#292 Larry Yellen - Houston Astros

Lawrence Alan Yellen
Houston Astros
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  190
Born:  January 4, 1943, Brooklyn, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Houston Colt .45s as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams:  Houston Colt .45s 1963-1964

Larry Yellen appeared in 14 games for the Colt .45s in 1963 and 1964, never getting a call-up after the team had changed its name to the Astros.  He made his big league debut on September 26, 1963, starting and pitching five innings in a no decision against the Pirates.  He retuned to the Colt .45s in 1964, appearing sporadically throughout the year and making 13 appearances, including one start.  Yellen appeared in his last big league game on October 3, 1964, pitching a pair of innings against the Dodgers in a 7-0 loss and recording a strikeout against Willie Davis (#435) as his final act in the big leagues.  Yellen pitched 26 total innings, had no record and recorded 12 strikeouts to go along with 11 walks.

1964 Topps #226

Building the Set
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #334
Following our youngest son Ben's flawless performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy at his piano recital, our family headed to the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to browse a real live baseball card show.  Traditionally, I only venture into malls for baseball card shows and I can't honestly remember the last time, pre-pandemic, I had stepped foot into a mall.  The show was small, hosted by S&B Sports Promotions, with about a dozen tables and not much vintage to offer, but it was a sight for sore eyes.  It took us only about 15 minutes to scout the whole place out and I was lucky enough to find a friendly dealer with 1960s and 1970s Topps cards in great shape, in order and (best of all) reasonably priced.  I took my time going through his 1965 Topps commons, settling on 29 cards we needed and adding a card from the star pile to give us 30 new cards total.  I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this Yellen card was about $3.25.

The Card / Astros Team Set
Yellen is wearing a Colt .45s road uniform here, and Topps went to the trouble to cover up the "45" on his cap.  This is his first and only solo card, as he shared a Rookie Stars card in the 1964 Topps set with catcher Jerry Grote (#504).  The write-up on the back of the card contains way more information than what's currently found on Yellen's Wikipedia page.  A native of Brooklyn, Yellen attended the same high school (Lafayette) as Sandy Koufax (#300) and Bob Aspromonte (#175).  Yellen signed a reprint of the card for the 2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.

1965 Season
Yellen spent the entire season in the minors, his last season playing professional baseball.  He appeared in four games for the Triple-A Oklahoma City 89ers and 27 games for the Double-A Amarillo Sonics.  Combined for the two teams, Yellen was 3-12 with a 4.82 ERA over 127 innings pitched.

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #226
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1964-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-LY

11 - Yellen non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/9/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Previous Card:  #291 Jerry Lynch - Pittsburgh Pirates

Next Card:  #293 Los Angeles Angels Team Card

#291 Jerry Lynch - Pittsburgh Pirates

Gerald Thomas Lynch
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  July 17, 1930, Bay City, MI
Acquired:  Purchased by the New York Yankees from Greenville (Cotton States)
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1954-1956; Cincinnati Reds 1957-1963; Pittsburgh Pirates 1963-1966
Died:  April 1, 2012, Austell, GA (age 81)

Jerry "The Hat" Lynch was one of the premier pinch-hitters of his day, accumulating 116 pinch-hits which places him currently 10th on the all-time list.  His 18 pinch-hit home runs are currently third on the all-time list behind Cliff Johnson with 20 and Matt Stairs with 23.  Lynch's best season came in 1961 with the Reds when he hit .315 over 96 games.  He had five pinch-hit home runs that season, driving in 25 runs.  His biggest hit that year (not a pinch-hit) was a two-run home run off Bob Anderson on September 26th to give the Reds a 6-3 win over the Cubs and helping the team clinch the 1961 N.L. pennant .  The Reds lost in the World Series to the Yankees, but Lynch's fine season earned him 22nd place in the league's MVP voting.

Playing in 640 games with the Reds and 544 with the Pirates in two separate stints, Lynch was a career .277 batter with 115 home runs and 470 RBIs.  He was elected into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1988.

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

Building the Set
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #333
Following our youngest son Ben's flawless performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy at his piano recital, our family headed to the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to browse a real live baseball card show.  Traditionally, I only venture into malls for baseball card shows and I can't honestly remember the last time, pre-pandemic, I had stepped foot into a mall.  The show was small, hosted by S&B Sports Promotions, with about a dozen tables and not much vintage to offer, but it was a sight for sore eyes.  It took us only about 15 minutes to scout the whole place out and I was lucky enough to find a friendly dealer with 1960s and 1970s Topps cards in great shape, in order and (best of all) reasonably priced.  I took my time going through his 1965 Topps commons, settling on 29 cards we needed and adding a card from the star pile to give us 30 new cards total.  I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this Lynch card was about $3.25.

The Card / Pirates Team Set
Lynch wore #14 during his earliest time with the Pirates between 1954 and 1956, and he assumed #24 when he returned to the Pirates in 1963.  The "4" on his back is peaking through in this photo and his 1966 Topps card features a photo from the same session, but less cropped.  The back of the card notes his proficiency as a pinch-hitter.  Lynch still holds the National League record with pinch-hit home runs with 18.  Gates Brown (#19) hold the American League record with 16, while atop the overall Major League leaderboard (both leagues) and as mentioned above, are Stairs and Johnson.

1965 Season
Lynch had this season and the next ahead of him before his playing days were over.  He appeared in 73 games for the Pirates, starting only 24 games.  Overall, Lynch batted .281 with five home runs and 16 RBIs.  As a pinch-hitter, he batted only .128 (5 for 39) with a home run and five RBIs.

1954 Topps #234

1959 Topps #97

1961 Topps #97

1963 Topps #37

1966 Topps #182

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #234
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1954-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #234

67 - Lynch non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/8/21.

Sources:  
1956 Topps Blog

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #290 Wally Bunker - Baltimore Orioles

Next Card:  #292 Larry Yellen - Houston Astros

#283 Fred Whitfield - Cleveland Indians

Fred Dwight Whitfield
Cleveland Indians
First Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  190
Born:  January 7, 1938, Vandiver, AL
Signed:  Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1962; Cleveland Indians 1963-1967; Cincinnati Reds 1968-1969; Montreal Expos 1970
Died:  January 31, 2013, Gadsden, AL (age 75)

His Baseball Reference page notes when Fred Whitfield made his big league debut with the Cardinals on May 27, 1962, he became the 12,000th player in major league history.  He was dealt to the Indians on December 15, 1962 for Jack Kubiszyn and Ron Taylor (#568), and Whitfield would enjoy the most successful seasons of his career in Cleveland.  Between 1963 and 1967, he was the Indians' most used first baseman, hitting at least 20 home runs in 1963, 1965 and 1966.  Whitfield drove in a career-high 90 runs in 1965 and his big season resulted in him being named as the first baseman on The Sporting News American League all-star team.

Whitfield was dealt to the Reds following the 1967 season and he'd spend 1968 and 1969 in Cincinnati backing up Lee May at first base.  He closed out his big league career with four games with the Expos in 1970, having spent most of that season playing for Montreal's top farm team in Buffalo.  Whitfield was a career .253 batter with 578 hits, 108 home runs and 356 RBIs.

Building the Set
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #332
Following our youngest son Ben's flawless performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy at his piano recital, our family headed to the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to browse a real live baseball card show.  Traditionally, I only venture into malls for baseball card shows and I can't honestly remember the last time, pre-pandemic, I had stepped foot into a mall.  The show was small, hosted by S&B Sports Promotions, with about a dozen tables and not much vintage to offer, but it was a sight for sore eyes.  It took us only about 15 minutes to scout the whole place out and I was lucky enough to find a friendly dealer with 1960s and 1970s Topps cards in great shape, in order and (best of all) reasonably priced.  I took my time going through his 1965 Topps commons, settling on 29 cards we needed and adding a card from the star pile to give us 30 new cards total.  I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this Whitfield card was a little over $2.

The Card / Indians Team Set
Whitfield looks glum on most of his Topps cards, including this one, and he finally let lose with a smile on his final Topps card appearance in 1969.  The back of the card references his trade from Cardinals to the Indians in 1962.

1965 Season
As mentioned above, this was Whitfield's career year.  He appeared in 132 games for the fifth place Indians, starting 110 games at first base.  Chuck Hinton (#235) was the Indians' opening day first baseman, but with manager Birdie Tebbetts (#301) hoping to insert more power into the line-up, Hinton was moved to the outfield and Whitfield was inserted at first.  Whitfield batted .293 with 90 RBIs, second on the team to Rocky Colavito (#380) and his 108 RBIs.  Whitfield and Colavito were tied for second on the team in home runs with 26, behind Leon Wagner (#367) who hit 28.

1963 Topps #211

1964 Topps #367

1966 Topps #88

1967 Topps #275

1969 Topps #518

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1963 Topps #211
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1963-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #518

36 - Whitfield non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/8/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #282 Giants Rookie Stars

Next Card:  #284 Nick Willhite - Washington Senators

#280 Dick Stuart - Philadelphia Phillies

Richard Lee Stuart
Philadelphia Phillies
First Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  212
Born:  November 7, 1932, San Francisco, CA
Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent by the Pittsburgh Pirates before 1951 season
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1958-1962; Boston Red Sox 1963-1964; Philadelphia Phillies 1965; New York Mets 1966; Los Angeles Dodgers 1966; California Angels 1969
Died:  December 15, 2002, Redwood City, CA (age 70)

Proficient at the plate but deficient with the glove, Dick Stuart's many nicknames included Dr. Strangeglove, Stonefingers and The Man with the Iron Glove.  He hit over 30 home runs in three different seasons, slugging a career high 42 in 1963 with the Red Sox, while leading the American League with 118 RBIs.  Stuart began his career with the Pirates and was the regular first baseman on the 1960 World Championship club.  He led that team with 23 home runs and was third on the Pirates in RBIs (83) behind Roberto Clemente (#160) and Bob Skinner (#591) with 94 and 86, respectively.  Stuart struggled in the World Series, batting .150, and was on deck with Bill Mazeroski (#95) hit his walk-off home run in Game 7.  He was named to both All-Star teams in 1961.  Dealt to the Red Sox following the 1962 season, he enjoyed two seasons of 100+ RBIs before being dealt to the Phillies.

1966 Topps Rub-Offs

His final season as a regular player came during 1965 with the Phillies when he batted .234 over 149 games.  After lackluster seasons and limited playing time with the Mets and Dodgers, Stuart played two seasons in Japan with the Taiyo Whales.  He made a brief comeback with the Angels in 1969 before retiring.  Stuart played in parts of 10 big league seasons, batting .264 with 228 home runs and 743 RBIs.  He led the league in errors committed by a first baseman an astounding seven times, and his 169 errors are currently 42nd on the all-time list.  Stuart would have been an ideal designated hitter, has the position existing during his playing days. 

Building the Set
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #331
Following our youngest son Ben's flawless performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy at his piano recital, our family headed to the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to browse a real live baseball card show.  Traditionally, I only venture into malls for baseball card shows and I can't honestly remember the last time, pre-pandemic, I had stepped foot into a mall.  The show was small, hosted by S&B Sports Promotions, with about a dozen tables and not much vintage to offer, but it was a sight for sore eyes.  It took us only about 15 minutes to scout the whole place out and I was lucky enough to find a friendly dealer with 1960s and 1970s Topps cards in great shape, in order and (best of all) reasonably priced.  I took my time going through his 1965 Topps commons, settling on 29 cards we needed and adding a card from the star pile to give us 30 new cards total.  I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this Stuart card was about $3.25.

I'm always surprised when I find vintage Phillies cards in common boxes at baseball card shows in my area, as most of these were long picked over with the Phillies cards removed by local collectors.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
In what is the only instance of this happening, Stuart appears twice in the set on two different teams.  He first appeared on the A.L. RBI Leaders card (#5) as a member of the Red Sox.  Topps didn't have a photo yet of Stuart in a Phillies uniform, and they went back to the hatless photo of Stuart in a Pirates jersey already used for his 1963 Topps card.  He'd appear in actual Phillies gear on two Topps insert sets - 1965 Topps Transfers and 1966 Topps Rub-Offs.  And while Stuart is in the harder to find 1965 Topps Transfers insert set, but he's not in the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set.  On the back of the card, his trade to the Phillies is noted as a surprising offseason deal.

1965 Season / Phillies Career
But in his SABR biography, it's noted the deal that sent him to the Phillies was made "to the surprise of no one."  On November 29, 1964, the Red Sox dealt Stuart to the Phillies for pitcher Dennis Bennett (#147).  Stuart had apparently worn out his welcome in Boston due to his poor fielding (29 errors in 1963, 24 errors in 1964) and he also didn't get along with manager Johnny Pesky.  Stuart was the opening day first baseman for the Phillies and he'd start 140 games at first.  He batted only .234 but was second on the team in home runs (28) and RBIs (95), behind Johnny Callison (#310) in both categories.  Stuart's fielding improved somewhat, as he made only 17 errors, which was second in the National League behind the Pirates' Donn Clendenon (#325) who committed 28 errors.  Still, manager Gene Mauch (#489) wasn't enamored with Stuart and on February 22, 1966 Dr. Strangeglove was dealt to the Mets for Wayne Graham, Bobby Klaus (#227) and Jimmie Schaffer (#313).  The Phillies had previously acquired Bill White (#190) on October 27, 1965 from the Cardinals, and White was pencilled in as the team's first baseman for 1966.  

1959 Topps #357

1961 Topps #126

1963 Topps #285

1964 Topps #410

1966 Topps #480

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1959 Topps #357
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1959-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2002 Topps Super Teams #44

86 - Stuart non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/8/21.

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

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #279 Dick Tracewski - Los Angeles Dodgers

Next Card:  #281 Bill Stafford - New York Yankees

#279 Dick Tracewski - Los Angeles Dodgers

Richard Joseph Tracewski
Los Angeles Dodgers
Second Base-Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  160
Born:  February 3, 1935, Eynon, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1953 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1962-1965; Detroit Tigers 1966-1969
As a Manager:  Detroit Tigers 1979

A light-hitting back-up infielder, Dick Tracewski won four World Series rings over a baseball career that spanned five decades.  Tracewski played in at least 100 games twice during his playing career, in 1963 and 1964.  He was the starting second baseman in all four games of the 1963 World Series, when the Dodgers swept the Yankees.  Tracewski was at second base for the Dodgers on September 9, 1965 when Sandy Koufax (#300) pitched a perfect game against the Cubs, and he also started four of the seven games at second for the Dodgers in the 1965 World Series when his club prevailed in seven games over the Twins.  On December 15, 1965, Tracewski was dealt to the Tigers for pitcher Phil Regan (#191), and his long-time connection with Detroit began.  He appeared in 90 games for the Tigers team that defeated the Cardinals in seven games in the 1968 World Series.  In parts of eight seasons, Tracewski batted .213 with 262 hits.

After managing in the Tigers' minor league system for two seasons (1970-1971), he began a 24-year stint as the first or third base coach with the big league Tigers.  He briefly served as their interim manager in 1979 before the arrival of Sparky Anderson.  Both Tracewski and Anderson retired together following the 1995 season, having won the 1984 World Series.

Building the Set
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #330
Following our youngest son Ben's flawless performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy at his piano recital, our family headed to the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to browse a real live baseball card show.  Traditionally, I only venture into malls for baseball card shows and I can't honestly remember the last time, pre-pandemic, I had stepped foot into a mall.  The show was small, hosted by S&B Sports Promotions, with about a dozen tables and not much vintage to offer, but it was a sight for sore eyes.  It took us only about 15 minutes to scout the whole place out and I was lucky enough to find a friendly dealer with 1960s and 1970s Topps cards in great shape, in order and (best of all) reasonably priced.  I took my time going through his 1965 Topps commons, settling on 29 cards we needed and adding a card from the star pile to give us 30 new cards total.  I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this Tracewski card cost a little over $2.

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
Tracewski's rookie card can be found in the 1964 Topps set.  He's in nearly an identical pose on his 1966 Topps card, except that he's swapped his Dodgers uniform for a Tigers uniform.  His four starts in the 1963 World Series are highlighted by the cartoon on the back of the card.  With Jim Gilliam and Nate Oliver (#59) getting the bulk of playing time at second base for the Dodgers during the regular 1963 season, Tracewski made only five starts at second base before the World Series.  But with Gilliam moving over to third for the Series, Tracewski's services were needed at second.

1965 Season
In his final season with the Dodgers, Tracewski appeared in 78 games and batted .215.  He made 43 starts at third base, filling in for Gilliam, and six starts at shortstop whenever Maury Wills needed a rare day off.

1964 Topps #154

1966 Topps #378

1968 Topps #488

1969 Topps #126

1973 Topps #323

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #154
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1964-1969, 1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-DT

45 - Tracewski non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/6/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #278 Ken Retzer - Minnesota Twins

Next Card:  #280 Dick Stuart - Philadelphia Phillies

#278 Ken Retzer - Minnesota Twins

Kenneth Leo Retzer
Minnesota Twins
Catcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185
Born:  April 30, 1934, Wood River, IL
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1954 season
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1961-1964
Died:  May 17, 2020, Sun City, AZ (age 86)

Ken Retzer spent four years in the majors with the Senators and was their primary catcher in 1962 and 1963.  He enjoyed a career year in 1962, appearing in 109 games and batting .285 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs while serving in a catching platoon with the right-handed hitting Bob Schmidt (#582).  Retzer saw regular playing time again in 1963, appearing in 95 games, but again sharing catching duties, this time with Don Leppert and Hobie Landrith.  One of the biggest thrills of his career came on opening day in 1963, when Retzer caught the ceremonial first pitch thrown by President John F. Kennedy.  He'd make the Senators opening day roster in 1964, but was optioned down to the Triple-A Toronto Maple Leafs in mid-May, not returning to the majors until rosters expanded in September.  Retzer then began a three-year journey that saw him spend time playing for minor league teams in the Twins, Astros, Orioles and Indians organizations, but he'd not make it back to the majors.  In 237 big league games, Retzer batted .264 with 14 home runs and 72 RBIs.

Building the Set
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #329
Following our youngest son Ben's flawless performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy at his piano recital, our family headed to the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to browse a real live baseball card show.  Traditionally, I only venture into malls for baseball card shows and I can't honestly remember the last time, pre-pandemic, I had stepped foot into a mall.  The show was small, hosted by S&B Sports Promotions, with about a dozen tables and not much vintage to offer, but it was a sight for sore eyes.  It took us only about 15 minutes to scout the whole place out and I was lucky enough to find a friendly dealer with 1960s and 1970s Topps cards in great shape, in order and (best of all) reasonably priced.  I took my time going through his 1965 Topps commons, settling on 29 cards we needed and adding a card from the star pile to give us 30 new cards total.  I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this Retzer card cost a little over $2.

The Card / Twins Team Set
This is Retzer's final appearance in a Topps flagship set, and he's wearing a Senators uniform in the photo.  The back of the card prematurely predicted that he'd spend the seasons as the Twins' back-up to regular catcher Earl Battey (#490).  With Retzer spending the entire season in the minors (see below), Jerry Zimmerman (#299) served as Battey's back-up.  Topps reprinted this card for Retzer to sign as part of their 2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.  I imagine Retzer may have felt a little strange signing the cards as he never played for the Twins.

1965 Season
On October 15, 1964, in a deal involving two back-up catchers, the Senators dealt Retzer to the Twins for Joe McCabe (#181).  Retzer seemed destined to land a roster spot with the Twins, but the club went with the younger John Sevcik (#597) to open the season as Battey's back-up.  He played 108 games for the Triple-A Denver Bears, batting .270 with five home runs and 39 RBIs.  Prior to the start of the 1966 season, Retzer was on the move again, traded to the Astros for outfielder Walt Bond (#109).

1962 Topps #594

1963 Topps #471

1964 Topps #277

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #594
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (4):  1962-1965
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-KR

16 - Retzer non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/6/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card:  #277 Johnny Lewis - New York Mets

Next Card:  #279 Dick Tracewski - Los Angeles Dodgers

#273 4th Series Checklist 265-352

I'm composing this post on the Sunday morning before Labor Day, and if my math is correct this post will publish in early October.  The haul of cards I purchased from The Battersbox Memorial Day sale and the Father's Day baseball card show at the Moorestown Mall have occupied my free time throughout the summer, and again I'm grateful for the ability to spend a little bit of time each day staring at and looking at old baseball cards.  I'm thrilled we've crossed the half-way point to having a complete set and while there are still quite a few star cards to go, I'll admit I've started daydreaming about which vintage set I'll start collecting once this quest is over.  I think I'll turn my attention to the 1959 Topps set next, as I've always enjoyed the design of that set and because I want to continue going backwards in time through the Topps flagship offerings.  A few weeks ago, the surprise announcement was made that Topps baseball cards would be coming to an end (as we know them) with Fanatics taking over the Major League Baseball license in 2025.  I wrote about my immediate feelings about this announcement over at The Phillies Room in this post, and I'll excerpt some of that here:

On Thursday afternoon, as the Phillies were sleepwalking towards another loss and as I was dealing with the latest work-related drama, news came out that Topps would be losing its baseball card license in favor of Fanatics, beginning in 2026.  I didn't like the news when it came out, and I'm still trying to wrap my head around what this means for my beloved hobby.  For me personally, it means I'll spend more of my disposable income on vintage cards, which is how I've been trending the last several years anyway.  I'll continue to buy Topps factory sets through 2025, and then I doubt I'll feel the need to start a new run of Fanatics flagship sets in 2026.  But who knows?

Is this good for the hobby or bad?  Much like Tom Hilgendorf* here, I have no idea.  I'm sitting here staring off into the distance feeling a little confused, feeling a little cynical and feeling a little . . . old.  Hilgendorf and I will continue to ponder this in the coming months and years and if nothing else maybe this means we'll get to spend a little more time together, along with the other cards in my vintage baseball card binders.

On the personal front, everyone here is healthy and getting ready to go back to school.  Doug will be entering high school (!) and Ben will be starting sixth grade.  Jenna will need to wait a bit longer to get back into her class room as Hurricane Ida caused extensive damage to her school in Wenonah.  I'm still traveling into my office in Center City Philadelphia at least once a week, and I've accepted the fact I'll probably never again work from the city five days a week.  It's a different world now than when we started collecting this set, and no matter what we're going to keep moving forward and doing the best we can.

Building the Set
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #328
Following our youngest son Ben's flawless performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy at his piano recital, our family headed to the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to browse a real live baseball card show.  Traditionally, I only venture into malls for baseball card shows and I can't honestly remember the last time, pre-pandemic, I had stepped foot into a mall.  The show was small, hosted by S&B Sports Promotions, with about a dozen tables and not much vintage to offer, but it was a sight for sore eyes.  It took us only about 15 minutes to scout the whole place out and I was lucky enough to find a friendly dealer with 1960s and 1970s Topps cards in great shape, in order and (best of all) reasonably priced.  I took my time going through his 1965 Topps commons, settling on 29 cards we needed and adding a card from the star pile to give us 30 new cards total.  I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this checklist card was one of the most expensive in the lot at about $8.

The Card / Checklists
We still need quite a few cards to complete the set's fourth series, and I'm going to predict the last card we add to our set will be the Mickey Mantle (#350) card.  My mind momentarily thought Sgt. Slaughter was in the set, but the "S. Slaughter" at #314 is actually Sterling Slaughter.  Donn Clendenon (#325) has his first name completely omitted on the back so that Topps could fit it the card's number.

*A 1976 Topps card of Tom Hilgendorf was featured in the original post.

Previous Card:  #272 Chuck Schilling - Boston Red Sox

Next Card:  #274 Lum Harris MG - Houston Astros

#272 Chuck Schilling - Boston Red Sox

Charles Thomas Schilling
Boston Red Sox
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  160
Born:  October 25, 1937, Brooklyn, NY
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Red Sox as an amateur free agent, September 1958
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 1961-1965
Died:  March 30, 2021, West Chester, PA (age 83)

Chuck Schilling's big league career peaked during his rookie season of 1961 when he attained career highs in just about every offensive category, finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and was named the Red Sox team MVP by the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.  Schilling batted .259 over 158 games that season as the club's every day second baseman, with 167 hits, 25 doubles, five home runs and 62 RBIs while leading the league with 738 plate appearances.  He began the 1962 season slowly and things got worse on June 8th when he was hit on his left hand by a Gary Bell (#424) pitch, breaking it.  Schilling never again found the success of his 1961 rookie season.  He continued to serve as the Red Sox regular second baseman in 1963 and 1964, but was relegated to a utility role in 1965, his final season in the majors.  He was dealt to the Twins prior to the start of the 1966 season and while he made their opening day roster, he never got into a game with the club.  When rosters shrank from 28 to 25 players on May 15th, Schilling retired rather than accept a demotion to the minor leagues.

Schilling appeared in 541 games for the Red Sox, batting .239 with 470 hits, 23 home runs and 146 RBIs.

Building the Set
June 19, 2021 from Moorestown Mall Baseball Card Show - Card #327
Following our youngest son Ben's flawless performance of Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy at his piano recital, our family headed to the Moorestown Mall in New Jersey to browse a real live baseball card show.  Traditionally, I only venture into malls for baseball card shows and I can't honestly remember the last time, pre-pandemic, I had stepped foot into a mall.  The show was small, hosted by S&B Sports Promotions, with about a dozen tables and not much vintage to offer, but it was a sight for sore eyes.  It took us only about 15 minutes to scout the whole place out and I was lucky enough to find a friendly dealer with 1960s and 1970s Topps cards in great shape, in order and (best of all) reasonably priced.  I took my time going through his 1965 Topps commons, settling on 29 cards we needed and adding a card from the star pile to give us 30 new cards total.  I spent an even $100 (after a generous dealer discount) and this Schilling card was a little over $2.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
Schilling appeared one last time in the 1966 Topps set, as card #6 in the set's first series.  On the back of this card, it's mentioned Schilling was also known as a fine fielder.  In his 1961 rookie season, he led all American League second baseman with 449 assists and also had the top fielding percentage for second baseman in the league with a .991 mark.

1965 Season
The 1965 Red Sox would lose 100 games under manager Billy Herman (#251), and Schilling saw limited playing time as a back-up to new regular second baseman Felix Mantilla (#29).  He played in 71 games, with 41 appearances at second and 31 pinch-hitting appearances.  Schilling batted .240 (41 for 171) with three home runs and nine RBIs in his final season.

1961 Topps #499

1962 Topps #345

1963 Topps #52

1964 Topps #182

1966 Topps #6

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1961 Topps #499
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1961-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2015 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-CS

35 - Schilling non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/4/21.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

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