1978 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  35
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  As was the case with all Phillies photo cards issued throughout the 1970s, these cards feature a black and white photo with the players' name below.  The backs of the photo cards are blank and there's no indication on the cards themselves that they're from 1978.  Some of the cards contain blue facsimile autographs, as noted on the checklist below.  Tug McGraw's card features a rare horizontal format to fit his post wind-up photo.

How Distributed:  The photo cards were handed out to fans individually and supplied to the players in order to reply to fan mail or honor autograph requests.  I could be wrong, but I don't believe the cards were ever available in complete set form.  The set's checklist is comprised of the manager, five coaches, the entire 25-man opening day roster and two players acquired via trades in mid-June - Rawly Eastwick and Dick Ruthven.  As fellow collector Rick pointed out in a comment to this set's original post, there are action and portrait variations for the Tim McCarver and McGraw cards.  I'm not sure which versions are more prevalent, so I've included both in the standard checklist below.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Carroll Beringer CO         2. Bob Boone (action, auto) 3. Larry Bowa (auto) 4. Warren Brusstar (action) 5. Jose Cardenal (auto) 6. Steve Carlton (action, auto)       7. Larry Christenson 8. Billy DeMars CO 9. Rawly Eastwick (action) 10. Barry Foote (action) 11. Gene Garber (action) 12. Bud Harrelson (action)

13. Richie Hebner (auto) 14. Dave Johnson (auto) 15. Jay Johnstone (action, auto) 16. Jim Kaat (auto) 17. Randy Lerch (action) 18. Jim Lonborg (action) 19. Greg Luzinski (auto) 20. Garry Maddox (action, auto) 21. Jerry Martin (action) 22. Bake McBride (action, auto)       23. Tim McCarver (portrait)         24. Tim McCarver (action)

25. Tug McGraw (portrait) 26. Tug McGraw (action) 27. Jim Morrison 28. Danny Ozark MG (auto) 29. Ron Reed (action) 30. Ray Rippelmeyer CO 31. Dick Ruthven (action) 32. Mike Schmidt 33. Ted Sizemore (action, auto) 34. Tony Taylor CO (auto) 35. Bobby Wine CO (auto)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0)

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (4):  Cardenal, Eastwick, Harrelson, Morrison
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (25):  Boone, Bowa, Brusstar, Carlton, Christenson, Foote, Garber, Hebner, Johnson, Johnstone, Kaat, Lerch, Lonborg, Luzinski, Maddox, Martin, McBride, McCarver (2), McGraw (2), Reed, Ruthven, Schmidt, Sizemore

Manager (1):  Ozark
Coach (5):  Beringer, DeMars, Rippelmeyer, Taylor, Wine

Surprises:  The Phillies made two fairly significant trades on back-to-back days on June 14th and June 15th.  First, Jay Johnstone and Bobby Brown were traded to the Yankees for Eastwick.  A day later, Gene Garber was sent to the Braves for Ruthven.  Both Eastwick and Ruthven are featured in action photos for their cards, meaning these update cards were issued as early as late June.

Bob Boone's card uses the same photo as his 1977 photo card, but with a slightly different autograph placement.

Omissions:  The Phillies teams of the late 1970s were mostly very good teams, which correlates to little to no roster turnover.  There were 10 players who appeared with the 1978 Phillies who did not appear in this photo card set, and all with good reason.  Of the 10, only Orlando Gonzalez made his season debut before September and he only appeared in 26 games.  Pete Mackanin, Horacio Pina and Dan Larson all joined the organization in September.  Three September call-ups saw action early that month - Lonnie  Smith, Todd Cruz and Kerry Dineen - while three other prospects made their season debuts on the final day of the season, October 1st - Keith Moreland, Kevin Saucier and Dan Boitano.

Variations/Rarities:  Rick also confirmed the existence of a Mike Schmidt variation, with a blue facsimile autograph.

Signature Variation 1. Mike Schmidt (auto)

Harrison/Erickson 1. Phillie Phanatic

And while not part of the team issued set, there is a 1978 color postcard of the Phillie Phanatic issued by the Phanatic's creators Harrison/Erickson.  Perhaps this could be considered the Phanatic's rookie card?  Finally, I added a photo card of coach Carroll Beringer to my collection over the past few years that is slightly larger than the standard 3 1/4" x 5 1/2" photo cards.  I don't know what year this would have been issued, but I've included it below for reference.  Beringer was the team's bullpen coach between 1973 and 1978.

Also See:  1978 Phillies Spring Training and 1978 SSPC Baseball the Phillies Way - Part One and Part Two.

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Phillies collectors Steve F. and Rick G.

This set was originally featured in a post back in January 2015, and I'm going to slowly go through these team-issued set posts and update them with new information learned (if any) over the past six years.

 

1977 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards / 1979 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards

1970-1979 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Series Preview - Cardinals at Phillies: May 28th to May 30th

1971 Topps #435

1971 Topps #465

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Cardinals 26-26, 4th place in the N.L. Central, 3 games behind the Cubs
Phillies 31-22, 1st place in the N.L. East, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Braves

Cardinals Probables:  Adam Wainwright (4-4, 4.82), Genesis Cabrera (0-0, 0.00), Dakota Hudson (3-3, 4.22)
Phillies Probables:  Nick Pivetta (2-1, 8.35), Aaron Nola (5-0, 4.53), Jerad Eickhoff (2-2, 3.86)

At the Ballpark:  It's another Throwback Thursday on Thursday afternoon, with the Phillies wearing their retro powder-blue uniforms.

Cardinals Leaders
Average:  Martinez - .304
Runs:  Paul DeJong - 39
Home Runs:  Marcell Ozuna - 14
RBIs:  Marcell Ozuna - 45
Stolen Bases:  Kolten Wong - 7

Wins:  Three tied with - 4
ERA:  Jack Flaherty - 3.77
Strikeouts:  Jack Flaherty - 65
Saves:  Jordan Hicks - 10

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Jean Segura - .315
Runs:  Andrew McCutchen - 37
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 13
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 41
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez and Jean Segura - 3

Wins:  Three tied with - 5
ERA:  Zach Eflin - 3.02

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 66
Saves:  Hector Neris - 9

Series Preview - Padres at Phillies: July 20th to July 22nd

1978 Topps #390

1978 Topps #210

Friday and Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Padres 40-59, 5th place in the N.L. West, 14 1/2 games behind the Dodgers
Phillies 53-42, 1st place in the N.L. East, 1/2 game ahead of the Braves

Padres Probables:  Clayton Richard (7-8, 4.43), Luis Perdomo (1-4, 7.55), Tyson Ross (5-8, 4.32)
Phillies Probables:  Jake Arrieta (7-6, 3.23), Vince Velasquez (5-8, 4.39), Nick Pivetta (6-7, 4.58)

At the Ballpark:  It's Photo Night on Saturday and as an added bonus all kids will receive a W.B. Mason collectible truck.  On Sunday, all fans receive a pair of Phillies socks.

Padres Leaders
Average:  Jose Pirela - .261
Runs:  Jose Pirela - 45
Home Runs:  Christian Villanueva - 19
RBIs:  Christian Villaneuva - 43
Stolen Bases:  Travis Jankowski - 14

Wins:  Clayton Richard - 7
ERA:  Tyson Ross - 4.32
Strikeouts:  Tyson Ross - 97
Saves:  Brad Hand - 24

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .275
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 63
Home Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 16
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 56
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 14

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 12
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.30
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 131
Saves:  Hector Neris - 10

1970 Topps - Phillies Cards

1970 Topps #336

1970 Topps #485

1970 Topps #665

1970 Topps #675

I've had fun the last few years putting together these season wrap-up posts, looking at all of the cards within a particular Topps set with a Phillies connection.  Anyone who has put on a Phillies uniform at some point in his career - as a player, coach or manager - qualifies for the list below.  I also included Woody Woodward's card in my tally as he briefly served as the Phillies General Manager in 1988. Most of these cards made their way into series preview posts throughout the year, but I wanted to show some of those cards that didn't make it.

National League East (45 - 16 without Phillies)
Atlanta Braves (4) - #105 Tony Gonzalez, #171 Jim Nash, #384 Gary Neibauer, #546 Ron Reed
Miami Marlins (0)
New York Mets (7) - #26 Tug McGraw, #83 Don Cardwell, #99 Bobby Pfeil, #309 Jerry Koosman WS, #468 Jerry Koosman AS, #610 Jerry Koosman, #634 Bud Harrelson
Philadelphia Phillies (29)
Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) (5) - #332 Bobby Wine, #417 John Bateman, #442 Gene Mauch MG, #632 Gary Sutherland, #666 Adolfo Phillips

National League Central (30)
Chicago Cubs (4) - #69 Fergie Jenkins LL, #71 Fergie Jenkins LL, #240 Fergie Jenkins, #375 Johnny Callison
Cincinnati Reds (12) - #61 Pete Rose LL, #63 Tony Perez LL, #115 Alex Johnson, #181 Sparky Anderson MG, #296 Woody Woodward, #380 Tony Perez, #409 Bob Tolan, #458 Pete Rose AS, #507 Pat Corrales, #580 Pete Rose, #602 Ted Savage, #683 Wayne Simpson/Hal McRae RS
Milwaukee Brewers (Seattle Pilots) (1) - #556 Dave Bristol MG
Pittsburgh Pirates (5) - #141 Dave Cash RS, #166 Al Oliver, #264 Rich Hebner, #532 Danny Murtaugh MG, #643 Jose Pagan
St. Louis Cardinals (8) - #40 Rich Allen, #67 Steve Carlton LL, #92 George Culver, #162 Jerry Johnson, #220 Steve Carlton, #482 Tom Hilgendorf, #569 Cookie Rojas, #673 Jose Cardenal

1970 Topps #116

1970 Topps #23

1970 Topps #380

1970 Topps #537

National League West (9)
Arizona Diamondbacks (0)
Colorado Rockies (0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (3) - #174 Ted Sizemore, #260 Claude Osteen, #446 Billy Grabarkewitz
San Diego Padres (3) - #44 Roberto Pena, #130 Ollie Brown, #284 Jack Baldschun
San Francisco Giants (3) - #77 Frank Linzy, #378 Jim Davenport, #583 Hal Lanier

American League East (15)
Baltimore Orioles (7) - #45 Dave Johnson, #182 Dick Hall, #319 Clayton Dalrymple, #344 Marcelino Lopez, #477 Roger Freed RS, #497 Eddie Watt, #601 Pete Richert
Boston Red Sox (4) - #116 Sparky Lyle, #144 Ray Culp, #627 Gary Wagner, #665 Jim Lonborg
New York Yankees (4) - #23 Bill Robinson, #416 Joe Verbanic, #437 Danny Cater, #568 Stan Bahnsen
Tampa Bay Rays (0)
Toronto Blue Jays (0)

American League Central (6)
Chicago White Sox (0)
Cleveland Indians (2) - #59 Dick Ellsworth, #524 Alvin Dark MG
Detroit Tigers (1) - #313 Mayo Smith MG
Kansas City Royals (0)
Minnesota Twins (3) - #25 Cesar Tovar, #75 Jim Kaat, #194 Chuck Manuel

1970 Topps #106

1970 Topps #319

1970 Topps #663

1970 Topps #570

American League West (9)
Houston Astros (3) - #32 Harry Walker MG, #155 Denis Menke, #537 Joe Morgan
Los Angeles Angels (2) - #485 Jay Johnstone, #570 Jim Fregosi
Oakland Athletics (2) - #531 Ron Clark, #663 Tito Francona
Seattle Mariners (0)
Texas Rangers (Washington Senators) (2) - #106 Darold Knowles, #336 Del Unser

Memory Lane

1970 Topps - 114 cards with Phillies connections
1973 Topps - 107 cards with Phillies connections
1979 Topps - 111 cards with Phillies connections, plus one more
1985 Topps - 153 cards with Phillies connections
1988 Topps - 154 cards with Phillies connections

Phillies at Cubs: August 30th to September 1st

Friday 2:20, Saturday 4:05, Sunday 2:20
Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL

Phillies 61-73, Tied for 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 20 1/2 games behind the Braves
Cubs 56-77, 5th Place in the N.L. Central, 22 games behind the Cardinals

Phillies Probables:  Roy Halladay (3-4, 7.81), Cliff Lee (11-6, 3.07), Kyle Kendrick (10-11, 4.40)
Cubs Probables:  Jeff Samardzija (8-11, 4.03), Chris Rusin (2-3, 2.64), Jake Arrieta (1-1, 4.50)

At the Ballpark:  Most of the buzz around the ballpark this weekend will be due to Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg's return to Wrigley Field as the interim manager of the Phillies.  It should be a cool weekend for Sandberg, and hopefully his team can add a few wins for him.

Today, the first 10,000 fans will receive the fourth in a series of Topps Archives Cubs cards, created especially for Wrigley.  Tomorrow afternoon is Anthony Rizzo bobble head day and the first 5,000 kids will receive a Cubs diecast car on Sunday afternoon.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Domonic Brown - .277

Runs:  Chase Utley - 60

Home Runs:  Domonic Brown - 27

RBIs:  Domonic Brown - 80

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 22

Wins:  Cliff Lee - 11

ERA:  Cliff Lee - 3.07

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 166

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 22

1973 Topps #632 and #393

1973 Topps Flashback:  The last flashback featured players with a common connection.  This time, there's no direct connection between Dick Selma and Jose Cardenal, other than they both spent time with the Phillies and the Cubs.

Right-handed reliever Selma came to the Phillies in November 1969 in the deal that sent long-time Phillie Johnny Callison to Chicago.  He spent parts of the next four seasons with the Phils, going 11-21 with a 3.93 ERA in 132 relief appearance and 10 starts.  By the time collectors were opening packs of 1973 Topps cards, Selma had already been released by the Phillies as he was cut loose in May 1973.

Cardenal's lengthy career was winding down by the time he came to the Phillies in October 1977.  He was with the team for the entire 1978 season, but was sold to the Mets in August 1979.  Almost four years ago, I ran a post featuring quite possibly one of the best Topps cards from the 1970s, starring Cardenal's magnificent afro.  I also featured this piece of trivia on another Cardenal post:

If you asked the question, "Who is the last Phillie to wear the number 1?," most people would respond, Richie Ashburn.  But most people would be wrong.  Jose Cardenal wore #1 for the Phillies in 1978 and until he was sold to the Mets on August 2, 1979.  Richie had his #1 retired on August 24, 1979, and no Phillie player has worn it since.  And now you know.

Giants at Phillies: July 20th to July 22nd

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05, Sunday 1:35

Giants 51-41, 1st Place in the N.L. West, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Dodgers
Phillies 41-52, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 13 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Giants Probables:  Tim Lincecum (3-10, 5.93), Matt Cain (10-3, 2.56), Barry Zito (8-6, 3.75)
Phillies Probables:  Vance Worley (5-5, 3.47), Cole Hamels (11-4, 3.07), Joe Blanton (8-8, 4.79)

At the Ballpark:  Tomorrow afternoon is Phillies Photo Day and fans will be permitted onto the field to take close-up pictures of the meandering Phillies players, coaches and broadcasters.  All fans will also receive a "2012 Phillies Print," which if it's anything like prior years will be a team photo.  On Sunday afternoon, kids will receive a Roy Halladay Fathead Jr. - aka a Halladay sticker you can stick to a wall.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Carlos Ruiz - .350

Runs:  Hunter Pence - 59

Home Runs:  Hunter Pence - 17

RBIs:  Hunter Pence - 57

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre and Shane Victorino - 21

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 11

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.07

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 125

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 21

1979 Topps #317

1979 Topps Flashback:  When I was pairing up Phillies cards to feature within the flashback segment of my series preview posts, Jose Cardenal was the odd man out.  In his 18-year career, Cardenal played with the Giants, Angels, Indians, Cardinals, Brewers, Cubs, Phillies, Mets and Royals, yet there wasn't a natural pairing with another Phillies-related 1979 Topps card for the light-hitting outfielder.  So here he is, all by himself.

Cardenal spent all of 1978 and part of 1979 with the Phillies, appearing in 116 games and hitting .241.

1978 Topps Phillies

1978 Topps #420, #360, #26 and #610

Back in the early '80s, when I was first piecing together the prior year chronology of the Topps baseball card sets, I remember being surprised that the 1978 Topps set wasn't actually from the early '70s.  Maybe it was the occasionally strange, washed out and poorly airbrushed photos used for some of the cards, or it could have been the black and white photos used on the manager cards that initially tricked me.

In any event, at least to me, the 1978 Topps set just never seemed as cool as the other sets from the '70s.  Only recently have I learned to appreciate the sets quirks and what I now understand to be a definite late-'70s vibe to the set.  For whatever reason, I've probably never really given the 1978 Topps set the appropriate appreciation it deserves.

The Set

1978 Topps #610 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  The set jumped from 660 cards to 726 in 1978, making it the largest Topps baseball card set since 1972.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  There sure are a lot of portrait shots of the Phillies in the set, and not much action.  I counted, and there are only two Phillies cards with in-game action shots, so maybe that's another reason why the set has never resonated with me.  Yet another reason could be the cards' orange backs.

Notable competition:  Along with the standard Hostess and Kellogg's issues, there was a 27-card Phillies set issued by SSPC as part of an instructional baseball booklet called Baseball The Phillies Way.  The cards were featured on cardboard sheets in the center of the book, and they were designed to be cut down to the standard 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" size.  I bought two of these books back in the mid-'80s for a few dollars each.  I've kept one in tact and cut the cards in the other into individual cards to be displayed in pages in my 1970s Phillies binder.

1978 Phillies

Record and finish:  The Phillies finished with a record of 90-72 to win the division for the third straight year, just a game and a half in front of the Pirates.  And for the third straight year, they lost the N.L.C.S.  The Dodgers were the culprits again, winning the series in four games.

Key players:  The duo of Greg Luzinski (.265, 35 home runs, 101 RBIs) and Mike Schmidt (.251, 21 home runs, 78 RBIs) led the offense once again, although it was an off-year for Schmidt.  Richie Hebner also turned in a nice season, hitting .283 with 17 home runs and 71 RBIs.  Steve Carlton led the pitching staff (16-13, 2.84 ERA) followed by Larry Christenson (13-14, 3.24 ERA) and the re-acquired Dick Ruthven (13-5, 2.99 ERA).  Closer Ron Reed saved 17 games and pitched to a 2.24 ERA.

Key events:  Paul Owens was wheeling and dealing at the trade deadline, picking up reliever Rawley Eastwick from the Yankees for the popular Jay Johnstone.  He also dealt away reliever Gene Garber for Ruthven.

1978 Topps #161, #136, #90 and #340

1978 Phillies in 1978 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 28 cards in the Phillies team set.  That's 265 Topps Phillies cards from 1970-1978 and 733 Topps Phillies cards from 1951-1978.

Who’s in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 8 cards

#161 Bob Boone (c), #26 Richie Hebner (1b), #136 Ted Sizemore (2b), #90 Larry Bowa (ss), #360 Mike Schmidt (3b), #420 Greg Luzinski (lf), #610 Garry Maddox (cf), #340 Bake McBride (rf)

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 5 cards

#540 Steve Carlton, #247 Larry Christenson, #271 Randy Lerch, #715 Jim Kaat, #52 Jim Lonborg

Ruthven had more innings pitched than Kaat and Lonborg, but the latter two started more games.

1978 Topps #540, #247, #271 and #75

• Base cards of other players who played with the Phillies in 1978 - 10 cards

#177 Gene Garber, #210 Jose Cardenal, #222 Jerry Martin, #235 Tim McCarver, #297 Warren Brusstar, #317 Davey Johnson, #446 Tug McGraw, #472 Ron Reed, #513 Barry Foote, #675 Jay Johnstone

• Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 1978 - 2 cards

#118 Terry Harmon, #568 Tommy Hutton

• League Leader card - 1 card

#205 Victory Leaders - Steve Carlton with Dave Goltz (Twins), Dennis Leonard (Royals) and Jim Palmer (Orioles)

• Team card - 1 card, #381
• Manager card - 1 card, #631 for Danny Ozark

1978 Topps #317, #210, #472 and #52

Who’s out:  The only real omission is infielder Jim Morrison, who appeared in 53 games with the Phillies.  

Phillies on other teams:  There are four cards featuring players who played with the 1978 Phillies but appeared on other teams within the set - #75 Dick Ruthven (Braves), #399 Pete Mackanin (Expos), #403 Bud Harrelson (Mets) and #405 Rawley Eastwick (Cardinals)

What’s he doing here:  Topps has a decent track record over the past several years of giving cards to Phillies players who actually deserved cards.  I can't argue with the inclusion of either Hutton (sold to the Blue Jays in December 1977) or long-time Phillie Harmon (released in early April 1978) in the team set.

Cards that never were candidates:  Harrelson, Ruthven and Eastwick should all have Phillies cards.  Farmhands Lonnie Smith and Keith Moreland made their debuts, and they would be members of the 1980 Championship squad.  There were no Phillies pictured on the multi-player "Rookie" cards, so I'd make a card featuring Morrison, Smith, Moreland and perhaps Todd Cruz. (Cruz already has his "card that never was," featured in a past post.)

Favorite Phillies card:  There's no denying the majesty of Cardenal's card, but solely for the lack of a real stand-out from the set, I'll go with the Secretary of Defense's card which features a shot of Maddox at Spring Training sporting the baby blue road unis.  (I'd also consider the team card, as it features one of the best teams in franchise history, the '77 squad, posing in front of two of the huge statues from the outside of The Vet.)

Other Stuff

1978 Topps #381

Recycled:  Other than a Bob Boone card from the 2005 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites set, I don't know of any other Phillies cards out there that have borrowed the design.

Blogs/Websites:  There are a few blogs I'd like to highlight here.  Garvey Cey Russell Lopes has been working on putting together a 1978 Burger King/Topps Update set featuring Dodgers who should have had cards in the 1978 Topps set.  There's also the Collective Troll's Nitty Gritty blog, which I believe started as a blog celebrating the 1978 Topps set, and then morphed into a blog celebrating awesome, vintage cards.

Did You Know?:  There are two questionable cards within the set that could be considered for inclusion within a master Phillies team set.  The first is card #412 featuring the 1977 N.L.C.S. recap noting that the Dodgers had "overpowered" the Phillies in four games.  Catcher McCarver is pictured on the card, watching Davey Lopes presumably knock one of his four hits.  (EDIT:  Lopes actually lines out on the swing - Thanks to Night Owl.)  The other card is #401 for Reds manager and Hall of Famer Sparky Anderson.  Anderson's "As Player" photo features him with the Phillies, back when he was still just George.