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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
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #502
March 6, 2022 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards - Babylon, NY) - Card #502
This is the 18th of 102 cards acquired for our set from the Baseball Card Sports Memorabilia Show, affectionately known as The Philly Show, held in the basement of the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia in early March. We went nuts and left the show needing only 12 more cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, and I wrote about the show in detail over at The Phillies Room. Having wandered aimlessly among the dealer tables looking for binders with vintage commons, I decided to check to see if Uncle Dick's had refreshed their inventory following the December show, during which I had wiped out both their 1965 Topps binders. Much to my pleasant surprise, they had. This Reds team card was $4 and was one of 49 commons purchased in my triumphant return to Uncle Dick's and his replenished neon green binders.
Depending on my ability to compose five posts a week on the cards acquired at this show, I should be completely caught up on this blog by mid-October. It's entirely feasible we complete our 1965 Topps set by the end of 2022, although nine of the remaining 12 cards needed are fairly expensive.
The Card / Reds Team Set
A quick search turned up the source photo used for the card, and according to Getty Images, the photo was taken on September 30, 1964, with the Reds having only four more regular season games scheduled. The National League pennant would be decided in the final week, with the Cardinals ultimately pulling ahead of the Reds and the collapsing Phillies. Strangely enough, both Reds managers from the season - Fred Hutchinson and Dick Sisler (#158) - are pictured. Hutchinson is listed as Manager on the photo, although he yielded the job to Sisler in August. Sisler is listed as Acting Manager. Sadly, Hutchinson passed away from lung cancer on November 12, 1964, just several weeks after this photo was taken. Topps recycled the photo for the Reds team card in the 1966 set.
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1965 Season
With Sisler now the full-time manager, the Reds finished with an 89-73 record and in fourth place in the National League. They led the league in most offensive categories, including runs (825), hits (1,544), batting average (.273) and on-base percentage (.339). Second baseman Pete Rose (#207) was the top offensive performer for the club, batting .312 with 209 hits to lead the league. Right fielder Frank Robinson (#120) batted .296 with 33 home runs and 113 RBIs, with third baseman Deron Johnson (#75) batting .287 with 32 home runs and 130 RBIs. Rose and Johnson both finished in the top ten for the league's MVP voting following the season.
Starting pitcher Jim Maloney (#530) threw two no-hitters during the season and he'd finish with a 20-9 record and a 2.54 ERA. Sammy Ellis (#507)was a 22-game winner and closer Billy McCool (#18) saved 21 games.
For each team card featured, I'll be building a checklist of cards that could have been included in a 1965 Topps update set. I'm trying to come up with six potential cards for each team, and this was tough for the Reds as they're extremely well-represented in the set. I only came up with five somewhat realistic possibilities below. Reds players appear on three different Rookie Stars cards throughout the set, and three of the update cards below are to give those players their own solo cards.
- Tony Perez (1b) - Future Hall of Famer Tony Perez (#581) appears late in the set on a National League Rookie Stars card.
- Art Shamsky (of) - Art Shamsky (#398) made his debut on April 17th, and I'd give him a solo card as well.
- Tommy Helms (ss) - Finally, Tommy Helms (#243) would get his own solo card after sharing space with reliever Ted Davidson.
- Lee May (ph) - Lee May was a September call-up and he'd make four plate appearances as a pinch-hitter. May would go on to enjoy an 18-year career and was a three-time All-Star.
- Johnny Bench (c) - This is a stretch, but catching prospect Johnny Bench was drafted on June 8th, in the second round of the 1965 amateur player draft.
Baseball Reference
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