Ted Williams famously said, “A man has to have goals—for a day, for a lifetime—and that was mine, to have people say, ‘There goes Ted Williams, the greatest hitter who ever lived'”.
It can be argued that Williams accomplished his goal. His numbers, as they stand, are incredible. But when you factor in time lost to military service, his greatness is only amplified.
Ted Williams’ baseball cards are as iconic as he was. From his early cards, in an era when cardboard was scarce, to his later years when an entire set was produced in his honor, there’s a lot to like.
Let’s explore the Top 9 Cards of #9, Ted Williams, plus a few extras.
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The question of “Who was Ted Williams?” would take a bookshelf full of tomes to answer fully. Those books are out there, and I highly recommend you check them out, as his life and career were fascinating.
Despite losing the bulk of five seasons (including his age 24, 25, and 26 seasons) to military service, Ted Williams had one of the most amazing careers in major league baseball history.
The lifelong Red Sox was a two-time AL MVP who finished second an amazing four times. He was an All Star 19 times and won six batting titles, led his league in home runs and RBI four times each.
He won two Triple Crowns, for leading his league in home runs, RBI, and batting average. He became the last hitter to hit over .400 in a full season when he hit .406.
For his career, he put up a batting line of 344/.482/.634, good for an OPS of 1.116 and OPS+ of 191. That .482 career on-base percentage is the highest in history. He added 521 home runs and is in the top 20 in many major categories.
For his career, Williams was worth 121.8 WAR, 14th all-time. Williams led the league in WAR six times. The high career WAR total is particularly impressive in terms of the time Williams missed for military service. In missing his age 24, 25, and 26 seasons,
Teddy Ballgame gave us a big “what if?” question to ponder. The two seasons before serving in the military, Williams had seasons of 10.4 and 10.5 WAR (at ages 22 and 23).
When he returned, he had seasons of 10.6 and 9.5 WAR (at ages 27 and 28). It is not a stretch to think that Williams would have accrued 30 additional WAR during those 3 seasons. Add in that he missed all but 43 games across the 1952 and 1953 seasons due to his return to military service, and Williams’ greatness comes even more into focus.
Williams was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1966 with 93.4% of the vote, and used his Hall of Fame speech to advocate for the induction of Negro League greats into the Hall of Fame. Williams passed away on July 5, 2002 at the age of 83.
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According to the Trading Card Database (TCDB.com), Ted Williams has appeared on 9.045 cards. The vast majority of these were produced after his playing career ended in 1960. Many of the cards produced in his career stretch the definition of “card,” with several postcards, picture packs, and regional brands in the mix.
Williams’ cardboard career is an interesting one. His early cards came just as cards were moving into their somewhat modern form.
Very few cards were produced during World War II, due to cardboard being used in the war effort. Williams, of course, was serving overseas and not playing much baseball.
In the 1950s, he was exclusive with Bowman and then signed with Topps. That led to a lawsuit between Topps and Bowman in 1954, the one year he appeared on cards in both sets.
Williams also didn’t have cards in 1952 and 1953 due to injury and military service. By 1959, he was exclusive with Fleer (more on that later) and didn’t appear on a Topps card after 1958.
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1939 Play Ball represents a major milestone in the hobby. As one of the first standard-sized sets that used black and white photography instead of artwork, it thrust the hobby into a new place.
The set includes Ted Williams’ rookie card and Joe DiMaggio’s first cardboard appearance (in his fourth big league season).
The 1939 Play Ball Ted Williams has been graded by PSA a scant 1,307 times, with only one PSA 10 and twelve PSA 9s in existence. The last recorded sale of a 9 was back in August of 2021 for $480,000.
In a more plentiful PSA 4, of which there are 176 copies, these sell for between $4,000 and $6,000.
| Card | Total PSA Pop | Recent Sale Pop | Recent Sale Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 Play Ball Ted Williams #92 | 1,307 | PSA 4 = 176 | PSA 4 = $4,000-6000 |
Williams again appeared in the Play Ball set during his second season, on the 1940 Play Ball #27. The card has been graded fewer than 800 times, with only one PSA 10 and four PSA 9s.
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The 1941 Play Ball Ted Williams #76, produced during his famous .406 season, has been graded over 1,300 times by PSA, with no PSA 10s and only nine PSA 9s. A PSA 9 last sold in 2022, when it fetched $192,000 at auction.
Leaf got into the game in 1948, producing a Williams card in the iconic post-war set. Of the almost 1,500 copies PSA has graded, there are no PSA 10’s and only seven PSA 9’s. The last sale of a PSA 9 was back in 2022 for $204,000.
Williams made his Bowman debut in the 1950 Bowman set, having been missed in 1948 and 1949. Again there are no PSA 10s and only 14 PSA 9s, with no recent sales of either. Interestingly, two copies sold in PSA 4 of late for around $435, but every copy I can find for sale is for significantly higher than that.
The 1951 Bowman #165 Ted Williams card has been graded over 3,200 times by PSA. There are no PSA 10s, and 16 PSA 9s. A PSA sold in 2024 for $37,000.
The 1954 Bowman Ted Williams #66 card, which triggered that lawsuit mentioned above, is a downright gorgeous vintage card, with a smiling Williams in backed by a bright blue sky. Of the over 1,400 copies graded by PSA, there are no PSA 10s and only three PSA 9s.
1954 Topps has two Williams cards, cards #1 and card #250. These two cards bookend the set, meaning they are both tough to find in good condition due to their spots at the top and bottom of stacks.
There are no PSA 10s of either, and only five PSA 9s of card #1 and 10 PSA 9s of card #250.
The 1955 Topps #2 Ted Williams card features a horizontal design and is another just gorgeous iconic design. Over 6,400 copies have been graded by PSA, but not a single one exists in a PSA 10 slab and only 11 in PSA 9 slabs. The last PSA 9 to sell went for $52,000 in 2024.
| Card | Total PSA Pop | Recent Sale Pop | Recent Sale Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 Play Ball Ted Williams #27 | 774 | PSA 4 = 118 | PSA 4 = $1,200 – 1,700 |
| 1941 Play Ball Ted Williams #14 | 1,306 | PSA 4 = 202 | PSA 4= $2,225-2,700 |
| 1948 Leaf Ted Williams #76 | 1,468 | PSA = 213 | PSA 4 = $2,700-4,250 |
| 1950 Bowman Ted Williams #98 | 1,726 | PSA 4 = 240 | PSA 4 = $435+ |
| 1951 Bowman Ted Williams #165 | 3,237 | PSA 4 = 497 | PSA 4 = $600-675 |
| 1954 Bowman Ted Williams #66 | 1,413 | PSA 4 = 202 | PSA 4 = $2,000 |
| 1954 Topps Ted Williams #1 | 5,481 | PSA 4 = 956 | PSA 4 = $325-350 |
| 1954 Topps Ted Williams #250 | 4,460 | PSA 4 = 802 | PSA 4 = $400-475 |
| 1955 Topps Ted Williams #2 | 6,430 | PSA 4 = 1,195 | PSA 4 = $300-360 |
Ted Williams appears on cards in 1956 Topps, 1957 Topps, and 1958 Topps (regular and All Star). These later-career Williams cards are some of the more affordable cards from his playing days. The 1956 Topps is a personal favorite of mine.
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In 1959 Williams signed an exclusive contract with Fleer, who produced an 80-card set of highlights from Williams’ life and career. Card #68 is very rare, as it was removed from packs because the card featured Red Sox GM Bucky Harris, who was signed with Topps.
The other cards in the set are quite affordable, especially ungraded. If you’re on a budget and want a playing career Williams card, this is the set for you. Williams again appeared in a Fleer set in 1960 and 1961, in the 1960 and 1961 Fleer Baseball Greats sets.
Other Williams playing days cards of note include 1947 Bond Bread, 1948 Swell Sport Thrills, 1952 Berk Ross, and many more.
Since his retirement, Williams has appeared on thousands of cards, from Topps cards from his brief managerial career, to various reprints and all-time great sets, up to ultra-modern cards with a rainbow of parallels.
As you can see, despite missing some key years due to military service and coming into the league at the very start of semi-modern cards, there are many, many Ted Williams cards that are worth chasing. Regardless of your collecting interest or budget, there’s a Ted Williams card for you.
What is your favorite Ted Williams card? Which Williams cards do you own? Which ones are you chasing? Tell us about it at CardLines on Twitter.
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