The Classic Ted Williams Baseball Card that Wasn't Supposed to Exist
And a Splinter-ed record that doesn't seem possible
1954 Bowman Ted Williams (#66a) - Card of the Day
By all accounts, Ted Williams — who was born 106 years ago today — was always a tough nut to crack.
Tough to talk to, at least if you had even an ounce of nonsense in your blood.
Tough to pitch to.
And, without a doubt, tough to pin down in a baseball card set.
Just ask Topps, who issued pasteboards for three long years before ever pushing out a Teddy Ballgame in their wax packs.
That was thanks to the limited nature of Topps’ 1951 sets, Williams’ absence from the MLB scene while serving in the military (again), and the Splendid Splinter’s sharp acumen when it came to managing the business of his image — his “personal brand” in modern parlance.
Heading into 1954, though, Topps finally landed Williams’ signature on a contract and took full advantage of the situation by making him both the first (#1) and last (#250) cards in their new set.
Meanwhile, rival Bowman picked up right where they had left off with Williams in 1951, issuing a ‘50s glam shot of the slugger, as you can see above.
No one was more surprised by the appearance of this handsome devil of a baseball card than Topps themselves, who had exclusive rights to issue Williams’ likeness in cardboard.
That’s one theory, at least — another is that some sort of printing snafu snarled the Williams card. Sounds like a PR excuse to me.
Either way, Williams was pulled from his slot at #66 in the Bowman set, replaced by Red Sox teammate Jimmy Piersall — who just so happened to already have a card at #210.
In the end, then, we got the same Piersall card with two different numbers:
The result was one of the most iconic baseball cards of all time, a white whale that some collectors spent decades chasing with nary a sight of hide or hair.
No, not the Piersall(s) — the Williams.
Indeed, the pantheon of scarce cards in the hobby of the 1980s lined up something like …
T206 Honus Wagner
1933 Goudey Nap Lajoie
1954 Bowman Ted Williams
That may be overstating the fact a bit, but not by much — there were some other T206s that we already knew/thought were extremely scarce, but the ‘54 Bowman Williams was definitely a big deal.
Today, with an ever-more connected collecting base and with every discovered rarity being sent in for grading, we know there are more than a few Williams cards out there (nearly 1200 in the PSA Population Report as of August 2024).
Even so, this Teddy Ballgame lines up as a hobby classic, one that drove the market and dreams for years on end.
These days, it’s not impossible to find this iconic Williams card, as one or more pop up on eBay every month or few. And, while the Splinter was once considered nearly priceless, PSA 6s now trade in the $3000-4000 area, with 7s ranging upwards of $5000.
Drop down to a PSA 1 or 2, and you *might* even land one for under a grand.
In the end, 1954 Bowman Ted Williams is proof that sometimes, even impossible dreams can turn out to be — if not realistic — at least a bit less preposterous.
The Blazing Speed of the Splendid Splinter
Did you know that Williams holds a stolen base record? Or at least shares a stolen base record?
Well, he does.
And, no it’s not the record for most steals in a career or season, though his marks of 24 and 4 (respectively) put him within shouting distance of Rickey Henderson’s standards.
You can find out about Teddy Ballgame’s baserunning feats right here.
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Can you believe we’re already at Labor Day weekend? Sheesh! Seems like pitchers and catchers just reported, if you ask me.
Anyway, hope you have a great few days and can take some time to enjoy the last unofficial days of summer. I’ll see you on the other side, where another (hopefully) exciting stretch run awaits!
Thanks for reading.
—Adam
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