#1 1964 A.L. Batting Leaders - Oliva, Robinson & Howard

Beginning in 1961, Topps started including league leader cards in its sets and there are 12 league leaders cards kicking off the 1965 Topps set.

Building the Set
December 26, 2019 from San Diego, CA - Card #30

I purchased this card from Kit Young Cards in San Diego for $13.50 specifically for my Mom to give to Doug for Christmas.  She had purchased a few additional cards for our set on her own, and I'll feature those in upcoming posts.  I thought it would be meaningful to have card #1 in the set come from my Mom, since she's supported my hobby and helped grow my collection for over 40 years.  My Dad and I would attend the shows together and cross out lists together, but my Mom was always there too either behind the scenes or in recent years, keeping a tradition going.

This is also one of eight cards we added to our set this past Christmas.

The Card
Tony Oliva (#340) won the first of his three batting titles in 1964, with his next two titles coming in 1965 and 1971.  This was to be the closest Brooks Robinson (#150) ever got to a batting title.  He finished in the top 10 in four different years, and second place with his .317 average represented a career best.  Robinson makes a second appearance on a leaders card as he led the American League with 118 RBIs.  Elston Howard (#450) hit .348 in 1961, but he didn't have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title.  He also finished 8th in the league in 1963.

Also, has it been established somewhere previously (perhaps by Night Owl) that Topps is responsible for red being associated with the American League and blue being associated with the National League?  These league leader cards are nicely following that pattern and it just makes sense to see the red border on an A.L. leaders card.

This card was reprinted for the 2001 Topps Archives set.

Twins Team Set / Orioles Team Set / Yankees Team Set

Mimi and her grandkids - December 26, 2019

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