1959 Topps #34 Al Kaline / Charlie Maxwell "Pitchers Beware"
Multi-player combo card (Detroit Tigers).
About Al Kaline / Charlie Maxwell "Pitchers Beware"
"Pitchers Beware" pairs two of the Detroit Tigers' top power hitters of the late 1950s: right fielder Al Kaline, already an established AL batting champion, and outfielder Charlie Maxwell, Detroit's dependable slugger. The card's title nods to both men's ability to punish opposing pitching — Kaline was coming off a huge 1959 in which he hit .327 with 27 home runs and led the league in slugging percentage and OPS, while Maxwell earned his reputation as a "Sunday Slugger" and had just posted career highs of 31 homers and 95 RBI in 1959, highlighted by four home runs in four straight official at-bats during a Sunday doubleheader against the Yankees on May 3 of that year. Featuring Detroit's marquee bats side by side, the card captured the Tigers' offensive identity during an era when the team hovered around .500 but boasted individual talent capable of carrying a lineup.
Variations & how to tell them apart
Venezuelan Parallel
Topps issued a partial parallel of the set for the Venezuelan market, printed on thinner card stock and credited "Impreso en Venezuela por Benco C.A." on the back. Hobby checklists most often list the run as cards 1-196, though sources disagree and the exact range has never been definitively documented. Venezuelan cards are far scarcer than their U.S. counterparts and usually surface with heavy wear; collectors treat them as a separate parallel, not part of the standard 572-card set.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 814 | 1 | 28 | 216 | 193 | 151 | 93 | 129 | 3 |
| SGC | 174 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 40 | 37 | 43 | 38 | 3 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-05. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8); totals are summed across each grader's listed variations.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1959 Topps Al Kaline / Charlie Maxwell "Pitchers Beware" card?
It is card #34 of 572 in the 1959 Topps Baseball set - Topps' largest set to that point, issued across seven series with a circular color photo on every front. It pictures the Detroit Tigers multi-player combo card.
Is the 1959 Topps Al Kaline / Charlie Maxwell "Pitchers Beware" valuable?
Value depends on grade, the series (the high numbers run scarcer), and any variation. Use the links above to check current T206 Cards inventory and live eBay listings.
Sources: Trading Card Database, Baseball-Reference, BaseballCardPedia, PSA & SGC population reports, and Baseball-Almanac. Card data, images & population compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-07-10.