1955 Topps #2 Ted Williams PSA NM-MT+ 8.5

1955 Topps #2 Ted Williams PSA 8.5 - One Card from the Top with Strong Eye-Appeal

There is a wonderful quirk hidden inside the 1955 Topps #2 Ted Williams: one of baseball’s greatest hitters appears at both ends of the set. Williams was originally slated for card #1, but contractual complications resulted in that card being withdrawn, leaving #2 as his primary 1955 issue while another Williams appears as #206, the final card in the set. The result gives #2 an unusual place in Topps history—a card positioned virtually at the front of the checklist and devoted to a superstar who had already lived several careers’ worth of baseball history.

What elevates this example is the exceptional PSA NM-MT+ 8.5 grade. Cards positioned this close to the beginning of vintage sets were especially susceptible to handling and wear when collections were stacked or stored, and the broad 1955 design adds demanding considerations of centering, registration, corners, edges, and surface quality. At 8.5, this example occupies that coveted space immediately below Mint, offering a particularly refined representation of one of Williams’ most recognizable 1950s Topps cards.

Perhaps most remarkable is that Williams was still an extraordinary hitter when this card appeared. After sacrificing significant portions of his prime to military service in both World War II and Korea, he returned in 1955 at age 36 and hit .356 with a .496 on-base percentage and 28 home runs in only 98 games. Two years later, he would win another batting title at 38 by hitting .388. His final résumé—a .344 lifetime average, 521 home runs, six batting crowns, two Triple Crowns, and a .482 career on-base percentage—only reinforces the legend.