Manufacturer: Bowman
Set: 1950 Bowman Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Jim Konstanty
Position/Team: Pitcher for Phillies
Card #: 226
Card Size: 2-1/16” x 2-1/2”
Card Value Snapshot: Raw/Ungraded: $8 | Grade 7: $70
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Casimir James “Jim” Konstanty was a true baseball pioneer whose historic performance fundamentally transformed the tactical use of the bullpen and revolutionized the modern role of the relief pitcher.
Before Konstanty’s breakthrough, relief pitchers were largely viewed as secondary options—frequently compromised starters or aging veterans used to eat up innings when a game was out of hand. Konstanty shattered that stereotype entirely. Sporting trademark wire-rimmed glasses and throwing a devastating, movement-heavy slider, he became the ultimate late-inning weapon for the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies “Whiz Kids.” In doing so, he became the first relief specialist to capture the game’s highest individual honors.
At 33 years old, Konstanty put together a heavy-workload relief campaign that remains one of the most statistically fascinating anomalies in Major League history. He essentially carried the Whiz Kids’ bullpen on his back down the stretch to secure a dramatic National League pennant.
The Workhorse Records: Konstanty shattered existing major league records by appearing in 74 games—all entirely in relief during the regular season. He pitched an astonishing 152.0 innings out of the bullpen, compiling a stellar 16–7 record along with a tiny 2.66 ERA.
The Modern Closer: Under modern retro-calculated statistics, Konstanty led the major leagues with 22 saves, providing the blueprint for what would eventually evolve into the modern closer role.
The MVP Crown: For his efforts, Konstanty was voted the 1950 National League Most Valuable Player, beating out legendary everyday stars like Stan Musial, Eddie Stanky, and Duke Snider.
Teams Played For: Cincinnati Reds (1944), Boston Braves (1946), Philadelphia Phillies (1948–1954), New York Yankees (1954–1956), St. Louis Cardinals (1956).
Career Totals: 433 games (only 36 starts), 66–48 record, 74 saves, and a 3.46 lifetime ERA.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
Tracking the current market value for the 1950 Bowman Jim Konstanty Card #226. Below, find updated pricing data for ungraded (raw) copies, as well as verified PSA graded sales trends collected from secondary marketplaces.
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Raw/Ungraded: $8
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Grade 5: $30
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Grade 6: $50
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Grade 7: $70
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Grade 8: $215
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Grade 9: -
Data Updated: July 2026
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Pricing data includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information. (Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)
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Did You Know? Having pitched entirely out of the bullpen for two full years, Konstanty was the centerpiece of a legendary tactical curveball thrown by Phillies manager Eddie Sawyer in the 1950 World Series against the New York Yankees.
Sawyer shocked the baseball world by announcing that Konstanty would make his first start of the season in Game 1 against the Bronx Bombers. Konstanty pitched brilliantly, baffling the Yankees’ powerful lineup by allowing just one run and four hits over eight innings. However, he was hard-lucked into a 1–0 defeat by a matching masterpiece from Yankees left-hander Vic Raschi.
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