The Philly Show Report - 12 Years Gone in a Flash

Last Sunday, Doug and I made the hour-plus drive to Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of The Philly Show, now a major sports card and memorabilia event with eBay as its corporate sponsor.  Doug's first winter track meet of the 2024-25 season precluded us from going on Saturday and obtaining a So Taguchi autograph, but the word was Sunday's crowds were much smaller and more manageable.  Our oldest son is in his senior year of High School, so it shouldn't have caught me off guard when he commented on the way into the show, "This could be my last one of these for a while."

His first baseball card show was somehow already 12 years ago.  It's been a blur since then.

His interests have changed over the years of course, and in the past his disposable income would have gone to low-numbered autographed or relic cards of recent, fringe Phillies players.  And while he did find a few moderately priced cards of Bailey Falter, Weston Wilson and Hans Crouse that gave him a smile, he ultimately opted to hang on to his money for gas, food, dates and other stuff a typical 18-year-old would spend his money on.  Still, I was glad to have him with me and I enjoyed what could have definitely been our last baseball card show together for a little bit.

The Oaks show floor is massive, and it's expanded since our last visit, last December.  We were there for a little over two hours and I saw maybe 40% or so of the show's offerings.  But I had some goals in mind, and having attained those goals, and run out of money, I was fine with the abbreviated visit.

• 1969 Topps Commons:  I pulled up a folding chair one more time at Uncle Dick's Cards, picking up where I had left off a year ago, and pulling commons I needed between card #500 and the final card in the set, #664.  I crossed 98 more cards off my list, and bundled in the Rollie Fingers rookie card for good measure and at a good price, given the stack of commons I had already committed to buy.

• 1969 Topps Stars:  Along with the Fingers card, I found a dealer with good prices on the Ted Williams and Brooks Robinson All-Star cards.

• 1955 Bowman Wrapper:  My sole non-focused purchase was a fairly beat-up 1955 Bowman wrapper.  Once I finish up my 1956 Topps blog, likely at some point in 2025, I'll officially begin collecting the 1955 Bowman set.  This wrapper will look great in the front of that set's binder.

• 1935 Diamond Stars Jimmie Foxx:  My monster purchase was the Foxx card from the Diamond Stars set I'm collecting, and slowly getting close to completing.  Doug gets credit for finding the slabbed Foxx card in his journeys.  The card was priced at almost twice what I ended up paying for it, and it won't officially enter my collection until Santa presents it on Christmas morning as my major gift for the year.

• 1969 and 1959 Topps Semistars:  Nearing the end of our stay, I added 14 semistars to our 1969 Topps set and six commons to our not-yet-collecting 1959 Topps set.

• 2024 Topps Factory Set / 2024 Topps Heritage Hobby Box:  And finally, before we made our way to the exit, I purchased an obligatory 2024 Topps factory set for Santa to also deliver on Christmas morning and we decided it would be fun to open a box of 2024 Topps Heritage once we were home.  (And I can confirm, it was fun.)

So that's a wrap on the first and only baseball card show we attended in 2024.  I'm excited for the 2025 baseball card shows, but I'm honestly more excited for whatever comes next for Doug in the coming year.

 

Game 74 - Costly Error from Bohm Helps Pads Avoid Sweep

1959 Topps #317

Padres 5, Phillies 2
Game 74 - Wednesday Afternoon, June 19th in Philadelphia
Record - 49-25, 1st Place, 7 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies couldn't complete the sweep against the Padres, dropping this sweltering hot matinee by a 5-2 score.

What It Means:  The heat wave continues in Philadelphia as the Diamondbacks come to town on Friday night for a three-game weekend series.

What Happened:  The Phillies couldn't get much going against Padres' starter Matt Waldron.  Bryce Harper hit a solo home run in the third inning, his 16th of the season.  Ranger Suarez pitched well again, departing after six innings with the score tied, 1-1.  The Padres took the lead in the seventh off reliever Orion Kerkering and a costly error in the eighth by Alec Bohm led to three unearned runs.  Harper would homer again in the bottom of the eighth inning, his 17th, but it wouldn't be nearly enough.

Featured Card:  The baseball world is mourning the loss of Willie Mays, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 93.  One of the greatest to ever play the game, he shows up on four baseball cards in my Phillies collection, including this wonderful card from the 1959 Topps set.

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

Annual Christmas Haul: Santa Mom Writes Book, Delivers Baseball Cards

The author with her book and grandkids

It's become a tradition to gather at my Mom's house on the day after Christmas to exchange gifts with her and my sister's family.  There are way too many gifts exchanged, way too much food eaten, and it's one of the best days of my year.  

Before we get to that though, on Christmas day I unwrapped three cards from my wife Jenna and our sons with a common theme.  They were kind enough to get me the three #1 cards from my next three set builds, 1959 Topps, 1955 Bowman and 1966 Topps, which given I now have a sizable stack from each set, I guess I can say I'm now officially collecting.  

As we approach the end of 2023, I'm 18 cards away from a 1934-36 Diamond Stars set, with that set build likely slowing down in 2024 given the scarcity and price tags of the remaining cards needed.  We're almost two-thirds of the way through the 1969 Topps set, and if I compose five posts a week on the cards we've added, my 1969 Topps blog should be caught up by this time next year.  It's feasible that set is completed by 2025.

My Mom kicked off my collection of the 1955 Bowman set last Christmas, and I've since added a few more cards throughout 2023.  A family friend gifted me his 1959 Topps doubles in February, and I'll be tackling that set once the 1969 Topps set is wrapped up.  And then there's the 1966 Topps set, which I started collecting in the late 1980s given I had the "big" card from the set already in my collection - card #50, Mickey Mantle.  Adding these three #1s was a great way to admit I'm now once again a full-fledged complete set collector, having spent the better part of the last two decades exclusively collecting Phillies baseball cards.

Three #1s

My family also gave me a 2023 Topps factory set, continuing that tradition, and I'm now the proud owner of every Topps flagship set from 1956, 1965 and 1970 through 2023.  The 2023 Topps cards have already been sorted.

My Mom's big surprise for us on the 26th was the announcement she had written a book.  It's wonderful.  It's a collection of stories from her childhood through today, with brief histories of her family and poignant remembrances I'm grateful will now be passed down to our grandkids.  I'm about half-way through reading it as I write this, and I'm taking my time, making sure to take it all in.  She told us writing the book was fun and therapeutic, which I can completely understand given I've authored posts for this blog with only brief interuptions over the past almost 15 years.  Honestly, all the other gifts opened yesterday were very much overshadowed by my Mom's book, and at first I missed the fact I hadn't opened two boxes in my pile about an hour into the exchange.  Since I hadn't yet opened any baseball cards, I had a fairly good idea what was in them, or at least what was in one of them.

Mom has always come through with items from my want lists, and she decided this year to tackle my few remaining Phillies Media Guide needs.  I had never even seen the Phillies Media Guides from the 1960s, and now I'm just one away (1967) from having a full run between 1965 and 2023.  The next box I opened contained 10 individually wrapped baseball card-sized packages, and as I started opening them I noticed they were the first cards from the 1955 Bowman checklist.  Ironically enough, I went from having no Hoyt Wilhelm cards from the 1955 Bowman set to having two over a two day period, and one of them will be offered up for trade soon.  (If you're reading this, and looking to obtain a 1955 Wilhelm card for something of equal value, please leave a comment or send me a message.)

It was another wonderful Christmas, and I'm reminded again how lucky I am.  I hope you and your family had a fantastic holiday season, and here's to a happy, healthy and safe 2024.

Game 134 - Deptford Mall Baseball Card Show Precedes Another Loss

Giants 5, Phillies 3
Game 134 - Sunday Afternoon, September 4th in San Francisco
Record - 73-61, 3rd Place, 11 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies couldn't complete the comeback against the Giants, as David Robertson allowed a two-run walk-off home run to Wilmer Flores in this latest loss.

What It Means:  It's not going well, and I'll admit I'm starting to worry.  The Phillies hold a 2 1/2 game lead over the Brewers for the National League's third Wild Card spot.  They went 1-6 on a disastrous west coast trip against two teams with losing records.  A six-game homestand begins on Tuesday night against the Marlins and Nationals.

What Happened:  Ranger Suarez joined the ranks of Phillies starting pitchers who have been ineffective lately, pitching just four innings and allowing three runs.  The Phillies dramatically tied up the game in the eighth inning when J.T. Realmuto connected for a three-run home run off Giants' reliever John Brebbia.  Robertson couldn't preserve the tie however, allowing Flores' home run and ending the game.

Featured Card:  Before this debacle began, Doug and I drove to the Deptford Mall for a mini baseball card show and Bobby Abreu signing.  We were among the first in line to secure our Abreu signatures, and then we spent about a half hour browsing the six or so tables set up in the mall.  I found one dealer with stacks of vintage commons for sale, adding cards to my not-yet-officially-collecting 1955 Bowman, 1959 Topps and 1969 Topps sets.  It was a good afternoon, diminished a few hours later by the Phillies' loss.

Transaction:  Nick Castellanos (of) was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain and Dalton Guthrie (of) had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley.  To make room for Guthrie on the 40-man roster, Luis Garcia (inf) was designated for assignment.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 40 - Weather Turns Hot, Phils Remain Tepid

1959 Topps #317

Dodgers 7, Phillies 4
Game 40 - Saturday Night, May 21st in Philadelphia
Record - 18-22, 3rd Place, 8 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies offense showed some sparks, but the Dodgers bullpen proved to be better than the Phillies bullpen in this 7-4 loss.

What It Means:  In the series finale this afternoon, the team will try to avoid the sweep and break their three-game losing streak.

What Happened:  Bryce Harper was back in the lineup for the first time in five games, and he was largely a non-factor in this game.  Jean Segura doubled home Nick Castellanos in the second for the first run of the game.  Alec Bohm hit a two-run home run in the third, with Kyle Schwarber adding a solo home run in the fourth.

Aaron Nola started for the Phillies, allowing four runs on five hits in 5 1/3 innings of work, including two costly home runs.  Jose Alvarado and his 7.94 ERA gave the Dodgers the lead in the eighth, allowing a pair of runs.

Featured Card/Field Report:  Game time temperature was 93 degrees, and the four of us were in our seats in the Diamond Club for the first pitch.  Doug successfully obtained two pre-game autographs from Rhys Hoskins, as he's trying to get a full 2022 Topps Phillies retail team set signed.  The first four innings of the game were exciting, but slow.  As the game slogged along and the Phillies bullpen entered, our interest in listening to the large amount of Dodgers fans around us cheer for their team's comeback waned.

Doug and I made our way over to the Phillies Authentics store, and while I was happy to finally add a Yearbook and Media Guide to my collection, I was once again disappointed at the lack of any team-issued photo cards.  It seems as if the early season predictions that these sets would be available for sale in May was a bit optimistic.  I did purchase the 1959 Topps card shown at the top of this post for what I deemed to be an extremely reasonable price.  It's great to see actual baseball cards for sale at the ballpark, and I wish the Phillies had jumped on this bandwagon a decade or so sooner.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 1 - An Electric Opening Day!

2022 Chachi Special Edition #1

2022 Topps Now Spring Training #ST-11

2020 Topps Heritage Minor League #175

1959 Topps #300

Phillies 9, Athletics 5
Game 1 - Friday Afternoon, April 8th in Philadelphia
Record - 1-0, 2nd Place, 1/2 game behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  In an electric Citizens Bank Park, the first "normal" opening day since 2019 was celebrated with a 9-5 win over the visiting Athletics.

What It Means:  As promised, the offense was impressive and the defense was at times shaky.  Bryson Stott, making his big league debut, mishandled three balls in a rough seventh inning, but redeemed himself with an RBI-double in the eighth.  The base running was also suspect, which I believe can be chalked up to an over-excited and aggressive Phillies line-up.

What Happened:  Kyle Schwarber introduced himself to the Phillies fans with a lead-off first inning home run, and then earned the first curtain call of the season.  In the third, Bryce Harper doubled home Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins drove in a pair with a line drive single to right and Didi Gregorius drove home Hoskins with his own RBI single.  Every Phillies starter had a least one hit, other than Matt Vierling, although Vierling contributed a sacrifice fly in the sixth.  Nick Castellanos, who had struck out in his first three at-bats, doubled home Harper in the seventh.  Stott and Schwarber added a few more runs in the eighth with Stott's first big league double and an RBI-single from Schwarber.

Aaron Nola cruised through the first three innings, and his first hit allowed was a solo home run to Chad Pinder in the fourth.  It was relatively smooth sailing for Jeurys Familia, Brad Hand and Seranthony Dominguez out of the bullpen, and Corey Knebel pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two, in his Phillies debut.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  For the second year in a row, Doug and I were there!  Here's a summary of a memorable opening day:

• We were there right after gates opened at 1:05.  Traffic was heavy and I've never seen the parking lots surrounding the ballpark so crowded.  Tailgating had obviously been going on for the better part of the day and we ended up parking right outside Lincoln Financial Field.
• Doug was craving Bull's and we waited in a long line for his standard order - BBQ pulled pork with cole slaw on top, with sides of baked beans and corn bread.
• The pre-game ceremony was once again impressive, with the Phanatic skydiving into the ballpark with the first pitch ball and Dan Baker throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.  Baker, the long-time public address announcer for the Phillies, was celebrating his 50th opening day with the club and his catcher for the first pitch was the first batter he every announced - Larry Bowa.
• We were lucky to have Diamond Club seats with my brother-in-law and his Dad.  Tommy Greene was seated a few rows in front of us.
• The Phillies Authentics store now has a wide selection of baseball cards for sale!  The cards all seemed reasonably priced and they were organized by player (Utley, Thome, Harper, Rollins, etc.) or alphabetical in white boxes.  There was a nice selection of star cards underneath a glass countertop.  I added the 1959 Topps Richie Ashburn card and Doug got a Luke Williams game-used base Topps Now card.  I'm not collecting the 1959 Topps set for a little bit, but we thought it would be cool to add a card to our set from the ballpark.
• The ballpark was PACKED.  We had trouble walking around and navigating through the lengthy lines that stretched beyond each concession stand.  The paid attendance was 44,232, and it seemed as if there were at least 10,000 more people than that there.
• Word is that team-issued photo card sets will make a return in 2022 after a two-year absence.  According to an employee from the Phillies Authentics store, they expect to have Yearbooks and photo card sets available for sale in May.

Transactions:  On Thursday, to get to the 28-man opening day roster, Stott (inf) had his contract selected from Lehigh Valley.  To make room for Stott on the 40-man roster, Rafael Marchan (c) was recalled and placed on the 60-day injured list with a knee injury.  Odubel Herrera (of), Sam Coonrod (rhp) and Ryan Sherriff (lhp) were placed on the 10-day injured list while James Norwood (rhp) was placed on the bereavement list.

On Thursday afternoon, we learned the unfortunate news that Mickey Moniak had suffered a hair-line fracture in his hand and would miss four to six weeks.  Moniak was set to be the club's opening day center fielder after his extremely impressive spring, and he received a warm welcome from the fans during pre-game introductions.  Simon Muzziotti (of) was recalled from Lehigh Valley to take his place.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Philly Baseball Card Show Report - Massive Crowd, Thome, 1965 Topps Haul

For the first time since February 2020, we returned to King of Prussia and attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, known to its friends as the Philly Show.  Doug and I have attended a few mall shows over the past year, but this was our first venture back to the Valley Forge Casino Resort since the Before Times, back when Doug's hair was cut into a neat trim.  We specifically went Saturday so that Doug could get Jim Thome to sign his Wall of Fame print, which in turn was part of Doug's Christmas present from Santa.

The convention room floor was jam packed and we realized immediately there were also way more tables and dealers than usual.  In the past, the show had been somewhat neatly organized into rows and clusters of tables but this show seemed to have a more haphazard feel to it and the walking lanes between dealers were noticeably slimmer.  Doug was there to do some freestyle picking as he's termed it, specifically looking for newer Phillies cards to add to his collection.  The highlight of his day was adding a Zack Wheeler certified autograph card from last year's Topps Heritage set to his collection.  Doug also was lucky enough to win a door prize, which was an Eagles display from their Super Bowl LII victory.

We braved the crowds for Doug's Thome autograph, and the Hall of Famer was very pleasant to us.  I then settled into a chair at Uncle Dick's Cards, which I had often seen but never really appreciated.  All told, I added 94 cards from Uncle Dick's to our 1965 Topps set, which I'll slowly chronicle over at my 1965 Topps blog.  I added three other star cards to the set, including my big purchase for the day, a Catfish Hunter rookie card.  A few 1959 Topps and 1969 Topps cards were added for good measure, as I've already determined I'll be chasing those sets after the 1965 Topps set is polished off.  It was a wonderful day, despite the crowds, and we're already looking forward to the next big show in March.

2021 Chachi Friendly Encounters #5

Memory Lane

Valley Forge 1 - September 2010 - Thinking of my Dad
Valley Forge 2 - October 2012 - Doug's first baseball card show
Valley Forge 3 - September 2014 - Meeting Darren Daulton
Oaks 1 - October 2015 - Meeting Pete Rose and Steve Carlton
Valley Forge 4 - September 2016 - Phillies acquisitions and 4 Phillies Legends
Valley Forge 5 - December 2016 - Meeting Don Money
Valley Forge 6 - September 2017 - Doug's big day
Valley Forge 7 - December 2017 - Ben's first baseball card show with Mike Schmidt and Rhys Hoskins!
Oaks 2 - December 2018 - Meeting Matt Stairs and Cole Hamels
Valley Forge 8 - March 2019 - 5 Phillies Autographs and Vintage Phillies Additions
Valley Forge 9 - September 2019 - Closing in on 1971 Topps set and Andrew McCutchen
Valley Forge 10 - December 2019 - Finishing 1971 Topps set, Starting 1965 Topps set, adding key autographs from Ryan Howard and Brad Lidge
Valley Forge 11 - February 2020 - More 1965 Topps cards, Jimmy Rollins, Mike Lieberthal and Jim Kaat

Valley Forge 12 - December 2021 - Huge haul of 1965 Topps, Jim Thome

1956 Topps #77 Harvey Haddix

This a crossover post from my other blog, chronicling each card in the wonderful 1956 Topps set. Today's post features former Phillies pitcher Harvey Haddix.  Please click on over there for all of the posts to date, including a look at all the Phillies Alumni featured in the set.



Harvey Haddix
St. Louis Cardinals
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  170
Born:  September 18, 1925, Medway, OH
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1952-1956; Philadelphia Phillies 1956-1957; Cincinnati Reds 1958; Pittsburgh Pirates 1959-1963; Baltimore Orioles 1964-1965
Died:  January 8, 1994, Springfield, OH (age 68)

1961 Topps #410

A three-time All-Star and a three-time Gold Glove winner, Harvey Haddix enjoyed a successful 14-year career in the big leagues, winning 136 games and a World Series ring with the 1960 Pirates.  His most famous feat was pitching a 12-inning perfect game against the Braves on May 26, 1959, a game he ultimately lost when the Braves scored an unearned run in the 13th inning.

Haddix was a 20-game winner in 1953, the first of his three years in a row to make the N.L. All-Star team.  That was his best season, as he went 20-9 with a 3.06 ERA, including 19 complete games and six shutouts.  He won at least 10 games in nine different seasons.  Given the nickname "Kitty" in part because of his fielding prowess on the mound, Haddix went the entire 1959 season without committing an error.  Some sources have him earning the nickname "The Kitten" due to his resemblance to Harry "The Cat" Brecheen (#229), while other sources note he had the nickname before ever becoming a teammate of Brecheen's.

In the 1960 World Series, Haddix started and won Game 5 and was the winning pitcher in Game 7 when Bill Mazeroski hit his game-winning home run against the Yankees' Ralph Terry.  Following his playing career, Haddix went on to coach for the Mets, Reds, Red Sox, Indians and Pirates.

Building the Set
December 11, 1996 from Winston-Salem, NC - Card #147

1982 Donruss #651

I was obsessed with the 1982 Donruss set when it came out.  I think it was a combination of the cards being much brighter than their 1982 Topps counterparts, more readily available than packs of 1982 Fleer and the addition of Diamond Kings cards.  The Babe Ruth puzzle didn't hurt either.  Cards of coaches were also a novelty to me, as I had never had any coach cards in my collection.  Haddix shows up in the 1982 Donruss set as a coach for the Pirates, and it struck me as odd to see someone who had to be at least 90 years old (a) in a baseball card set and (b) wearing the garish yellow jerseys of the Pirates, complete with black pillbox hat.  (Haddix was actually only 56 in 1981.)  Upon pulling the card from a pack, I assumed it had to be worth a small fortune.

I remember asking my Dad about Haddix and wanting to know more about the 12-inning perfect game he had thrown in 1959, only to have the Pirates ultimately lose the game.  My Dad had a vivid memory of that game and after he told me all about it, that 1982 Donruss card of an old coach became one of the most prized cards in my growing collection.

I have a vague memory of buying this card back in 1996 right before heading home from college for my winter break.  I paid $7 for the card from Tommy's Collectibles and I would have slipped it into my Dad's Christmas stocking as a Christmas present for "his collection."  When I could, I enjoyed tracking down cards of players that would have had some meaning to my Dad and me, and Haddix fit the bill.

The Card
It's strange to see an action shot of a pitcher as he appears to circle third, having lost his hat, and heading home.  Or is he beating out a play at first base?

Haddix had 1,575 career strikeouts, hitting the 150 strikeout plateau in five different seasons.  His fine 1953 season earned him second place in the N.L. Rookie of the Year voting behind the Dodgers' Jim Gilliam.  I believe this is the first appearance of a cartoon cat on the back of a 1956 Topps card.

1956 Season/Phillies Career
On May 11th, Haddix was traded with Ben Flowers and Stu Miller (#293) to the Phillies for Murry Dickson (#211) and Herm Wehmeier (#78).  Even though he originally didn't want to go to the Phillies, Haddix had a good season, compiling a record of 12-8 after tweaking his mechanics with the help of pitching coach Whit Wyatt.  He would have had 16 wins if not for four blown saves by the Phillies bullpen.  Following the season, and according to his SABR biography, manager Mayo Smith (#60) said the acquisition of Haddix had been the "year's most pleasant surprise."

Haddix was back in the Phillies starting rotation in 1957, appearing in 27 games and going 10-13 with a 4.06 ERA.  His inconsistency landed him in the bullpen for part of the season, but his best game came in July when he threw an 11-inning complete game shutout against the Cubs.  Haddix was dealt to the Reds following the 1957 season for outfielder Wally Post (#158).

Haddix appears in the 1957 Topps set with the Phillies, and a few years back I modified his original 1956 Topps card to update it for his actual team that season.

1953 Topps #273

1957 Topps #265

1959 Topps #184

1961 Topps #100

1965 Topps #67

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1953 Topps #273
First Topps Card:  1953 Topps #273
Representative Phillies Card:  1957 Topps #265
Last Topps Card:  1965 Topps #67
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Panini Golden Age #74

108 - Haddix non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/23/19.

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

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

1965 Topps #15 Robin Roberts

I'm trying to get the word out that I've started a new blog and here's a crossover post from it, chronicling each card we add to our new 1965 Topps set.  We started collecting the set this month and I'll be taking a deep dive look at each card we add.  Please click on over there for all of the posts to date, including a look at the Phillies Alumni featured so far.


Robin Evan Roberts
Baltimore Orioles
Pitcher

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  190
Born:  September 30, 1926, Springfield, IL
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1948-1961; Baltimore Orioles 1962-1965; Houston Astros 1965-1966; Chicago Cubs 1966
Hall of Fame Induction:  1976
Died:  May 6, 2010, Temple Terrace, FL (age 83)

Hall of Famer Robin Roberts was one of the most dominant right-handed pitchers of the 1950s, leading the National League in wins for four straight seasons between 1952 and 1955 and earning seven straight All-Star Game appearances.  A work horse for the Phillies, his 20-win season in 1950 led the Phillies to the World Series and made him the first pitcher to win at least 20 games for the club since Grover Cleveland Alexander did it in 1917.  Straddling the 1952 and 1953 seasons, he pitched 28 complete games in a row with his appearance on September 6, 1952 lasting 17 innings.  He led the league in strikeouts in 1953 and 1954, and was named The Sporting News pitcher of the year in both 1952 and 1955.

After departing the Phillies, Roberts bounced from the Yankees, Orioles, Astros and Cubs, pitching a total of 19 seasons and retiring at the age of 39.  He finished with a career record of 286-245 with a 3.41 ERA and exactly half of his 609 starts resulted in complete games (305).  His 609 games started currently rank 20th on the all-time list.  He was the first Phillies player to have his number retired in 1962 and the first player inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1978.

Building the Set
December 7, 2019 from King of Prussia, PA - Card #8
Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show held inside the Valley Forge Casino.  After meeting Benito Santiago, Brad Lidge and Ryan Howard and having secured the first five cards for our 1965 Topps set, I continued scanning tables for the final two cards I needed to complete my 1971 Topps set.

I found a dealer with organized binders of vintage Topps cards, and I dug in.  Quickly finding the last two cards I needed from 1971 - #662 Mike Hedlund and #715 Horace Clarke,  both in great shape - I started browsing through binders from other years, in search of cards for my 1960s Phillies team sets.  I added five cards (all high numbers) for those sets and then decided to look through the 1965 Topps binder, figuring Doug wouldn't mind if I added a few more cards to our set.  I found four more sharp cards for our set, featuring players who all had some meaning for me personally.  This Roberts card was the first of those four cards along with Jim Fregosi (#210), Juan Pizarro (#125) and Harvey Haddix (#67).  For all 11 cards, the dealer gave me a price of $62, which I felt was fair given I had calculated a price of $75 in my head for the lot.  I snapped a quick picture of his table before moving along.

The Card

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards

This is Roberts' third and final Topps card showing him with the Orioles, as he previously appeared with the team in the 1963 and 1964 Topps sets.  It's still odd seeing Roberts in anything other than red pinstripes.  It's also odd that Roberts wore #38 with the Orioles instead of his familiar #36.  Darrell Johnson wore #36 for the Orioles in 1962, Roberts first year with the club, and he only appeared in six games.  No one wore #36 for the Orioles during Roberts' remaining time with the club.

With the palm tree visible over Roberts' right shoulder, it would appear this photo was taken during spring training.

1965 Season
At the start of the 1965 season, Roberts was relegated to the Orioles bullpen as the team already had set its starting pitching rotation with Steve Barber (#113), Dave McNally (#249), Wally Bunker (#290) and Milt Pappas (#270).  With Pappas missing a few games in May, Roberts got his shot and pitched four straight complete games.  But he struggled after that, going 1-7 over his final eight starts with the club and the Orioles released him on July 31st.

The Astros picked him up a week later, and he immediately rewarded them with two shutouts in first two starts.  His first Astros start came against the Phillies, and he allowed just four hits while striking out six.  In total, Roberts started 25 games for both teams, going a combined 10-9 with a 2.78 ERA.

Phillies Career
Roberts signed with the Phillies as an amateur free agent before the 1948 season and he was sold to the Yankees on October 16, 1961.  In the decade-plus in between, he established himself as the best right-handed pitcher in franchise history.  He still ranks first in franchise history in games (529), complete games (272), and innings pitched (3,739 1/3), and is second only to Steve Carlton in games started (472), wins (234) and strikeouts (1,871).

Following his big league career, and after a partial season with the Reading Phillies in 1967 attempting a comeback, Roberts' later crossed paths with the Phillies when he served as a color commentary on Phillies broadcasts for games between 1974 and 1976.  Along with his induction into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1978, he was also named to their Centennial Team in 1983.  His statute sits outside the first base gate of Citizens Bank Park, and when he passed away in 2010 the Phillies wore a black #36 patch on their uniforms and hung a Roberts jersey in their dugout during each game.

1949 Bowman #46

1952 Topps #59

1956 Topps #180

1959 Topps #352

1966 Topps #530

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #46
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (12):  1952, 1956-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2019 Topps Archives #212

483 - Roberts non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 12/14/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Doug in the Hall of Fame Club at Citizens Bank Park in 2015
Photo shows the four greatest Phillies players together in Cooperstown

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.