#571 Ossie Virgil - Pittsburgh Pirates

Osvaldo Jose Virgil
Pittsburgh Pirates
Catcher-Infield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  174
Born:  May 17, 1932, Monte Cristi, Dominican Republic
Signed:  Signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent before 1953 season
Major League Teams:  New York Giants 1956-1957; Detroit Tigers 1958, 1960-1961; Kansas City Athletics 1962; Baltimore Orioles 1962; Pittsburgh Pirates 1965; San Francisco Giants 1966, 1969

Ozzie Virgil was the first Dominican-born player to appear in the major leagues when he made his debut with the Giants in 1956, starting at third base in a game against the Phillies.  In 1958, he became the first African American to play in a game for the Tigers, again starting at third base and going 5 for 5 in his Tigers debut.  A journeyman utility player, Virgil played for five different major league teams in a career that spanned nine seasons, but 13 years.  He played every position except pitcher and center field, tallying the most games at third base (189) and behind the plate (35).  Virgil was a career .231 batter with 14 home runs and 73 RBIs.

Following his playing days, Virgil coached for the Giants (1969-1972, 1974-1975), Expos (1976-1981), Padres (1982-1985) and Mariners (1986-1988).  He was the third base coach for Hall of Fame manager Dick Williams' Expos, Padres and Mariners clubs.  His son, also Ozzie Virgil, was a two-time All-Star catcher, playing 11 years with the Phillies, Braves and Blue Jays.

Building the Set

1991 Pacific Senior League #159

February 29, 2020 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #82
Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show held on the bottom floor of the Valley Forge Casino on the final day of February.  This was our first baseball card show of 2020 and the fourth show we've attended in Valley Forge since March 2019.  I did a post over at The Phillies Room with a few pictures of Doug taken with some of the show's autograph guests.  We ended up adding 23 cards to our set.

In the general vicinity of the autograph seekers' holding pen was a table hosted by Bel Air Sports Cards out of Bel Air, Maryland.  The dealer had neatly organized stacks of star cards from the 1960s on display and I started browsing through the 1965 Topps stack.  I found four cards I liked, got Doug's approval, and handed the cards to the dealer to tally up my total.  The prices on the four cards totaled $50 and I was prepared to pay that amount as the sign advertising the cards indicated they had already been marked down.  The dealer said, "How about $45 for the lot," and I accepted.  This Virgil card was originally marked at $5.

The Card
Virgil is wearing a Tigers uniform in this photo, and he had last played for the Tigers in 1961.  Topps seemed confused as to the spelling of Virgil's nickname, going with "Ossie" in 1957, 1958, 1961 and 1965, and "Ozzie" in 1959, 1962 and 1967.  The copy writer for the back of the card didn't have a lot to work with, so he celebrated Virgil's minor league seasons in 1955 with the Dallas Eagles and in 1960 with the Denver Bears.  Virgil did in fact hit .381 with the Bears, but he only appeared in 59 games for the team.

Pirates Team Set

1965 Season
Virgil had played the entire 1964 season in the Braves' minor league system, serving as the everyday third baseman for the Toronto Maple Leafs team managed by Sparky Anderson.  Released by the Braves on October 13, 1964, he signed with the Senators that same day.  The Pirates then drafted Virgil in the 1964 minor league draft on November 30th when he was left unprotected by the Senators.

At 33 years old, Virgil appeared in 39 games for the Pirates, hitting .265 (13 for 49) with a home run and five RBIs.  He appeared sparingly on the field, catching 15, playing third base for 7 games and second based for 5 games.  On December 1st, the Pirates traded Virgil with Joe Gibbon (#54) to the Giants for Matty Alou (#318).

1957 Topps #365

1959 Topps #203

1967 Topps #132

1977 O-Pee-Chee #198

1985 Topps #143

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #365
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1957-1959, 1961-1962, 1965, 1967, 1985
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Pacific Senior League #159

36 - Virgil non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/24/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

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:  #570 Claude Osteen - Los Angeles Dodgers

Next Card:  #572 Baltimore Orioles Team Card

#187 Casey Stengel MG - New York Mets

Charles Dillon Stengel
New York Mets
Manager

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  July 30, 1890, Kansas City, MO
Drafted:  Drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers from Aurora (Wisconsin-Illinois) in the 1911 rule 5 draft
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1912-1917; Pittsburgh Pirates 1918-1919; Philadelphia Phillies 1920-1921; New York Giants 1921-1923; Boston Braves 1924-1925
As a Manager:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1934-1936; Boston Bees 1938-1942; Boston Braves 1943; New York Yankees 1949-1960; New York Mets 1962-1965
Died:  September 29, 1975, Glendale, CA (age 85)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1966

Stengel with the Phillies

Before he became "The Old Perfessor" with a Hall of Fame managing career, Casey Stengel was an outfielder for 14 big league seasons primarily with the Dodgers and Giants.  In 1,277 career games he hit .284 with 60 home runs and 535 RBIs.  His best seasons came in 1914 with the Dodgers when he led the league with a .404 on-base percentage and finished fifth in batting average at .316, and in 1922 with the Giants.  He only appeared in 84 games that year but hit .368 with 48 RBIs.  He won a World Series ring with the Giants in 1922, hitting .400 in that year's World Series against the Yankees.

Following his playing days, Stengel had managing stints with the Dodgers and Bees/Braves but he'd find his greatest success leading the Yankees through one of the most successful stretches in franchise and baseball history.  Stengel's Yankees' teams won World Series titles every year between 1949 and 1953, and then again in 1956 and 1958.  The only years his Yankees teams didn't make the World Series were 1954 when the club still won 103 games and 1959.  He had a .623 winning percentage with the Yankees, winning 1,149 games to just 696 losses.

Stengel and the Yankees parted ways following the 1960 season, and at the age of 71 he was named the first manager for the expansion New York Mets for the start of their inaugural season in 1962.  In the three full seasons Stengel managed the Mets, the team finished each year with at least 100 losses.  He compiled a record of 174-404 with the Mets and retired part way through the 1965 seasons after falling and breaking his hip.

The Mets retired Stengel's #37 on September 2, 1965 and the following year the Hall of Fame waived its five-year waiting period to induct him that summer.  He threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Game 3 of the 1969 World Series between the Mets and Orioles, and the Mets gave him a World Series ring following their series win.  The Yankees retired his #37 in 1970.  He's the only person to have worn the uniform as a player or manager for all four major league teams to have called New York home in the 20th century - Dodgers, Giants, Yankees and Mets.

Building the Set
February 29, 2020 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #81
Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show held on the bottom floor of the Valley Forge Casino on the final day of February.  This was our first baseball card show of 2020 and the fourth show we've attended in Valley Forge since March 2019.  I did a post over at The Phillies Room with a few pictures of Doug taken with some of the show's autograph guests.  We ended up adding 23 cards to our set.

In the general vicinity of the autograph seekers' holding pen was a table hosted by Bel Air Sports Cards out of Bel Air, Maryland.  The dealer had neatly organized stacks of star cards from the 1960s on display and I started browsing through the 1965 Topps stack.  I found four cards I liked, got Doug's approval, and handed the cards to the dealer to tally up my total.  The prices on the four cards totaled $50 and I was prepared to pay that amount as the sign advertising the cards indicated they had already been marked down.  The dealer said, "How about $45 for the lot," and I accepted.  This Stengel card was originally marked at $10.

The Card
I'd consider this, Stengel's last baseball card appearance as an active manager, to be an iconic baseball card.  From the same photo shoot that gave us the photo used on his 1964 Topps card, Stengel is shown mid sentence, likely explaining some baseball axiom or other deep philosophical thought.  He's holding court from the Mets' dugout steps in the Polo Grounds, baseball bat ready to go.  The biography on the back is a great snapshot of Stengel's then 50+ years in the game.

Mets Team Set

1965 Season
In his final season as a manager, Stengel fell in spring training breaking his wrist.  As mentioned above, he fell again at an after party on July 24th following an old-timer's game, and broke his hip.  On the advice of his wife, Stengel finally agreed to retire and Wes Westrum became the club's new manager.  It was Westrum's fourth job with the club in 1965, as he had previously served as the team's bullpen and then first base coach.  He became the Mets' pitching coach on July 14th after the release of pitcher-coach Warren Spahn (#205).

Phillies Career
The Phillies acquired Stengel from the Pirates on August 9, 1919 for Possum Whitted, after Stengel had had a salary dispute with the Pirates' owner.  Upon arriving in Philadelphia, he repeated his salary demands and when the Phillies didn't agree, Stengel went home to Kansas City and played for barnstorming clubs.  He came back to Philadelphia for the 1920 season and had a fairly successful year as the team's regular right fielder.  In 129 games, Stengel hit .292 with a career-high 9 home runs and 50 RBIs.

Injuries slowed him down in 1921 and he'd appear in only 24 games with the Phillies before being traded to the Giants on July 1st with Johnny Rawlings for Lee King, Goldie Rapp and Billy Southworth.  In 153 total games for the Phillies, Stengel hit .294.  He'd later manage the 1950 Yankees team that would sweep the Whiz Kid Phillies in the World Series.

1910 Old Mill Cigarettes T210

1916 Sporting News M101-4 #169

1940 Play Ball #141

1950 Bowman #217

1959 Topps #552

1960 Topps #227

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1910 T210 Old Mill
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1958-1960; 1962-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2019 Topps Allen & Ginter #388

394 - Stengel non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/22/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

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.

Previous Card:  #186 Billy Cowan - Chicago Cubs

Next Card:  #188 Sam Bowens - Baltimore Orioles

#150 Brooks Robinson - Baltimore Orioles

Brooks Calbert Robinson
Baltimore Orioles
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  May 18, 1937, Little Rock, AR
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  Baltimore Orioles 1955-1977
Hall of Fame Induction:  1983

Brooks Robinson spent his entire 23-year major league career with the Baltimore Orioles, a record in terms of longevity with only one team.  While I'm personally partial to Mike Schmidt, Robinson is considered to be one of the best defensive third baseman in the history of the game and he won 16 consecutive Gold Gloves during his career.  He was named to the A.L. All-Star team for 15 consecutive seasons between 1960 and 1974, earning All-Star Game MVP honors in 1964.  Robinson helped lead the Orioles to World Series appearances in 1966, 1969, 1970 and 1971, winning the series in 1966 and 1970 and earning World Series MVP honors in 1970.

Robinson was named the A.L. MVP in 1964, a season in which he hit .317 with 28 home runs and a league leading 118 RBIs.  Along with his win in 1964, he finished in the top ten in A.L. MVP voting in seven different seasons.  He finished his career with 2,848 hits, 268 home runs and 1,357 RBIs.  His #5 was retired by the Orioles in 1977 at the end of his final season with the club.  Robinson was a first ballot inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

Building the Set
February 29, 2020 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #80
Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show held on the bottom floor of the Valley Forge Casino on the final day of February.  This was our first baseball card show of 2020 and the fourth show we've attended in Valley Forge since March 2019.  I did a post over at The Phillies Room with a few pictures of Doug taken with some of the show's autograph guests.  We ended up adding 23 cards to our set.

We bought 19 commons, semi-stars and major star cards from John's Sports Cards and then started browsing the showroom floor.  I added some needs to my Phillies collection, but there wasn't a lot in terms of Phillies needs that caught my eye.  I thought 19 cards for our 1965 Topps set was a good enough haul for the day, but with some money left in my wallet and time to kill before our next autograph signer arrived, I shifted gears and started looking for a few more 1965 Topps cards to add.

September 2017 - Doug with Brooks Robinson statue
outside Oriole Park at Camden Yards

In the general vicinity of the autograph seekers' holding pen was a table hosted by Bel Air Sports Cards out of Bel Air, Maryland.  The dealer had neatly organized stacks of star cards from the 1960s on display and I started browsing through the 1965 Topps stack.  I found four cards I liked, got Doug's approval, and handed the cards to the dealer to tally up my total.  The prices on the four cards totaled $50 and I was prepared to pay that amount as the sign advertising the cards indicated they had already been marked down.  The dealer said, "How about $45 for the lot," and I accepted.  This Robinson card was the most expensive of the four cards, originally marked at $20.

The Card
After using the same photo for his 1963 and 1964 Topps cards, Topps mixed it up in 1965 with a different pose.  Robinson features on two league leader cards in the set and it would appear as if the photos from those cards are from the same session that yielded the photo used for his main card.  On the back, his 1964 A.L. MVP honors are mentioned, as is his 66 point jump in batting average from .251 in 1963 to .317 in 1964.

Robinson, at card #16, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Orioles in the set.  He's also in the harder to find 1965 Topps Transfers insert set.

Orioles Team Set

1965 Season
Robinson had another great year in 1965, albeit not as stellar as his 1964 season.  An All-Star again, he hit .297 in 144 games, with 18 home runs and 80 RBIs.  He was tops on the team in RBIs, but Curt Blefary (#49) led the team in home runs with 22.  Robinson missed a few weeks in May when he had his thumb broken by a Hank Aguirre (#522) fastball.  Both Bob Johnson (#363) and Davey Johnson (#473) filled in for Robinson while he was out.  The Orioles had another solid year, finishing in third place in the A.L. with a 94-68 record.

1957 Topps #328

1964 Topps #230

1971 Topps #300

1975 Topps #50

1978 Topps #4

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1957 Topps #328
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (22):  1957-1978
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2020 Topps Heritage Baseball Flashbacks #BF-15

2,130 - Robinson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/22/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
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:  #149 Wayne Schurr - Chicago Cubs

Next Card:  #151 Kansas City Athletics Team Card

#510 Ernie Banks - Chicago Cubs

Ernest Banks
Chicago Cubs
First Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  180
Born:  January 31, 1931, Dallas, TX
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs a free agent in 1953
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1953-1971
Died:  January 23, 2015, Chicago, IL (age 83)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1977

Known by most simply as "Mr. Cub," Ernie Banks enjoyed a 19-year playing career and encapsulated everything that a baseball player should aspire to be.  His genuine appreciation and affection for the game was unrivaled.  Banks was the runner-up to Wally Moon (#247) in 1954 for the National League Rookie of the Year Award and he won the league's MVP honors in 1958 and 1959.  An 11-time All-Star, Banks hit 512 career home runs and tallied 1,636 career RBIs.  He excelled defensively at both shortstop (1953-1961) and first base (1962-1971).  When he hit his 500th career home run on May 12, 1970, he became just the ninth member to join that exclusive club.

During his Hall of Fame induction speech in 1977, he repeated his famous quote, "There's sunshine, fresh air, and the team's behind us.  Let's play two."

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.

Building the Set
February 29, 2020 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #79
Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show held on the bottom floor of the Valley Forge Casino on the final day of February.  This was our first baseball card show of 2020 and the fourth show we've attended in Valley Forge since March 2019.  I did a post over at The Phillies Room with a few pictures of Doug taken with some of the show's autograph guests.  We ended up adding 23 cards to our set.

Having bought an initial batch of 17 commons and semi-stars from John's Sports Cards, I told John I'd be back once I tracked down my son.  I found Doug, several new recent Phillies relic and autograph cards in hand, and told him I wanted to add a big card or two to our set and I needed his help.  We got back to John's table, looked over the stars he had from the set for sale and Doug commented, "That Ernie Banks card looks really nice."

I had my eye on the Banks card too along with the Tug McGraw (#533) rookie card as it's a card I've wanted for as long as I could remember.  The Banks card was marked at $80 and the McGraw card was marked at $30, so I asked John if he'd take $100 for the pair.  John obliged and the cards were ours.  To date, this represents the most I've spent on a card for our set and I realize we have several even bigger cards that we'll need to eventually track down.

The Card
I always thought this was an interesting photo to use for a card, especially for someone as well known as Banks - full profile and close up.  Only the ends of the red "C" on Banks' hat are visible.  On the back, Banks' 376 career home runs through the 1964 season are celebrated with a cub holding up the number.  He had been fifth on the active list until Duke Snider retired following the 1964 season.  Ahead of Banks, and still active, were Mickey Mantle (#350) with 454, Willie Mays (#250) with 453 and Eddie Mathews (#500) with 445.

When Banks retired following the 1971 season, he was again fourth on the active home run leaders list, behind Mays with 646, Hank Aaron (#170) with 639, and Harmon Killebrew (#400) with 515.  Banks, at card #58, is one of 72 players featured within the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set and one of four Cubs in the set.

Cubs Team Set

1965 Season
Banks was 34 in 1965 and playing in his 12th full major league season.  He again made the All-Star team and he had two more appearances yet to come in his career.  In 163 games, a career high for him, Banks hit .265 with 28 home runs and 106 RBIs.  He was second on the team in both those primary power categories as Ron Santo (#110) had 33 home runs and Billy Williams (#220) had 108 RBIs.  He started all but three of the Cubs' games at first base with George Altman (#528), Len Gabrielson (#14) and John Boccabella getting the other three rare starts at first when Banks was on the bench to start those games.

1954 Topps #94

1956 Topps #15

1969 Topps #20

1971 Topps #525

1975 Topps #197

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #94
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (20):  1954-1971, 1973, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2020 Topps Decades' Best #DB3

1,890 - Banks non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/20/20.

When I wrote about Banks' card for my 1956 Topps blog, there were 1,563 different Banks non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett database in late January 2016.  In the four years since, 327 cards have been added!  That's an average of almost 82 new and different Banks cards per year, which is kind of hard to believe.

Sources:  
1956 Topps Blog
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
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:  #509 Red Sox Rookie Stars

Next Card:  #511 Ron Locke - New York Mets

#533 Mets Rookie Stars - Napoleon / Swoboda / Bethke / McGraw

Daniel Napoleon
New York Mets
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  190
Born:  January 11, 1942, Claysburg, PA
Signed:  Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1965-1966
Died:  April 26, 2003, Trenton, NJ (age 61)

James Charles Bethke
New York Mets
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  185
Born:  November 5, 1946, Falls City, NE
Signed:  Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent before 1964 season
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1965

Ronald Alan Swoboda
New York Mets
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  195
Born:  June 30, 1944, Baltimore, MD
Signed:  Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent, September 5, 1963
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1965-1970; Montreal Expos 1971; New York Yankees 1971-1973

Frank Edwin McGraw
New York Mets
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  170
Born:  August 30, 1944, Martinez, CA
Signed:  Signed by the New York Mets as an amateur free agent, June 12, 1956
Major League Teams:  New York Mets 1965-1967, 1969-1974; Philadelphia Phillies 1975-1984
Died:  January 5, 2004, Brentwood, TN (age 59)

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards

Danny Napoleon appeared in 80 games for the Mets between 1965 and 1966, batting .162 (21 for 130) with seven RBIs.  Perhaps the biggest hit of his career was a pinch-hit triple on April 24, 1965 to drive in three runs and send the Mets to a 7-6 win over the Giants.  The victory marked the 3,000th win of manager Casey Stengel's (#187) career.

Ron Swoboda is best remembered for his role on the 1969 Miracle Mets, and his amazing diving catch in Game 4 of the 1969 World Series off the bat of Brooks Robinson (#150) that helped thwart an Orioles rally.  Swoboda played in six seasons with the Mets, often struggling defensively, but delivering clutch hits when most needed.  In his nine-year career with the Mets, Expos and Yankees, he hit .242 with 73 home runs and 344 RBIs.

Jim Bethke played just one season in the majors, appearing in 25 games for the Mets in 1965.  In pitched in the minor leagues up through the 1971 season in both the Mets and Royals organizations, but never made it back to the major leagues.

One of the most popular players of his era, Tug McGraw was a key component of the 1969 Miracle Mets and he also recorded the final out in the 1980 World Series to give the Phillies their first championship in franchise history.  McGraw was an All-Star in 1972 and 1975 and he finished in the top ten in saves in seven different seasons.  Over 19 seasons, McGraw appeared in 824 games, compiling a 96-92 record with 180 saves and 3.14 ERA.

McGraw is the rare player who was able to be equally beloved by both Mets and Phillies fans, and writing now this I'm struggling to think of any other player who has been able to straddle that divide.

Building the Set
February 29, 2020 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #78
Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show held on the bottom floor of the Valley Forge Casino on the final day of February.  This was our first baseball card show of 2020 and the fourth show we've attended in Valley Forge since March 2019.  I did a post over at The Phillies Room with a few pictures of Doug taken with some of the show's autograph guests.  We ended up adding 23 cards to our set.

1966 Topps #87

Having bought an initial batch of 17 commons and semi-stars from John's Sports Cards, I told John I'd be back once I tracked down my son.  I found Doug, several new recent Phillies relic and autograph cards in hand, and told him I wanted to add a big card or two to our set and I needed his help.  We got back to John's table, looked over the stars he had from the set for sale and Doug commented, "That Ernie Banks card looks really nice."

I had my eye on the Banks (#510) card too, but also this McGraw rookie card as it's a card I've wanted for as long as I could remember (see below).  The Banks card was marked at $80 and the McGraw card was marked at $30, so I asked John if he'd take $100 for the pair.  John obliged and the cards were ours.  Before leaving, John, apparently a die-hard Mets fan, pointed out that McGraw was one of the few players we could both claim as belonging to our respective teams.

The Card
There are 55 multi-player Rookie Stars cards in the 1965 Topps set, and this is one of five cards to feature four different players.  Because of McGraw, this is one of those cards I've wanted for almost 40 years.  McGraw was one of my first favorite players growing up and the thought of this super old rookie card of his one day entering my collection was beyond my wildest dreams in the early 1980s.

The card has been reprinted a few times, without anyone else on the card other than McGraw in the 2001 Topps Team Topps Legends Autographs set, the 2001 Topps Archives and Archives Reserve sets and 2003 Topps Shoebox Collection set.

Mets Team Set

1965 Season - Napoleon
Napoleon appeared in 68 games for the Mets, making 11 starts in left field and one start each in right field and at third base.  He hit .144 with a .222 OBP.  He played in 30 games for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, hitting .274 with a home run.

1965 Season - Swoboda
Swoboda made the Mets out of spring training and would appear in 135 of their games in 1965, as the team's regular left fielder.  He hit just .228, but his 19 home runs led the team.  His 50 RBIs were third on the team behind Charley Smith (#22) with 62 and Ed Kranepool (#144) with 53.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Napoleon
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #533
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1965-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 TCMA The 1960s I #472

8 - Napoleon non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/18/20.

Sources - Napoleon:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Swoboda
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #533
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1965-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Topps Heritage Miracle of '69 #MO69-RS

111 - Swoboda non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/18/20.

Sources - Swoboda:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

1966 Topps #35

1967 Topps #264

1969 Topps #585

1971 Topps #665

1973 Topps #314

1965 Season - Bethke
Bethke made his debut with the Mets on April 12, 1965 at 18 years old, making him the youngest player in the big leagues that season.  He went 2-0 in 25 games with a 4.28 ERA over 40 innings pitched.  His Baseball Reference page somehow has him wearing four different uniform numbers during the 1965 season - #20, #28, #36 and #41.

1965 Season - McGraw
McGraw made his debut on April 18th and he'd appear in 37 games with the Mets, going 2-7 with a 3.32 ERA.  He recorded his first career save on May 24th against the Phillies.

Phillies Career
McGraw was traded to the Phillies with Don Hahn on December 3, 1974 for Mac Scarce, John Stearns and Del Unser.  Between 1975 and 1984, he was one of the most reliable relievers for the Phillies, appearing in 463 games and recording 94 saves.  Upon retirement, he was the Phillies all-time saves leader, but he's since been passed by five other relievers.  McGraw struck out Willie Wilson in Game 6 of the 1980 World Series, leaping off the mound in one of the most iconic moments in Philadelphia sports history.  He was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1999.

Other Notable Baseball Cards - Bethke
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #533
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1981 TCMA The 1960s I #413

3 - Bethke non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/18/20.

Sources - Bethke:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Other Notable Baseball Cards - McGraw
First Mainstream Card:  1965 Topps #533
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (21):  1965-1985
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2017 Topps National Baseball Card Day Phillies #10

176 - McGraw non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/18/20.

Sources - McGraw:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Phillies Room
The Trading Card Database

1966 Topps #124

1969 Topps #601

1975 Topps #67

1981 Topps #404

1985 Topps #157

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.

Previous Card:  #532 Hector Lopez - New York Yankees

Next Card:  #534 John Herrnstein - Philadelphia Phillies