Manufacturer: Bowman
Set: 1954 Bowman Baseball ➡️
Player Name: Harvey Kuenn
Position/Team: Shortstop for Tigers
Card #: 23
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-3/4”
Card Value Snapshot: Raw/Ungraded: $7 | Grade 7: $50
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Harvey Edward Kuenn was one of the most prolific, metronomic line-drive machines of the 1950s—a pure contact hitter whose uncanny ability to put the bat on the ball made him a centerpiece of the Detroit Tigers alongside Al Kaline.
Arriving out of the University of Wisconsin as a highly touted shortstop, Kuenn possessed a smooth, inside-out swing that routinely sprayed scorching line drives to all fields. While he lacked the elite lateral range of defensive specialists, his offensive consistency at the plate was dynamic. Later moving to the outfield to accommodate his hitting profile, Kuenn formed a formidable 1-2 punch with Kaline in Detroit before being traded in one of the most shocking, high-stakes blockbusters in baseball history.
Kuenn exploded onto the American League landscape in 1953, setting a standard of hitting that few contemporary rookies could match.
The 1953 Rookie of the Year: Kuenn turned heads by batting a sparkling .308 while leading the Major Leagues with 209 hits in his first full season, easily capturing the American League Rookie of the Year Award.
The 1959 Batting Crown: His hitting prowess peaked in 1959 when he engaged in a fierce race for the batting title, ultimately hitting a career-high .353 to claim the American League Batting Championship. He also led the junior circuit in hits (226) and doubles (42) that season.
The Blockbuster Trade: In April 1960, Tigers General Manager Bill DeWitt shocked the sporting world by trading Kuenn—the reigning AL Batting Champion—to the Cleveland Indians straight up for Rocky Colavito, the reigning AL Home Run Champion. It remains the only trade in baseball history involving the previous year’s home run and batting kings.
Teams Played For: Detroit Tigers (1952–1969), Cleveland Indians (1960), San Francisco Giants (1961–1965), Chicago Cubs (1965–1966), Philadelphia Phillies (1966).
Career Totals: 1,833 games, 2,092 hits, 87 home runs, 547 RBIs, and a .303 lifetime batting average.
Accolades: 10-time AL/NL All-Star, 1953 AL Rookie of the Year, 1959 AL Batting Champion, 1982 AL Manager of the Year.
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Pricing Data For This Rookie Card
Tracking the current market value for the 1954 Bowman Harvey Kuenn Card #23. 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: $7
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Grade 4: $15
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Grade 5: $30
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Grade 6: $40
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Grade 7: $50
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Grade 8: $130
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Grade 9: $763
Data Updated: August 2026
➡️ See All 1954 Bowman Rookie Card Prices
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.)
DISCLAIMER: This data is not intended as financial advice and should not be used as such. Please do your own research before making any investment or selling/buying decisions.
Did You Know? After concluding his stellar 15-year playing career, Kuenn transitioned to coaching. As manager of the 1982 Milwaukee Brewers, his loose, aggressive leadership style transformed the team into a high-powered offensive juggernaut known affectionately as “Harvey’s Wallbangers.” He guided the franchise to its first-ever American League Pennant and a historic World Series berth.
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