1959 Topps #50 Willie Mays
1959 Topps #50 Willie Mays
Willie Mays, in the Giants' second season in San Francisco.
About Willie Mays
Willie Mays is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-around players in baseball history, spending 21 seasons with the Giants franchise — the New York Giants (1951–1957) and San Francisco Giants (1958–1972) — before finishing his career with the New York Mets. Known as the "Say Hey Kid," Mays won the 1951 NL Rookie of the Year award, then captured NL MVP honors twice (1954 and 1965) and made 24 All-Star selections. His signature 1954 season saw him lead the league with a .345 average and 41 home runs, and he famously made an over-the-shoulder catch off Vic Wertz in that year's World Series, which the Giants swept. A superb defender, Mays won 12 Gold Gloves and was the first San Francisco Giant to wear his iconic No. 24 in 1958, the season on his 1959 Topps card. He finished with 660 home runs, a .302 average, and 3,283 hits, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1979.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
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 | 6,616 | 5 | 47 | 401 | 819 | 1,147 | 1,124 | 3,058 | 15 |
| SGC | 3,135 | 0 | 3 | 48 | 168 | 280 | 628 | 1,930 | 78 |
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 Willie Mays card?
It is card #50 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 San Francisco Giants player.
Is the 1959 Topps Willie Mays 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.