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John Wesley Callison
Philadelphia Phillies
Outfield
Born: March 12, 1939, Qualls, OK
Signed: Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent, June 14, 1957
Major League Teams: Chicago White Sox 1958-1959; Philadelphia Phillies 1960-1969; Chicago Cubs 1970-1971; New York Yankees 1972-1973
Died: October 12, 2006, Abington, PA (age 67)
One of the top players for the Phillies in the 1960s, and a fan favorite as well, Johnny Callison was a three-time All-Star and MVP of the 1964 All-Star Game. He led or tied for the league lead in triples twice (10 in 1962, 16 in 1965) and doubles once (40 in 1966). He finished in the top 10 for runs scored in the N.L. five different times during the decade, and in the top 10 for home runs three different times. A top defender as well, Callison led all N.L. outfielders in assists in four straight seasons between 1962 and 1965. His 90 assists during that period were tops in the league, with Roberto Clemente's (#160) 59 assists a distant second. He had 197 total chances in 1968 without committing an error.
In 16 seasons and 1,886 career games, Callison hit .264 with 226 home runs and 840 RBIs, and he was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1997.
Building the Set
December 7, 2019 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #6
This was one of five Phillies cards purchased from a dealer at the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show held inside the Valley Forge Casino on the bottom floor. I had told the dealer I was looking for a few hard to find Phillies high numbers from older Topps sets, and he helped me find the 1962 Topps Jack Hamilton Rookie Parade card and the 1972 Topps Tommy Hutton Rookie Stars card. Both those cards together totalled $50. I then waited for Doug to find his way over to me and I pointed out the dealer's binder of Topps Phillies cards from the 1960s. I told Doug to pick a few Phillies cards to mark the official start to our set, and we were off.
Callison was the fourth card selected by Doug along with cards for players he had heard of before - Tony Taylor (#296), Dallas Green (#203), Rick Wise (#322), and Cookie Rojas (#474). "How many cards do you guys need for your 1965 Topps set?" the dealer asked. I told him these would be the fist five cards added. "In that case," he said, "I'll take five dollars for those five cards and good luck with your set!" What was probably close to $20 or $25 in cards were ours for a $1 a piece.
The Card
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| 2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards |
The three home runs depicted in the cartoon at the top of the card came on September 27, 1964 in a game the Phillies lost to the Braves, 14-8. Callison hit two home runs off Chi-Chi Olivo and one off Tony Cloninger (#520), but pitchers Jim Bunning (#20) and Green were shelled in the loss. Callison, at card #32, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Phillies in the set. He's also in the harder to find 1965 Topps Transfers insert set.
1965 Season
1965 was the third and final season Callison was an All-Star. The team's top slugger, Callison reached his career high in home runs with 32 and passed the century mark in RBIs for the second time in his career with 101. He hit .262 over 160 games as the team's regular right fielder, starting 154 games. He tied for the team lead in runs scored (93) with Dick Allen (#460) and his 162 hits were second on the team to Allen's 187. He hit three home runs (again) in a game on June 6th, with the Phillies winning this time, 10-9.
Phillies Career
The Phillies acquired Callison from the White Sox on December 9, 1959 for third baseman Gene Freese (#492). He spent his first two seasons as the team's regular left fielder before moving over to right field for good in 1962. He was the Phillies regular right fielder for eight seasons, through 1969, and he's currently fourth on the franchise's all-time games played in the outfield list behind Richie Ashburn, Del Ennis and Sherry Magee. A fan favorite and a loyal player for manager Gene Mauch (#489), Callison was arguably the most popular Phillies player during the decade of the 1960s.
The Phillies traded him to the Cubs on November 17, 1969, with Larry Colton for Oscar Gamble and Dick Selma. He retired from baseball after the 1973 season and was a mainstay for years at the Phillies annual fantasy camp in Clearwater, Florida.
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First Mainstream Card: 1959 Topps #119
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15): 1959-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2003 Upper Deck Yankees Signature Series #48
Callison appeared in 15 Topps flagship sets between 1959 and 1973, and for some reason Topps designated his first name as John on only his first and final cards.
118 - Callison non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/12/19.
Sources:
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database
In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year. Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.
Prior Card: #309 Steve Hamilton - New York Yankees
Next Card: #311 Orlando Pena - Kansas City Athletics
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