Monday, December 14, 2020

#91 Chicago Cubs Team Card


Beginning in 1956 and going all the way through to 1981, with a one year absence in 1969, Topps included team cards in its flagship sets.

Building the Set
September 11, 2020 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #171
Following a formula that had been successful for me several times over the past year, in early September I set out to bid on approximately 20 cards from a 1965 Topps set break up for auction on eBay from Greg Morris Cards.  I upped my opening and final bids this time, bidding anywhere from $3 to $6 on each card.  I lost every single auction with the exception of the one for this Cubs team card, which I won with a winning bid of $5.05.  

My theory that vintage baseball card prices have surged since the start of the pandemic is holding true.  I had bid on mostly commons with a few semi-stars and I was shocked at some of the winning bids.  I had won similar commons in similar conditions pre-pandemic for $1 to $3, and comparable cards went in these early September auctions for anywhere between $5 and $15.  The Cubs team card traveled alone from Los Angeles and arrived in our mailbox on September 11th.  It arrived the same day as the card for the late, great Hall of Famer Lou Brock (#540) and I'll feature that card in my next post.

The Card / Cubs Team Set
Head coach Bob Kennedy (#457) guided the Cubs to an 8th place finish in 1964 with a record of 76-86.  It was a small step backwards for a team that had finished two games above .500 in 1963.

I went searching for the source photo used for this team card, and I was a little surprised to find the team photo Topps used was from back in 1959 - six years earlier!  That's infielder Tony Taylor (#296) in the second row, second from the left, and he had been traded to the Phillies on May 13, 1960, five years earlier than when kids were finding this card in packs.  What's really odd to me is Topps used this photo for its 1960 Cubs team card, and then used an updated photo in 1961 and 1962.  It went back to the 1959 photo for its 1963, 1964 and 1965 Cubs team cards before finally updating the photo in 1966.

Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby appears on this card, second row, third from the right.  Hornsby was serving as a spring training hitting instructor for the Cubs according to his SABR biography, and he passed away from a heart attack on January 5, 1963.

On the back, Topps is missing a slash mark between the team's 1964 strikeout leaders.  Both Dick Ellsworth (#165) and Larry Jackson (#420) tied for the team lead with 148, and not the fictional Ellsworth Jackson.

1960 Topps #513
1962 Topps #552
1963 Topps #222
1964 Topps #237

 1965 Season
The 1965 Cubs season saw the end of their failed College of Coaches experiment, first implemented in 1961 by owner P.K. Wrigley.  Instead of one manager at the helm, the Cubs were led by a committee of coaches that at one time numbered eight different members.  Kennedy took on a more lead role in 1964, but he still retained the title of head coach.  He started as the Cubs' head coach to begin the 1965 season but when he moved into the Cubs' front office in June, fellow coach Lou Klein assumed the lead role.  At the end of the season, Leo Durocher was hired and at his introductory press conference it was officially announced that the College of Coaches experiment was over.

The Cubs finished the season again in 8th place with a 72-90 record.  Ron Santo (#110), Ernie Banks (#510) and Billy Williams (#220) all drove in over 100 runs with Williams leading the club with 34 home runs and a .315 batting average.  The pitching staff struggled, with Jackson and Ellsworth leading the team with 14 wins.  Ted Abernathy (#332) was one of the league's top closers and he finished the season with 31 saves.

Update Cards
For each team card featured, I'll be building a checklist of cards that could have been included in a 1965 Topps update set.  The Cubs pulled off a big trade with the Giants on May 29th, sending Dick Bertell (#27) and Len Gabrielson (#14) to San Francisco in exchange for Harvey Kuenn (#103), Ed Bailey (#559) and Bob Hendley (#444).  I've given Kuenn and Bailey update cards in my imaginary set, and Hendley is an honorable mention.  I'm trying to keep this checklist to five cards per team, but for the Cubs I upped the maximum and they end up with seven cards.
  • Lou Klein - Head coach Klein guided the team to a 48-58 record after Kennedy moved up to the front office.
  • Glenn Beckert  - The team's everyday second baseman shared a Rookie Stars card (#549) with Roberto Pena and I'd give him his own card in an update set.
  • Don Kessinger - Beckert's double play partner appeared in 106 games and would receive his rookie card in the 1966 Topps set.
  • Ed Bailey - Bailey appeared in 66 games for the Cubs after his May acquisition from the Giants.
  • Harvey Kuenn - And Kuenn appeared in 54 games, batting .217.
  • Ted Abernathy - He led the league in appearances (84) and saves (31) after being sold by the Indians to the Cubs on April 11th.  He appears with the Indians in the set.
  • Bob Humphreys - Humphreys was another bullpen find, traded from the Cardinals on April 7th for Hal Gilson and Bobby Pfeil.  He's shown with the Cardinals in the main set (#154).
Another great choice for a card would be Buck O'Neil, who served as one of the dozens among the College of Coaches for the Cubs between 1962 and 1965.

Sources
Baseball Reference
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