1958 Topps #52 Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente, in his prime with Pittsburgh. Exists with a scarce yellow-team (YT) lettering variation (#52B) that commands a large premium.
About Roberto Clemente
Roberto Clemente began his professional career in his native Puerto Rico before signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1954; assigned to their Montreal farm club, he was drafted first overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates that November. Clemente patrolled right field for Pittsburgh from 1955 to 1972, earning 15 All-Star selections, the 1966 National League MVP, four batting titles, and twelve consecutive Gold Gloves for his legendary throwing arm. He led the Pirates to World Series titles in 1960 and 1971, winning MVP honors in the latter. On September 30, 1972, he lined his 3,000th and final regular-season hit; he retired with a .317 average. Proud of his heritage, Clemente objected to being called "Bob" and was revered as "The Great One." On December 31, 1972, he died in a plane crash while delivering earthquake-relief supplies to Nicaragua. The Hall of Fame waived its waiting period to enshrine him in 1973, its first Caribbean-born inductee.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject
Variations & how to tell them apart
Yellow Team (YT) #52
Fourteen Series 1/early-2 cards exist with the team/city name printed in yellow instead of white. The white version is the common counterpart; yellow variants run roughly 2-2.5x scarcer.
- #52 — base card: the lettering is printed in WHITE — the base, more common version. (this page)
- #52B — Yellow Team: the team/city name is printed in YELLOW — the scarcer version, roughly 2-2.5x tougher than white per PSA populations. — see the card page
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 4,464 | 2 | 16 | 141 | 340 | 677 | 885 | 2,392 | 11 |
| SGC | 2,159 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 68 | 164 | 434 | 1,416 | 52 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-09. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
More Roberto Clemente in this set: #52B Yellow Team
More Pittsburgh Pirates cards:
- #4 Hank Foiles
- #45 Dick Groat
- #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
- #226 Bob Smith
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1958 Topps Roberto Clemente card?
It is card #52 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 Roberto Clemente, Pittsburgh Pirates.
Does the 1958 Topps Roberto Clemente #52 have a yellow variation?
Yes - #52 is one of the 33 cards that also exist with yellow lettering. This page covers the common white-letter version; the yellow version runs roughly 2-2.5x scarcer per PSA population data.
How many graded copies of the 1958 Topps Roberto Clemente #52 are there?
PSA has graded 4,464 copies and SGC 2,159 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 2026-10-05.