1987 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  51
Card Size:  3 1/2" x 5 1/4"
Description:  With the exception of the copyright date on the bottom right, these photo cards are identical in design to the sets issued in 1985 and 1986.  Fronts feature a full color picture and the backs include brief biographical notes on each player.

How Distributed:  All fans attending the Sunday, April 12th Phillies game at Veterans Stadium received the original 47-card set.  The four blank-backed update cards (I believe) were sold separately at the stadium late in the season.  I have a very vague recollection of purchasing the four photo card update set for $1 at a second half game.  Lee Elia was named the new Phillies manager on June 18th following the firing of John Felske.  The others featured in the update set made their Phillies debuts in May or June, as follows:  Wally Ritchie - May 1st, Keith Hughes - May 19th and Jeff Calhoun - June 16th.  Given those debuts, I would guess the update cards were available during the second half of the season, following the All-Star break.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards): 

1. Luis Aguayo (#16 - INF) 2. Doug Bair (#58 - RHP) 3. Steve Bedrosian (#40 - RHP) 4. Don Carman (#42 - RHP) 5. Joe Cipolloni (#23 - C) 6. Joe Cowley (#39 - RHP)       7. Darren Daulton (#10 - C) 8. Ken Dowell (#37 - SS) 9. Mike Easler (#34 - LF) 10. John Felske (#7 - MG) 11. Marvin Freeman (#48 - RHP)         12. Todd Frohwirth (#52 - RHP) 13. Greg Gross (#21 - OF-1B) 14. Kevin Gross (#46 - RHP) 15. Von Hayes (#9 - 1B) 16. Tom Hume (#41 - RHP)

17. Ken Jackson (#51 - SS) 18. Mike Jackson (#33 - RHP) 19. Chris James (#18 - OF) 20. Greg Jelks (#45 - 1B-OF) 21. Steve Jeltz (#30 - SS) 22. Greg Legg (#11 - INF) 23. Mike Maddux (#44 - RHP) 24. Tom Newell (#50 - RHP) 25. Jim Olander (#38 - OF) 26. Lance Parrish (#13 - C) 27. Shane Rawley (#28 - LHP)         28. Ronn Reynolds (#29 - C) 29. Ron Roenicke (#17 - OF) 30. Bruce Ruffin (#47 - LHP) 31. John Russell (#6 - C-OF) 32. Juan Samuel (#8 - 2B)

33. Bob Scanlan (#39 - RHP) 34. Dan Schatzeder (#35 - LHP) 35. Mike Schmidt (#20 - 3B) 36. Rick Schu (#15 - 3B) 37. Jeff Stone (#14 - OF) 38. Kent Tekulve (#27 - RHP) 39. Milt Thompson (#24 - OF) 40. Freddie Toliver (#43 - RHP) 41. Len Watts (#49 - LHP) 42. Glenn Wilson (#12 - RF) 43. Phillies Coaches 44. Jeff Kaye / Darren Loy 45. Shawn Barton / Rick Lundblade         46. Phillies Team Card 47. Phillie Phanatic

Complete Update Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the front of cards):

1. Jeff Calhoun (#31 - LHP)         2. Lee Elia (#4 - MG)

3. Keith Hughes (#19 - OF) 4. Wally Ritchie (#38 - LHP)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (7):  Bair, Cowley, Jelks, Legg, Olander, Scanlan, Watts

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (12):  Calhoun, Dowell, Easler, Freeman, Frohwirth, Hughes, M. Jackson, Newell, Parrish, Ritchie, Roenicke, Schatzeder
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (25):  Aguayo, Bedrosian, Carman, Cipolloni, Daulton, G. Gross, K. Gross, Hayes, Hume, K. Jackson, James, Jeltz, Maddux, Rawley, Reynolds, Ruffin, Russell, Samuel, Schmidt, Schu, Stone, Tekulve, Thompson, Toliver, Wilson

Managers (2):  Elia, Felske
Coaches (1):  Jim Davenport, Lee Elia, Claude Osteen, Mike Ryan and Del Unser are all featured on a card together.

Phillie Phanatic (1):  I believe the photo used was taken as the Phanatic was atop the Phillies dugout in Clearwater.

Multi-Player Prospect Cards (2):  Kaye / Loy, Barton / Lundblade
Other Cards (1):  Team card

Surprises:  There are a couple of things with this set only a few of us would find interesting.  As far as I can tell, this is the first team-issued photo card set featuring solo cards of players who never actually played for the Phillies.  Joe Cipolloni, Jim Olander, Bob Scanlan and Len Watts never got the call to the big leagues with the team, nor did the four prospects featured on the multi-player cards for that matter.  Marvin Freeman and Ronn Reynolds appear in the set as well, although neither played with the Phillies in 1987.  Freeman's season was hampered by injuries and he appeared in 19 minor league games.  Reynolds was dealt to the Astros on April 2nd for Calhoun.

There are two #39's in the set - Scanlan and Joe Cowley.  Scanlan started the spring with #39 and Cowley most likely requested the number upon his arrival from the White Sox late in the spring on March 26th.  Cowley had worn #40 with the White Sox, but that number already belonged to Steve Bedrosian.

Omissions:  None!  Every single player to appear with the Phillies in 1987 is represented in this set, and that's really impressive.

Variations/Rarities:  There's a Phanatic photo variation featuring the mascot riding his ATV, and a variation of the widely available Phanatic card but with different writing on the back.  There's also a black and white portrait version of a Don Carman card and fellow collector Bill W. e-mailed me to let me know the card was available at a Pennsylvania baseball card show in 1987 where Carman was an autograph guest.

Phanatic Variations 1. On dugout, different writing on back         2. Riding ATV

Black & White Variation 1. Don Carman (#42 - LHP)

Also See:  One of the more desirable (in my opinion) and difficult to find team issued sets is the 1987 Phillies Great Performers of 1986 set, issued to season ticket holders who renewed their 1987 season tickets early.  14,000 Phillies created an entry for this set as part of his Phillies Database Project.

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collectors Rick G., Steve F. and Bill W.

This set was originally featured in a post back in October 2014, and I'm going through these older team-issued set posts to update them with new information learned (if any) over the past six years.

1986 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards / 1988 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page