Tuesday, November 4, 2014

1992 Medford Phillies

I updated this post here in August 2023 and this original post is now outdated.
 

Number of Cards:  46
Card Size:  4 1/8" x 6"
Description:  For the fourth year in a row, the card fronts feature a photo with the player's, coach's or manager's name in a red band with white text.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.  Medford Food Company was in the second year of its sponsorship of the set.

In the spring of 1992, the new Phillies uniform were kept top secret and they didn't make their public debut until opening day.  The cards in this set feature portraits of all players, coaches and the manager in their new uniforms, and (in my opinion) this is one of the nicer team issued sets released by the Phillies.

How Distributed:  The original 36-card base set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the 1992 season.  The ten card update set was available for sale late in the season.

Complete Standard Checklist (36):  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.
  • 2 - Larry Bowa CO
  • 3 - Dale Murphy
  • 4 - Lenny Dykstra
  • 5 - Kim Batiste
  • 6 - Wally Backman
  • 7 - Mariano Duncan
  • 8 - Dale Sveum
  • 10 - Darren Daulton
  • 11 - Jim Fregosi MG
  • 12 - Mickey Morandini
  • 14 - Denis Menke CO
  • 15 - Dave Hollins
  • 18 - John Vukovich CO
  • 19 - Jim Lindeman
  • 24 - Steve Searcy
  • 25 - Mike Ryan CO
  • 26 - Mel Roberts CO
  • 28 - Mitch Williams
  • 29 - John Kruk
  • 30 - Steve Lake
  • 33 - Ruben Amaro
  • 34 - Danny Cox
  • 38 - Curt Schilling
  • 39 - Wally Ritchie
  • 40 - Andy Ashby
  • 44 - Wes Chamberlain
  • 45 - Terry Mulholland
  • 46 - Johnny Podres CO
  • 47 - Kyle Abbott
  • 49 - Tommy Greene
  • 50 - Barry Jones
  • 51 - Cliff Brantley
  • Phillie Phanatic
  • Phillies Team
  • Veterans Stadium
  • Uniforms Through the Years
Complete Update Checklist (10):
  • 9 - Tom Marsh
  • 17 - Ricky Jordan
  • 21 - Pat Combs
  • 23 - Brad Brink
  • 34 - Ben Rivera
  • 35 - Don Robinson
  • 42 - Mike Hartley
  • 45 - Terry Mulholland
  • 48 - Jeff Grotewold
  • 55 - Bob Ayrault
One and Done (1):  Robinson
First Appearances (13):  Abbott, Amaro, Ayrault, Batiste, Brantley, Duncan, Grotewold, Hartley, Jones, Marsh, Rivera, Schilling, Sveum
Returning Players (21):  Ashby, Backman, Brink, Chamberlain, Combs, Cox, Daulton, Dykstra, Greene, Hollins, Jordan, Kruk, Lake, Lindeman, Morandini, Mulholland (two versions), Murphy, Ritchie, Searcy, Williams

Don Robinson's eight game stint with the Phillies to wrap up his 15-year career is commemorated with his sole Phillies baseball card in the update set.  The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set.  These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Fregosi
Coaches (6):  Bowa, Menke, Podres, Roberts, Ryan, Vukovich
Phillie Phanatic (1):  Like everyone else in the set, the Phanatic is posed in a studio setting, wearing his new uniform.
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (0):  Uniforms Through the Years
Other Cards (2):  Phillies Team, Veterans Stadium

I've shown off the Uniforms Through the Years set in past posts (see the links below), and it's by far one of the coolest cards ever produced for the team issued sets.  Veterans Stadium gets its first card since the 1984 Tastykake Phillies set.

Variations/Rarities:  As Rick points out in his comment below, the Phillies issued the following cards at the annual ALS fund raising event (Phillies Phestival) for players and former players signing autographs.  Of particular interest to me are the cards of the four members of the 1992 squad who didn't have cards in the regular or update sets - Baller, Javier, Millette and Mike Williams.

Steve also commented that Maddox, Noles and Pratt cards are in his collection with a 1992 copyright.  These cards most likely also orginated from the ALS event.
  • Jay Baller - 1992 Phillies
  • Stan Javier - 1992 Phillies
  • Joe Millette - 1992 Phillies
  • Todd Pratt - 1992 Phillies
  • Mike Williams - 1992 Phillies
  • Dick Allen - Phillies Alumni
  • Steve Bedrosian - Phillies Alumni
  • Dave Cash - Phillies Alumni
  • Sparky Lyle - Phillies Alumni
  • Garry Maddox - Phillies Alumni
  • Tug McGraw - Phillies Alumni
  • Dickie Noles - Phillies Alumni
  • Bobby Shantz - Phillies Alumni
  • Joe Coleman, Jr. - Non-Phillie
  • Joe Coleman, Sr. - Non-Phillie
  • Joe Torre - Non-Phillie
  • Elmer Valo - Philadelphia A's
Also See:  Scrapbook Sunday: April 7, 1992; Uniforms Through the Years
Trivia:  Mulholland appears twice in the set - once in the original 36-card set and again in the update set.  This of course is very odd and the additional card in the update set could have been used for Stan Javier, who had been acquired from the Dodgers on July 2nd.
Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collectors Rick (@rickphils) and Steve F.

7 comments:

@Rickphils said...

The following team issued photocards were available only at the Phillies Phestival:
Jay Baller, Joe Millette, Mike Wiliams, Stan Javier. At the ALS they also issued photocard for guest signers: ex-Phillies Bobby Shantz, Sparky Lyle, Steve Bedrosian, Tug McGraw, Dick Allen and Dave Cash and non-Phillies Joe Torre, Joe Coleman, Sr, Joe Coleman, Jr and Phila A's Elmer Valo

Anonymous said...

I just purchased from eBay one of the cards Rickphils listed: the Dick Allen card. I can send you scans once I receive it, but in the meantime you can see it here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/191369200838?_trksid=p2060778.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Jim said...

Thanks again Rick! I'll update the post for these ALS-only cards.

Steve F. said...

I have three cards shown as Copyright 1992 not listed in the post:

- Dickie Noles (must have been an alumni card, maybe for the ALS Phestival, as he last pitched for the Phils in 1990; the back shows his career stats on two lines, one for the AL and one for the NL, plus a summary)
- Garry Maddox (just a Phils logo on the backa s is the case with the other alumni cards for the ALS Phestival besides Noles)
- Todd Pratt (shows his minor league stats through 1991; he was called up to the Phils on July 29; this may be a pure update card; when was the ALS Phestival that year?)

All of mine are signed, so I could see them being from the Phestival.

Any ideas about these?

Jim said...

I've added the Maddox, Noles and Pratt cards to the list. Thanks Steve!

Howard smith said...

I have 6 new in package 1992 Phillies photo by ql/ telemark

Anonymous said...

I have this deck got it as a kid