just seven games. His rookie card is #243 in the third series and shows him with the Indians. It falls between the Johnny Klippstein card, #242, and Don Demeter's rookie card, #244.
Larry Raines, born in St. Albans, West Virginia, has one of the more unusual resumes in baseball. He is recognized as the first ballplayer to play professionally in Minor League Baseball, Negro league baseball, Japanese baseball and the major leagues. He debuted with the Chicago American Giants of the Negro American League, and in 1952 he topped the East-West All-Star Game fan poll with 24,583 votes and started at shortstop for the West at Comiskey Park. In 1953 he went to Japan and played two seasons for the Hankyu Braves, winning the Pacific League batting title at .337 with 18 homers and 96 RBI. He returned to the United States in 1955, signed with Cleveland and reached the Indians in 1957. Later he played Triple-A ball for the Phillies, Reds and Twins organizations, spent a winter in Venezuela, and finished back at Hankyu in 1962. He died in Lansing, Michigan, in 1978 at age 47.
Sources: Wikipedia · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 227 | 0 | 4 | 66 | 90 | 33 | 22 | 12 | 0 |
| SGC | 9 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 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 Cleveland Indians cards:
- #2 Bob Lemon
- #2B Bob Lemon (Yellow Team)
- #22 Hal Naragon
- #35 Don Mossi
- #35B Don Mossi (Yellow Team)
- #47 Roger Maris
- #55 Chico Carrasquel
- #79 Dick Williams
- #79B Dick Williams (Yellow Team)
- #102 George Strickland
- #123 Dick Tomanek
- #133 Russ Nixon
- #158 Cleveland Indians Team
- #170 Vic Wertz
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1958 Topps Larry Raines card?
It is card #243 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 Larry Raines, Cleveland Indians.
Is the 1958 Topps Larry Raines #243 a rookie card?
Yes - #243 is a rookie card, one of 103 in the 1958 Topps set.
How many graded copies of the 1958 Topps Larry Raines #243 are there?
PSA has graded 227 copies and SGC 9 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.