1958 Topps #281 Sammy Taylor
About Sammy Taylor
Card #281 is Sammy Taylor's rookie card, printed in the fourth series of 1958 Topps and showing him as a Chicago Cub. The left-handed-hitting catcher had come over from the Braves organization with pitcher Taylor Phillips in a December 1957 deal for Eddie Haas, Don Kaiser and Bob Rush. He had no big league season behind him when the card was made; his first, 1958, produced a .259 average with six home runs and 36 RBI in 96 games.
Samuel Douglas Taylor was a left-handed-hitting catcher who spent six major league seasons, from 1958 to 1963, with the Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians. Born in Woodruff, South Carolina, he stood 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, came out of Woodruff High School to play one season of Class D ball in 1950, then served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean Conflict. Signed by the Milwaukee Braves as a free agent in 1956, he spent two full years in that farm system before a December 5, 1957 trade sent him to the Cubs, and he reached the majors in April 1958, drawing a walk as a pinch hitter in his first plate appearance. His best year came in 1959, when he hit .269 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 110 games. He lost the starting job during a .207 season in 1960, moved to the expansion Mets in 1962, and closed things out in 1963 with brief stops in Cincinnati and Cleveland. Over 473 games he hit .245 with 309 hits, 33 home runs and 147 RBI. He died in Woodruff in 2019 at age 86.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball Almanac · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 208 | 1 | 6 | 66 | 75 | 30 | 18 | 12 | 0 |
| SGC | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 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 Chicago Cubs cards:
- #7 Dale Long
- #33 Cal Neeman
- #33B Cal Neeman (Yellow Team)
- #41 Dave Hillman
- #66 Lee Walls
- #80 Dick Drott
- #91 Chuck Tanner
- #99 Bobby Adams
- #122 Walt Moryn
- #135 Moe Drabowsky
- #144 Bobby Morgan
- #159 Taylor Phillips
- #184 Elvin Tappe
- #201 Jim Bolger
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1958 Topps Sammy Taylor card?
It is card #281 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 Sammy Taylor, Chicago Cubs.
Is the 1958 Topps Sammy Taylor #281 a rookie card?
Yes - #281 is a rookie card, one of 103 in the 1958 Topps set.
How many graded copies of the 1958 Topps Sammy Taylor #281 are there?
PSA has graded 208 copies and SGC 16 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.