1991 Medford Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  46
Card Size:  4 1/8" x 6"
Description:  For the third year in a row, the card fronts feature an action 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 took over sponsorship of the set in 1991, and they'd sponsor the set for the next two years.

How Distributed:  The original 35-card base set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the 1991 season.  Details vary as to how the 11-card update series was originally distributed.  The 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards describes two updates being issued.  The first update being the three card highlight set featuring white bordered cards for Tommy Greene, Terry Mulholland and Dale Murphy.  Mulholland's card celebrates his no-hitter from August 15, 1990, while Greene's celebrates his no-hitter from May 23, 1991.  Murphy's card commemorates his 2,000th hit on May 29, 1991.

The second update, according to the Catalog, contained eight cards and featured new manager Jim Fregosi, the Phillie Phanatic and six new Phillies players.  I have no recollection of purchasing two separate update sets at the Vet during the 1991 season, but my memory is admittedly starting to get a bit foggy.  The second update would not have been released before July 15th, the day Steve Searcy was acquired from the Tigers, and not after July 31st, the day Mike Hartley was acquired from the Dodgers.  Searcy is in the set while Hartley is not. 

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

1. Darrel Akerfelds (#35) 2. Andy Ashby (#40) 3. Wally Backman (#6)         4. Joe Boever (#30) 5. Rod Booker (#37) 6. Larry Bowa CO (#2) 7. Sil Campusano (#11) 8. Wes Chamberlain (#31)           9. Pat Combs (#38) 10. Danny Cox (#34)      11. Darren Daulton (#10) 12. Jose DeJesus (#54)

13. Lenny Dykstra (#4)    14. Darrin Fletcher (#24) 15. Tommy Greene (#49) 16. Jason Grimsley (#48) 17. Charlie Hayes (#8) 18. Von Hayes (#9) 19. Dave Hollins (#15) 20. Ken Howell (#43) 21. Ricky Jordan (#17) 22. John Kruk (#29) 23. Steve Lake (#25) 24. Hal Lanier CO (#22)

25. Tim Mauser (#52) 26. Roger McDowell (#13) 27. Denis Menke CO (#14) 28. Mickey Morandini (#12) 29. John Morris (#33) 30. Terry Mulholland (#45) 31. Dale Murphy (#3) 32. Johnny Podres CO (#46) 33. Randy Ready (#23) 34. Dickie Thon (#21) 35. John Vukovich CO (#18)

Complete Update Checklist, 2nd Version: 

1. Jim Fregosi MG (#11)           2. Ron Jones (#26) 3. Jim Lindeman (#55) 4. Wally Ritchie (#39)

5. Bruce Ruffin (#47) 6. Steve Searcy (#50) 7. Mitch Williams (#28) 8. Tommy Greene - No-Hitter

9. Terry Mulholland - No-Hitter 10. Dale Murphy - 2,000th Hit 11. Phillie Phanatic

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0)

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (9):  Backman, Chamberlain, Cox, Fletcher, Lindeman, Mauser, Morris, Searcy, Williams
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (27):  Akerfelds, Ashby, Boever, Booker, Campusano, Combs, Daulton, DeJesus, Dykstra, Greene, Grimsley, C. Hayes, V. Hayes, Hollins, Howell, Jones, Jordan, Kruk, Lake, McDowell, Morandini, Mulholland, Murphy, Ready, Ritchie, Ruffin, Thon

Jim Lindeman's uniform number is listed as #55, which is the number he wore during spring training.  He switched to #19 before the season started, taking the number most recently occupied before him by John Kruk.  Sil Campusano attended spring training wearing #11 and started the season on the disabled list.  When Fregosi was hired and took #11, Campusano switched to #16, the former number of departed manager Nick Leyva.

Manager (1):  Fregosi
Coaches (5):  Bowa, Lanier, Menke, Podres, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is shown posing while sitting on his ATV.
Broadcasters (0):  If a broadcaster card had been issued at the start of the season, it would have featured future manager Fregosi as he had recently joined the broadcast team.
Commemorative Cards (3):  Greene, Mulholland, Murphy

Surprises:  I find it strange all the coaches received cards in the first set, but the manager at the beginning of the season (Leyva) was omitted.  Leyva was fired on April 23rd, so my guess is the original 35-card set wasn't finalized until after his departure.  Or the first series originally contained 36 cards and the Leyva card was pulled after his firing.

Omissions:  Every Phillies player from opening day through July 31st has a card in this set except for Dave LaPoint, Rick Schu and Amalio Carreno.  LaPoint made the opening day roster but was released on April 23rd, the same day Leyva was dismissed.  Schu had a brief reunion with his original club, and he was on the active roster between May 28th and June 19th.  He was brought back up on August 28th and stayed with the team the rest of the season.  Carreno was recalled on July 2nd and sent back down on July 15th.  Ken Howell and Steve Ontiveros both spent the entire season on the disabled list and while Howell received a card in the set, Ontiveros did not.

Variations/Rarities:  As fellow collector Rick pointed out in a comment to the original post for this set, six additional cards were issued for former Phillies who were guests at the annual ALS Phillies Phestival.  These cards have only a red Phillies logo and a 1991 copyright on the backs, with no Medford logo. 

ALS Autograph Party      1. Harry Anderson           2. Gene Garber

3. Maje McDonnell CO           4. Ron Reed

5. Eddie Sawyer MG 6. Curt Simmons

Also See:  Scrapbook Sunday - August 12, 1991. Resources:  Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils). This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going to slowly go through some of these team issued set posts and update them with new information learned (if any) over the past six years. 1990 Phillies Photo Cards / 1992 Medford Phillies Photo Cards 1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Game 57 - 1957 Topps #404 Harry Anderson

Giants 6, Phillies 1
Game 57 - Sunday Afternoon, June 3rd in San Francisco
Record - 31-26, 3rd place, 3 games behind the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  To borrow from Phillies starting pitcher Jake Arrieta, "Overall it's just a really horse[bleep] series."

What It Means:  The Phillies have scored 1 run in their last 29 innings, and that run came on a solo home run from pitcher Arrieta in the 3rd inning of this game.  The offense went 0 for 17 with runners in scoring position in the series.  They'll have an off-day in Chicago on Monday before opening a three-game set with the 2nd place Cubs, who have a four-game winning streak and have won 8 of their last 10.

What Happened:  Arrieta seemed to be in control until a five-run 6th inning from the Giants, capped by a three-run home run from Andrew McCutchen.  After the game, he put partial blame on the defensive shifts the Phillies have employed, stating that "We need to have an accountability check."  It probably also doesn't help that the Phillies offense couldn't hit water at this point if they fell out of a boat.

Featured Card:  I'm at a loss, but I agree with Arrieta's horse[bleep] assessment.  Here's a vintage 1957 Topps card of Harry Anderson, who had the nickname of Harry the Horse during his playing days.

1991 Medford Phillies

I updated this post here in October 2020 and this original post is now outdated.

 
Number of Cards:  46
Card Size:  4 1/8" x 6"
Description:  For the third year in a row, the card fronts feature an action 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 took over sponsorship of the set in 1991, and they'd sponsor the set for the next two years.

How Distributed:  The original 35-card base set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the 1991 season.  Details vary as to how the 11-card update series was originally distributed.  The 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards describes two updates being issued.  The first update being the three card highlight set featuring white bordered cards celebrating the the team's two recent no-hitters and Dale Murphy's 2,000 career hit.

The second update, according to the Catalog, contained eight cards and featured new manager Jim Fregosi, the Phillie Phanatic and six new Phillies players.  I have no recollection of purchasing two separate update sets at the Vet during the 1991 season, but my memory is admittedly starting to get a bit foggy.

Complete Standard Checklist (35):  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.

2 - Larry Bowa CO 3 - Dale Murphy 4 - Lenny Dykstra 6 - Wally Backman 8 - Charlie Hayes 9 - Von Hayes 10 - Darren Daulton 11 - Sil Campusano 12 - Mickey Morandini 13 - Roger McDowell 14 - Denis Menke CO 15 - Dave Hollins 17 - Ricky Jordan 18 - John Vukovich CO 21 - Dickie Thon 22 - Hal Lanier CO 23 - Randy Ready 24 - Darrin Fletcher

25 - Steve Lake 29 - John Kruk 30 - Joe Boever 31 - Wes Chamberlain 33 - John Morris 34 - Danny Cox 35 - Darrel Akerfelds 37 - Rod Booker 38 - Pat Combs 40 - Andy Ashby 43 - Ken Howell 45 - Terry Mulholland 46 - Johnny Podres CO 48 - Jason Grimsley 49 - Tommy Greene 52 - Tim Mauser 54 - Jose DeJesus

Complete Update Checklist (11):

Dale Murphy HL Terry Mulholland HL Tommy Greene HL 11 - Jim Fregosi MG 26 - Ron Jones 28 - Mitch Williams

39 - Wally Ritchie 47 - Bruce Ruffin 50 - Steve Searcy 55 - Jim Lindeman Phillie Phanatic

One and Done (0)
First Appearances (9):  Backman, Chamberlain, Cox, Fletcher, Lindeman, Mauser, Morris, Searcy, Williams
Returning Players (27):  Akerfelds, Ashby, Boever, Booker, Campusano, Combs, Daulton, DeJesus, Dykstra, Greene, Grimsley, C. Hayes, V. Hayes, Hollins, Howell, Jones, Jordan, Kruk, Lake, McDowell, Morandini, Mulholland, Murphy, Ready, Ritchie, Ruffin, Thon

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.  I find it strange that all the coaches received cards in the first set, but the manager at the beginning of the season (Nick Leyva) was omitted.  Leyva was fired on April 23rd, so my guess is that this set wasn't finalized until after his departure . . . or the first series originally contained 36 cards and the Leyva card was pulled after his firing.
Coaches (5):  Bowa, Lanier, Menke, Podres, Vukovich
Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is shown posing while sitting on his ATV.
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (3):  Greene, Mulholland, Murphy

Mulholland's card celebrates his no-hitter from August 15, 1990, while Green's celebrates his no-hitter from May 23, 1991.  Murphy's card commemorates his 2,000th hit on May 29, 1991.

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 former Phillies signing autographs at the event.

Harry Anderson Gene Garber Maje McDonnell

Ron Reed Eddie Sawyer Curt Simmons

Also See:  Scrapbook Sunday - August 12, 1991
Trivia:  The Beckett database omits the update series and only lists the 35 cards from the base set.  Lindeman's uniform number is listed as #55, which is the number he wore during spring training.  He switched to #19 before the season started, taking the number most recently occupied before him by Kruk.
Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

1958 Philadelphia Phillies Picture Pack

My father-in-law is doing his best to keep busy during his retirement, and one of his many projects has been to diligently clean out closets, desks and other storage spaces around his house.  So far, I've been the beneficiary of some really cool baseball and Phillies finds as a result of his clean-ups, including the cards I'm displaying in this post.  At first, I wasn't sure what these were, but with a little research I've determined that this is the complete 1958 Jays Publishing Phillies team set.  There are 12 photos in total and they've been protected all these years in a brown envelope advertising "Twelve Phillies Photos" for just 25¢.  The photos are 5" x 7" with blank backs.

The Standard Catalog lumps all 681 versions of these photos, issued between 1958 and 1965, into one massive listing.  Beckett separates the photos by year and by team, and I found a great resource here with the Phillies checklists for each of the sets from 1958 through 1965.  The only thing that threw me off a little is that the images I found on the internet when doing a search for "Jays Publishing Phillies," contain the full team name, listed on the fronts of the photos as "Philadelphia Phillies."  These photos omit the city and just list the team name.  That being said, I'm still fairly confident these are the 1958 Jays Publishing Phillies photos.

(UPDATE (2/16/12):  Please see the first comment below from Matthew, a/k/a 14,000 Phillies, for the correct identification of this set.)

So many, many thanks to my father-in-law for adding these to my collection and here's hoping he continues to clean and find cool Phillies stuff!

1959 Topps Phillies

1959 Topps #39, #300, #175 and #85

Using basically the same pastel (and black) color palette from the 1958 Topps set, Topps made a few stylish tweaks for its 1959 offering. The player's photo is encircled and the player's name appears in all lower-case letters slanted across the top of the card.  Facsimile autographs make their return for the first time since 1956.  Topps also featured several "subsets" within the main set, including The Sporting News Rookie Stars of 1959, Baseball Thrills (featuring highlights from the 1958 season), and The Sporting News All-Stars.  

The Set

Number of cards in the set:  There are 572 cards in a complete set, the largest Topps set to date.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  If I was "forced" to pick another Topps set from the '50s to collect, I'd pick the 1959 Topps set.  I believe these are the first "old" cards I ever saw.

Notable competition:  Fleer released an 80-card set chronicling the life and career highlights of Ted Williams.

1959 Topps #372, #92, #382 and #178

1959 Phillies

Record and finish:  The Phils finished dead last in the National League with a record of 64-90.  It was the first time the team had lost 90 games in a season since 1947.

1959 Topps #39 (Back)

Key players:  First baseman Ed Bouchee was one of the few bright spots on the team, hitting .285 with 15 home runs and 74 RBIs.  Third baseman Gene Freese (.268, 23, 70) and right fielder Wally Post (.254, 22, 94) also added a little punch.  There weren't many bright spots on the pitching staff.  Robin Roberts went 15-17 with a 4.27 ERA and Turk Farrell led the team with just six saves.

Key events:  New general manager John Quinn traded away Whiz Kids Willie Jones and Granny Hamner during the season.  In his only season in the Majors, Sparky Anderson, the team's regular second baseman, hit just .218.  The team ranked last in the league in hitting and fielding.  Richie Ashburn overtook Ed Delahanty as the team's all-time hits leader.  Ashburn would finish the season with 2,217 hits, ten more than Delahanty's 2,207.

1959 Phillies in 1959 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  36 cards!  There are 36 cards in the complete 1959 Topps Phillies team set.  The final tally of Phillies cards appearing in Topps base sets in the 1950s:  173.

1959 Topps #156

Who’s in:  This is actually impressive.  38 players suited up for the Phillies in 1959, and all but six of them have cards in the 1959 Topps set.  Included in the tally of 36 cards in a "master" team set are two multi-player cards - #156 featuring all-star pitchers Billy Pierce and Roberts and #317 featuring hitting kings Willie Mays and Ashburn.

Who’s out:  The six players not in the 1959 Topps set are - Back-up catcher Joe Lonnett (43 games, .172 average), catcher John Easton (3 games, 0 for 3), reliever Taylor Phillips (1-4 with a 5.00 ERA), starting pitcher Ed Keegan (0-3 in his 3 starts), rookie Chris Short (14.1 innings, 8.16 ERA) and pitcher Freddy Rodriguez (1 game, 2 innings, 3 runs).

Phillies on other teams:  The following players spent time with the Phillies in 1959 and appear in the set with other teams - Outfielder Jim Bolger (#29 with the Cubs), infielder Harry Hanebrink (#322 with the Braves), reliever Humberto Robinson (#366 with the Braves), and outfielder Solly Drake (#406 with the Dodgers).

What’s he doing here:  There are six cards featuring players who did not spend any time with the Phillies in 1959 - Ruben Amaro, Bob Conley, Pancho Herrera, Ken Lehman (all in the minors), along with Ted Kazanski and Stan Lopata (both traded to the Braves in March).

Cards that never were candidates:  Lonnett, Phillips and Short.  Short would eventually enjoy a 14-year career with the Phillies.

Favorite Phillies card:  The rookie card of future Hall of Famer George "Sparky" Anderson.  It's not in my collection yet, but it will be there one day.

2008 Topps Heritage #101, #57, #85 and #703

Other Stuff

Recycled:  I wish Topps would come back to this design more often.  It was featured as the basis for the 2008 Topps Heritage set.  Baseball Cards Magazine also used the design for its "Repli-Cards" series back in 1989.

Blogs/Websites:  Would you like to know more about the 1959 Topps set?  Click here.  UPDATE - I'm going to also link to a relatively new blog on one collector's journey to complete the '59 Topps set.

Did You Know?:  By the end of the 1959 season, the only Whiz Kids remaining were Roberts, Ashburn and Curt Simmons.  Ashburn was shipped to the Cubs in January 1960, Simmons was released in May 1960 and he signed with the Cardinals, and Roberts was sold to the Yankees in October 1961.

1958 Topps Phillies

2002 Topps Archives #141, 1958 Topps #171, #348 and #433

Of all the Topps cards from the past 60 years, I'm perhaps the most unfamiliar with the 1958 Topps set.  In my younger collecting days, I had somehow managed to obtain samples of baseball cards from all of the Topps base set offerings from 1952 onwards, with the exception being this set.

1958 Topps #387

The Set

Number of cards in the set:  The set is numbered to a whopping 495, but card #145 was never issued due to Ed Bouchee's suspension for the first half of the 1958 season.  (See below for further details.)

My very brief thoughts on the set:  It's similar to the 1954 Topps set, with its bright backgrounds and portrait shots and it's a step up from the 1957 Topps set, despite the basic design and the mugshot-like fronts.  I dig the player's name appearing in large font at the top of the card.  And to borrow from Section 36's comment to my 1957 Topps Phillies post, this set seems more classic and less "old."

Notable competition:  Hires Root Beer released a 66-card set, available on the side of the soda's cardboard cartons.  There are 11 Phillies featured, and the set uses the "knothole" design which apparently had been in the running as the design for the never-released 1956 Bowman set.

1958 Phillies

1958 Topps #387 (Back)

Record and finish:  Kicking off a dark period in the franchise's history, the Phils finished in last place with a 69-85 record.  They would remain in the basement until 1962, when expansion teams and the hapless Chicago Cubs helped to elevate the Phils to a 7th place finish out of 10 National League teams.

Key players:  Richie Ashburn won his second National League batting title, going 3 for 4 on the final day of the season and raising his average to .350 to top Willie Mays and his .347 average.  The Phillies Encyclopedia calls Ashburn's season "one of the finest seasons of any player in modern Phillies history."  He led the league in hits, walks, triples and outfield putouts.  Left fielder Harry Anderson had an outstanding year, hitting .301 with 23 home runs and 97 RBIs.  Rookie pitcher Ray Semproch went 13-11 to start the season, but then won only two more games from mid-July through the season's end.  Robin Roberts had a comeback year of sorts, going 17-14 with a 3.24 ERA.
Key events:  The Phils acquired slugger Wally Post from the Reds in December 1957 for Harvey Haddix.  His 12 home runs in '58 marked a career low since he had become a regular with the Reds in '54.  Manager Mayo Smith was fired in July, and he was replaced by the team's manager from 1948-1952, Eddie Sawyer.  The team went 28-41 following Sawyer's return to the team.

1958 Topps #353, #181, #116 and #186

1958 Phillies in 1958 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 29 cards in the team set, bringing the cumulative eight-year total to 137 Phillies cards.

Who’s in:  7 of the regulars, 9 bench players, the 5 top starting pitchers, 5 relievers, 2 guys in the Phillies minor league system that year (Chuck Harmon and Dan Landrum) and a team card.

Who’s out:  First baseman Ed Bouchee was supposed be card #145 in the set, but Topps pulled his card after he was suspended for indecent exposure.  (See Wrigley Wax for required reading.)  Apparently rehabilitated, Bouchee returned to the Phillies in mid-season.  Reliever Seth Morehead got left out again, even though he pitched in 27 games.

Phillies on other teams:  There are three players who appeared with the Phillies in 1958, but appeared in the 1958 Topps set on different teams.  Tom Qualters appeared in just one game with the team in April before being sold to the White Sox.  He appeared as a member of the White Sox in the set's high series.  Catcher Carl Sawatski (card #234) was acquired from the Braves in June, and catcher Jim Hegan (card #345) was acquired from the Tigers in July.

What’s he doing here:  Mack Burk appeared in one game for the 1958 Phillies, striking out in his lone plate appearance in a game in June.

Cards that never were candidates:  Bouchee's #145 (obviously) and Morehead (again).

Favorite Phillies card:  Post had spent the first six seasons of his career wearing a Reds uniform, and he appears on his first Phillies card wearing the Reds' sleeveless vests from 1957.  It's perhaps the first Topps Phillies card to poorly mask a player switching teams in the offseason.

2007 Topps Heritage #45, #230, #310 and #326

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Topps used the 1958 Topps design for its 2007 Heritage set.

Blogs/Websites:  I am amazed and impressed that Cardboard Junkie is trying to put this set together.

Did You Know?:  The most valuable card in the set is a super rare variation of Frank "Pancho" Herrera's rookie card without the "A" at the end of his last name.  An internet search shows that examples of this variation have sold for thousands of dollars.