Congrats to Dick Allen - Hall of Famer!

On Sunday night, the 16-member Classic Baseball Era Committee finally inducted Dick Allen into the Hall of Fame.  Allen will posthumously be inducted this summer as part of the Class of 2025.  The Phillies Room is thrilled for Allen's family, the Phillies organization, and those who have continuously lobbied to have Allen immortalized in the Hall.  Finally!

1964 Topps #243

1965 Topps #460

1966 Topps #80

1967 Topps #450

1967 Topps #309

1968 Topps #225

1969 Topps #350

1970 Topps #40

1971 Topps #650

1972 Topps #240

1973 Topps #310

1974 Topps #70

1975 Topps #400

1976 Topps #455

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 13 - Phils Off to Worst Start Since 2015

2015 Topps Heritage #411

Reds 6, Phillies 2
Game 13 - Thursday Night, April 13th in Cincinnati
Record - 4-9, Tied for 4th Place, 5 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies once again couldn't solve Reds' starting pitcher Nick Lodolo, dropping this series opener by a score of 6-2.

What It Means:  After sitting through our son Doug's high school baseball game, which went nearly three and a half hours, I wasn't in the mood to watch the Phillies lose another game to the Reds.  This game came and went in the background as we recuperating from another long day.

What Happened:  The Phillies got to Lodolo for two runs when Nick Castellanos singled in the first and Kyle Schwarber hit a solo home run in the fifth.  The offense was just 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.  Bailey Falter was tagged for five Reds runs in his 4+ innings of work, giving up eight hits.

Featured Card:  The 2015 Phillies also had a 4-9 record after 13 games, and manager Ryne Sandberg would decide he'd had enough in late June, quitting his post.  The team, led by interim manager Pete Mackanin for the rest of the season, would finish with a 63-99 record, the most losses since the club also lost 99 games in 1969.  The 2023 Phillies, at least on paper, are a lot better than the 2015 Phillies, and I optimistically believe this will not be a 99 loss season.

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

Ending 2020 on a High Note (#SBWTMABCTJ)

I've always prided myself in trying to live in the moment and to not spend too much time looking forward to what comes next.  With that being said, I'm more than ready to turn the page on 2020 and I'm hopeful for a safe, healthy and less anxiety-filled 2021.  I'm extremely grateful my family made it through this year with our health and clinging to a few annual traditions that mean a lot to us.  Selfishly, one of those annual traditions I look forward to is the opening of presents at my Mom's house the day after Christmas.  The gathering was in doubt this year, but with everyone masked up, spread out as much as we could and with hand sanitizers readily available, we did it.  Dr. Fauci would have been proud.  The gathering was shorter than usual, with less hugs and less eating, but it still meant a lot.  We gathered for a quick family selfie at the end of the evening, which was really the only time we all briefly came together.

The last present I opened yesterday contained eight individually wrapped gifts in the exact shape and size of baseball cards.  If you've read this blog each December for the past 10 years, you're now familiar with the annual event of Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim.  Thanks largely to my Mom, it's actually getting harder to populate my Most Wanted - Vintage list on this blog's sidebar, and I may need to change up my tactics for 2021's installment.  From this year's haul, the 10th Annual SBWTMABCTJ:

1949 Bowman #228 Jackie Mayo - The addition of this Mayo card, since jail-breaked from its slab, means I'm only one card away from a 1949 Bowman Phillies team set.  The Richie Ashburn rookie card is going to need to wait a little bit longer.

1952 Topps #13 Johnny Wyrostek - Wyrostek is on the Reds here, but he played with the Phillies in 1952 which means he fits into my definition of belonging in my 1950s Phillies binder.  The only remaining 1952 Topps Phillies cards I need now are from the pricey high-number series.

1953 Bowman Black & White #47 Jack Lohrke - Compared to their Color counterparts, the 1953 Bowman Black & White set often gets overlooked.  For a complete run of Bowman Phillies cards, I'm down to needing three cards - the '49 Ashburn rookie, along with Wyrostek and Andy Hansen from this 1953 Bowman set.

1956 Topps #114 Jim Owens and #274 Frank Baumholtz - I already own these cards in our 1956 Topps set, and I'm selfishly adding second copies of each for my 1950s Phillies binder.

1966 Topps #543 Roger Craig - This card gets me one card away from a complete run of Phillies cards from the 1960s Topps sets.  I'm down to needing just the Gary Sutherland card (shared with the Mets' Don Shaw) from the tough 1967 Topps high-number series.  The only cards standing in the way of my having a complete run of Topps Phillies team sets from 1951 to 2020 are four cards from the 1952 Topps high-number series, two cards from the 1956 Topps set and the Sutherland Rookie Stars card.

1971 Topps #664 Ken Reynolds and #692 Wayne Twitchell - These two cards wrap up my complete run of 1970s Topps Phillies team sets.  Again, Twitchell is with the Brewers here but since he played with the Phillies in 1971, it's worthy of a spot in my team set.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your families!  Stay safe, mask up and go wash your hands.

Remembering Dick Allen (1942-2020)

This post, featuring 1965 Topps #460, was originally published on my Collecting 1965 Topps blog in October.  As a result of the pandemic, the Golden Days Committee postponed its Hall of Fame vote until next year.

 
Richard Anthony Allen
Philadelphia Phillies
Third Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  187
Born:  March 8, 1942, Wampum, PA
Signed:  Signed as an amateur free agent by the Philadelphia Phillies before the 1960 season
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1963-1969; St. Louis Cardinals 1970; Los Angeles Dodgers 1971; Chicago White Sox 1972-1974; Philadelphia Phillies 1975-1976; Oakland Athletics 1977

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards

A seven-time All-Star and the A.L. MVP in 1972, Dick Allen was one of the most feared sluggers of the '60s and '70s.  He won Rookie of the Year honors in 1964, hitting .318 and leading the league in runs scored (125) and triples (13) the year the Phillies heartbreakingly collapsed down the stretch.  The first black superstar for the Phillies, he dealt with racism throughout his climb up the team's minor league system and experienced a tense relationship with the media and fanbase during his years with the club.  Still, he was a prolific power hitter, landing in the top ten for home runs in National League in five seasons with the Phillies between 1964 and 1969.

Allen requested and received a trade following the 1969 season, and he played for two seasons with the Cardinals and Dodgers before landing with the White Sox in 1972 and experiencing another power surge.  He hit .308 for the 1972 White Sox and led the league in home runs (37) and RBIs (113) en route to winning the league's MVP honors.  Allen was coaxed out of retirement following the 1974 season and re-joined the Phillies in 1975.  He saw his first and only postseason action with the club in 1976, teaming with Mike Schmidt and Greg Luzinski to form a formidable middle of the line-up.

Over 15 big league seasons, Allen hit .292 with 351 home runs and 1,119 RBIs, and he's widely acknowledged as one of the best players in the history of the game not yet in the Hall of Fame.  He'll get another shot at the Hall in December when The Golden Days Committee is scheduled to vote again.  On August 13, 2020, the Phillies announced they would be retiring Allen's #15, reversing a long-time policy of the club not to retire the number of any player not yet in the Hall of Fame.

Building the Set
August 18, 2020 from Morton Grove, IL - Card #140
I went searching on eBay for this card the day the Phillies announced they would be retiring Allen's #15 during a September 3rd ceremony, marking the 53rd anniversary of Allen's big league debut.  This is the fourth time I've decided to purchase a card no matter what, given the circumstances of a specific day.  Here's the list so far:

• Don Larsen (#389) - Purchased on New Year's Day 2020 after the pitcher's passing.
• Jim Kaat (#62) - Purchased in February at the Philly Show as the pitcher was one of the show's autograph guests.  I wanted to buy the card there and have Kaat sign it.
• Al Kaline (#130) - Bought on April 6th after the Hall of Famer had passed away.
• Richie Allen (#460) - Shopped for and purchased on August 13th, the day of the Phillies' announcement.

I honestly didn't expect the Allen card to be as pricey as it ended up being, but this continues the recent trend of prices going up for these vintage Topps cards.  I still suspect the pandemic has had the unexpected side effect of bringing people to or back into the hobby.  I looked through quite a few cards and took my time with my decision before settling on a card for sale from the exotically named eBay seller, psychedelicart69.

The Card / Phillies Team Set
This is a beautiful baseball card with the golden All-Star Rookie trophy perfectly positioned.  Flipping to the back, Allen's two home run day came on October 4th, after the Phillies had already completed their collapse.  Topps then summarizes the highlights of Allen's stellar rookie year.

While not a reprint, Allen received a card in the style of the 1965 Topps set in the 2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites set.

1965 Season
Allen again served as the team's regular third baseman, starting 160 of the team's 162 games.  He hit .302 with 20 home runs and 85 RBIs, with his numbers dipping slightly from the prior year.  He originally refused to report to spring training, requesting a hefty raise following his rookie campaign and eventually coming to terms with then general manager John Quinn for $20,000.  Allen hit the first ever regular season home run at the Astrodome on April 12th and hit a home run that reportedly went 510 feet off the Cubs' Larry Jackson (#420) on May 29th.

Prior to the game on July 3rd and according to various accounts, Frank Thomas (#123) and Allen got into a fight.  Different reports have Thomas using racial slurs or swinging a bat in Allen's direction after Allen had taken a swing at him.  Whatever truly happened marked the end of Thomas' Phillies career as he was put on waivers following the game and sold to the Astros on July 10th.  There's a great article, linked here and authored by Frank Fitzpatrick, that appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2015 to mark the 50th anniversary of the fight.

At the All-Star Game on July 13th, Allen was the starting N.L. third baseman and went 1 for 3 with a single off Pete Richert (#252).

Phillies Career
In his nine seasons with the Phillies, Allen hit .290 with 204 home runs and 655 RBIs.  He currently ranks second in club history with a .530 slugging percentage (behind Chuck Klien's .553) and 10th on the team's all-time home run list.  He was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame in 1994.

He also joined the team's front office in 1994 as a fan representative and the 2020 Phillies Media Guide lists his current official title as Club Ambassador.

1964 Topps #243

1966 Topps #80

1968 Topps #225

1975 Topps #400

1976 Topps #455

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1964 Topps #243
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1964-1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions #15

226 - Allen non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/17/20.

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! (Social Distancing Version)

Tax day has been pushed back to at least July 15th this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  However, that didn't stop my best client, my Mom, from paying for her tax services in advance and in full.  As has been the tradition in recent years, she took it upon herself to wipe out my Ten Most Wanted list from my sidebar as payment for preparing her tax returns.  The payment received does not come close to matching the value of the services rendered, but she insists on overpaying and I'm certainly not complaining.

These Most Wanted lists are getting more difficult to populate as I've slowly accumulated most of the Phillies cards from the Bowman and Topps sets of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.  The cards remaining on my want lists from those sets are mostly high priced cards I'll eventually track down one at a time.  Here's a look at the cards from my Mom and an update on where I stand with completing some landmark Phillies team sets.

1952 Topps #187 Bob Miller and #281 Tommy Brown - This might be it for a little while in terms of progress on my 1952 Topps Phillies team set.  The remaining cards I need are all from the high number series, meaning they're all somewhat pricey.  As of this writing, I need four more cards for a complete 1952 Topps Phillies team set.

1953 Topps #22 Howie Fox - This card completes the 9-card 1953 Topps Phillies team set for me.  I still have Johnny Lindell (#230) on my want list, as Lindell appears in the set with the Pirates but he played in 1953 with the Phillies.


1956 Topps #7 Ron Negray and #60 Mayo Smith - I always feel a little selfish adding second versions of these cards to my collection.  My Dad and I collected the entire 1956 Topps set together, and now I'm adding second copies of the Phillies cards from the set to my 1950s Phillies binder.  I'm four cards away from completing a Phillies team set (for the second time).  I'm pretty sure these Negray and Smith cards are in better shape than the cards in our actual 1956 Topps set.

1957 Topps #332 Bob Bowman - This completes my 27-card Phillies team set from the 1957 Topps set.  I've never been a big fan of the 1957 Topps set, but these cards look incredible together.

1966 Topps #595 Larry Jackson - With the addition of this card, I'm one card away from completing this Phillies team set as well.  I'm down to needing only the Roger Craig card (#543) which is one of the pricier Phillies cards from the 1966 Topps set.  (I tracked down the elusive Grant Jackson Rookie Stars card a few years ago.)

1967 Topps #244 N.L. Home Run Leaders - This might be my favorite card out of this lot.  Featuring two Hall of Famers with Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, and someone who should be in the Hall of Fame - Dick Allen.  I still need to track down the high-number Rookie Stars card of Gary Sutherland to complete my 1967 Topps Phillies team set.

1970 Topps #539 Doyle/Bowa and #654 Oscar Gamble - These two cards close out my 1970 Topps Phillies team set.  Larry Bowa looks so young here.


Finally, I've scheduled this post to publish on my Mom's birthday.  I'm eternally grateful for her health, her humor, her good spirits and her constant encouragement.  I can't wait to celebrate properly when everything gets back to normal.  Happy birthday Mom!

1965 Topps #22 Charlie Smith

While the 2020 baseball season and The Phillies Room have paused and are currently practicing responsible social distancing, I'm still regularly posting on my 1956 Topps and 1965 Topps blogs.  New 1956 Topps posts are scheduled for every Friday morning, while I'll be posting new cards added to our 1965 Topps set on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday mornings.  My 1965 Topps blog took a look at short-time Phillies player Charlie (or Charley) Smith.  Stay safe everyone!


Charles William Smith
New York Mets
Third Base-Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  170
Born:  September 15, 1937, Charleston, SC
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1957 season
Major League Teams:  Los Angeles Dodgers 1960-1961; Philadelphia Phillies 1961; Chicago White Sox 1962-1964; New York Mets 1964-1965; St. Louis Cardinals 1966; New York Yankees 1967-1968; Chicago Cubs 1969
Died:  November 29, 1994, Reno, NV (age 57)

Charlie Smith, or Charley Smith per most reference sources, played for 10 years in the Majors mostly in a utility infielder role.  Primarily a third baseman, he appeared in over 120 games in a season five different times with the Dodgers and Phillies in 1961, the White Sox and Mets in 1964, the Mets again in 1965, the Cardinals in 1966 and the Yankees in 1967.  Smith was sent to the Yankees in December 1966 in the deal that saw Roger Maris (#155) head to St. Louis.

In 771 career games, Smith hit .239 with 69 home runs and 281 RBIs, finishing three years in the top 10 for strikeouts.

Building the Set
January 25, 2020 from Los Angeles, CA - Card #39
Some January days are longer than others, and on a particularly long January day at work a few months ago, I decided I needed a few more 1965 Topps cards for our set.  I've been familiar with Greg Morris Cards for a while now, as I've been using a lot of the images of old Topps cards scanned for their eBay auction listings in these posts and within the posts over at my 1956 Topps blog.  The images are always centered and clear and for all the help Greg Morris has indirectly provided me, I thought I'd browse his eBay store.

Given the vast inventory available, I figured there had to be at least a few 1965 Topps cards up for auction, and I was correct.  I stumbled upon a set break and I set about finding auctions with no current bidders and cards graded at least EX-MT.  I bid on a total of 20 auctions, winning 10 of them, including this Smith card.  I was the first and sole bidder on the Smith card and the first Mets card for our set was on its way to us from Los Angeles for a winning bid of $0.79.

The Card
This card gives us a fantastic look at the New York World's Fair patch the Mets wore on their sleeves during the 1964 season.  Smith appeared in every Topps set between 1962 and 1969, and he's Charlie on his cards for every year except 1963 and 1967 when Topps went with Charley.  This is his only Topps card to refer to him as a part-time outfielder, as Smith had played 13 games in left field for the Mets in 1964.  For his career, Smith appeared on the field in 698 games with 623 of those appearances coming at third base.

His 20 home runs in 1964 were indeed tops on the Mets, with Joe Christopher (#495) and his 16 home runs finishing second on the team.

Mets Team Set

1965 Season
This would be Smith's best season in the Majors.  As the everyday first baseman for the Mets, Smith hit .244 over 135 games with 16 home runs and a career high 62 RBIs.  Following the season, the Mets traded Smith to the Cardinals with Al Jackson (#381) for Ken Boyer (#100).

1961 Sports Service Phillies
Set B

Phillies Career
On May 4, 1961, the Phillies traded Turk Farrell (#80) and Joe Koppe to the Dodgers for Smith and Don Demeter (#429).  The Dodgers were in need of a closer having lost Ed Roebuck (#52) to a shoulder injury and the Phillies were looking to rebuild following a 95-loss season in 1960.  Demeter was the key return for the Phillies with the 23-year-old Smith seemingly included as a throw-in.  Smith immediately took over the starting third baseman's job from the platoon of Bobby Malkmus and Bob Sadowski (#156).

In 112 games for the Phillies, Smith hit .248 with 9 home runs and 47 RBIs.  His defense was shaky as he finished in fourth place for the highest number of errors committed in the N.L. with 28.  Following the season, Smith was on the move again, traded to the White Sox on November 28th with John Buzhardt (#458) for Roy Sievers (#574).

Smith appeared on a few oddball issuances as a Phillie, but there's no mainstream baseball cards to mark his one season with the club.

1962 Topps #283

1963 Topps #424

1966 Topps #358

1968 Topps #596

1969 Topps #538

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #283
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1962-1969
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA 1960s I #289

33 - Smith non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/26/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
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.