1952 Topps #51 Jim Russell Black Back PSA EX 5

1952 Topps #51 Jim Russell Black Back PSA 5 - A Switch-Hitting Veteran of the Postwar Game

The 1952 Topps #51 Jim Russell features a versatile outfielder whose career carried him through both leagues during the 1940s and early ’50s. A switch-hitter with power from both sides of the plate, Russell had already spent a decade in professional baseball and enjoyed his most productive Major League years with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

This example is graded PSA EX 5 and features the Black Back variation. By the time this card was issued, Russell was with the Brooklyn Dodgers, placing him inside one of baseball’s most talented organizations during its great early-1950s run. The black reverse adds another desirable variation to this early portion of the 1952 Topps checklist.

Russell played parts of 10 Major League seasons, collecting more than 900 hits while appearing for the Pirates, Braves, and Dodgers. One of his most memorable achievements came in 1948, when he became the first player in Major League history to hit home runs from both sides of the plate in the same game on two separate occasions. The 1952 Topps Jim Russell Black Back PSA 5 remembers a versatile veteran with a particularly unusual place in baseball’s record book—a switch-hitter who could supply power from either side of the plate.