1959 Topps #40 Warren Spahn
Warren Spahn's card carries the set's best-known birth-year variation: the back reads 'Born 1931' (should be 1921) on the two error versions — one with the bottom of the '3' partially obscured — plus a corrected 'Born 1921' version.
About Warren Spahn
Warren Spahn was the winningest left-handed pitcher in major-league history, compiling 363 career victories over 21 seasons, almost all with the Boston/Milwaukee Braves (1942, 1946–1964). After the franchise moved to Milwaukee in 1953, Spahn helped lead the Braves to consecutive NL pennants in 1957 and 1958, winning the 1957 World Series and capturing the NL Cy Young Award (then a single award for all of baseball) that same year. A 17-time All-Star, he won 20 or more games in 13 different seasons — a modern record — and remarkably went 23-7 at age 42 late in his career. Spahn led the NL in strikeouts four times and in wins eight times, finishing with 2,583 career strikeouts. His 1959 Topps card reflects a Milwaukee team that had won back-to-back pennants and remained an NL powerhouse. Spahn was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1973, his first year of eligibility.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference · SABR
Variations & how to tell them apart
Print variations error/corrected
Recognized by every catalog (Beckett, PSA, BaseballCardPedia).
- 40a — Born 1931 (error): Birth year reads 1931; should be 1921.
- 40b — Born 1931, "3" obscured: Same 1931 error, with the bottom of the "3" partially obscured.
- 40c — Born 1921 (corrected): Corrected birth year. PSA specs 26688 / 26689 / 26690.
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 2,288 | 1 | 29 | 263 | 386 | 456 | 413 | 738 | 2 |
| SGC | 597 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 61 | 109 | 153 | 245 | 9 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-07-05. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. Totals are summed across each grader's listed variations.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1959 Topps Warren Spahn card?
It is card #40 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 Milwaukee Braves player.
Does the 1959 Topps Warren Spahn have print variations?
Yes - #40 is one of the set's recognized print-variation cards. See the variation guide above for how to tell each version apart.
Is the 1959 Topps Warren Spahn 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 2026-10-13.