1958 Topps #459 Ron Blackburn
About Ron Blackburn
Topps #459 shows Blackburn with the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth series of the 1958 set, and it is his rookie card. The season behind it was his debut: on Opening Day he faced Milwaukee, gave up a single to Hank Aaron, then kept the next nine batters off base and got the win. He finished 2-1 with a 3.39 ERA and three saves in 38 games. Curt Flood and Milt Pappas have rookie cards in the same series.
Ron Blackburn was a right-handed pitcher born April 23, 1935, in Mount Airy, North Carolina, and raised in Kannapolis. He studied at Catawba College, where he met his wife Sandra, and also attended Western Carolina University. After 11 seasons in the minor leagues he reached the majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates and stayed for two seasons, 1958 and 1959, working almost entirely in relief. His big-league line: 64 games, 3-2, a 3.50 ERA, 50 strikeouts in 108 innings and four saves. On the road his roommate was Bill Mazeroski, and Roberto Clemente was a teammate. Known as Blackie, he threw his last game for Pittsburgh on July 28, 1959. After his playing career ended in 1964 he became a teacher and baseball coach at Western Carolina University, and the family later settled in Morganton, where he worked as recreation director at the Western Correctional Center. He died of cancer on April 29, 1998, at age 63.
Sources: Wikipedia · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 364 | 0 | 14 | 134 | 130 | 47 | 25 | 14 | 0 |
| SGC | 27 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1958 Topps Ron Blackburn card?
It is card #459 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 Ron Blackburn, Pittsburgh Pirates.
Is the 1958 Topps Ron Blackburn #459 a rookie card?
Yes - #459 is a rookie card, one of 103 in the 1958 Topps set.
How many graded copies of the 1958 Topps Ron Blackburn #459 are there?
PSA has graded 364 copies and SGC 27 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.