1971 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  32
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.  All photo cards contain a blue facsimile autograph.  A lot of the photos used here are repeats from the 1970 team-issued set.  The backs of the photo cards are blank and there's no indication on the cards themselves that they're from 1971.

How Distributed:  The 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.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Larry Bowa 2. Darrell Brandon 3. Byron Browne 4. Jim Bunning 5. Bill Champion 6. Denny Doyle 7. Doc Edwards CO         8. Roger Freed 9. Woodie Fryman 10. Oscar Gamble   11. Terry Harmon

12. Larry Hisle 13. Joe Hoerner 14. Deron Johnson 15. Pete Koegel  16. Barry Lersch 17. Joe Lis 18. Frank Lucchesi MG         19. Greg Luzinski 20. Tim McCarver 21. Don Money 22. Willie Montanez

23. Bob Pfeil 24. Ken Reynolds 25. Mike Ryan 26. Dick Selma 27. Chris Short 28. Ron Stone 29. Tony Taylor 30. John Vukovich 31. Billy Wilson 32. Rick Wise

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (1):  Pfeil

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (5):  Brandon, Freed, Koegel, Montanez, Vukovich
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (24):  Bowa, Browne, Bunning, Champion, Doyle, Fryman, Gamble, Harmon, Hisle, Hoerner, Johnson, Lersch, Lis, Luzinski, McCarver, Money, Reynolds, Ryan, Selma, Short, Stone, Taylor, Wilson, Wise

Manager (1):  Lucchesi
Coach (1):  Edwards

Surprises:  The entire 25-man opening day roster received photo cards with the exception of John Briggs, who was traded to the Brewers on April 22nd.  Also receiving cards were Bobby Pfeil, Bill Wilson and a trio of Phillies prospects - Oscar Gamble, Greg Luzinski and John Vukovich.

Omissions:  Briggs is a notable omission, but see below for the possible existence of a Briggs photo card in the Variations/Rarities section.  Other than Briggs, only four players appeared with the Phillies and did not receive a card in this set - Lowell Palmer, who pitched in only 3 games, along with September call-ups Mike Anderson, Wayne Twitchell and Manny Muniz.  Once again, that's a fairly comprehensive checklist.

Variations/Rarities:  The checklist found at The Trading Card Database lists two cards for Larry Bowa, with each card having a slightly different autograph placement.  I'm not necessarily interested in these types of variations, but I'll list it here for completeness sake.  One version features Bowa's autograph parallel to the bottom border of the photo, while the other version features his signature dipping down to the right.  The same checklist omits the Doc Edwards and Pete Koegel cards, which I've added based on a a comment from fellow collector Rick left on the original post for this set.

Finally, fellow collector Steve notes his checklist for the set contains four additional cards.  The existence of these cards would make sense, as it seems odd the Phillies would create a card for coach Doc Edwards but not the other three coaches.  As noted above, Briggs isn't included in the standard checklist, while the player the Phillies acquired from the Brewers for him (Koegel) did get a photo card.

 

Autograph Variation           1. Larry Bowa

Potential Rarities? 1. John Briggs 2. Billy DeMars CO 3. George Myatt CO 4. Ray Rippelmeyer CO

Also See:  1971 Arco Phillies

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

This set was originally featured in a post back in December 2014, 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.

 

1970 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards / 1972 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards

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

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!

Series Preview - Phillies at Cubs: May 20th to May 23rd

1971 Topps #23

1971 Topps #12

Monday 8:05, Tuesday 7:05, Wednesday 8:05 and Thursday 2:20
Wrigley Field - Chicago, IL

Phillies 27-19, 1st place in the N.L. East, 2 1/2 games ahead of the Braves
Cubs 27-17, 1st place in the N.L. Central, 1 1/2 games ahead of the Brewers

Phillies Probables:  Jake Arrieta (4-4, 4.02), Zach Eflin (5-4, 2.89), Cole Irvin (2-0, 2.77), Aaron Nola (4-0, 4.47)
Cubs Probables:  Yu Darvish (2-3, 5.14), Jose Quintana (4-3, 3.68), Cole Hamels (4-0, 3.13), Jon Lester (3-2, 2.09)

At the Ballpark:  On Thursday afternoon, the first 20,000 fans will receive a Cubs reusable tote bag.  I guess the Cubs marketing department felt no additional incentives were needed to come see two first place clubs do battle in an important (for May) four-game series.

I'm particularly interested in watching Wednesday night's pitching match-up!

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Jean Segura - .322
Runs:  Andrew McCutchen - 31
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 11
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 36
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 3

Wins:  Zach Eflin - 5
ERA:  Zach Eflin - 2.89

Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 60
Saves:  Hector Neris - 7

Cubs Leaders
Average:  Willson Contreras - .321
Runs:  Kris Bryant - 36
Home Runs:  Four tied with - 11
RBIs:  Kris Bryant - 32
Stolen Bases:  Jason Heyward - 4

Wins:  Three tied with - 3
ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.13

Strikeouts:  Yu Darvish - 55
Saves:  Steve Cishek and Pedro Strop - 4

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

Series Preview - Phillies at Cubs: May 27th to May 29th

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

Phillies 26-21, 3rd place in the N.L. East, 2 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Cubs 31-14, 1st place in the N.L. Central, 4 1/2 games ahead of the Pirates

Phillies Probables:  Adam Morgan (1-2, 5.61), Jared Eickhoff (2-6, 3.86), Vince Velasquez (5-1, 2.75)
Cubs Probables:  Jon Lester (4-3, 2.60), Kyle Hendricks (2-4, 3.30), John Lackey (4-2, 3.38)

At the Ballpark:  This afternoon, the first 5,000 adults will receive a '90s Cubs Visor, compliments of Budweiser.  This Bud's for you.  And what's better than three holiday weekend afternoon games at Wrigley?

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Odubel Herrera - .327
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 27
Home Runs:  Maikel Franco and Ryan Howard - 8
RBIs:  Maikel Franco - 26
Stolen Bases:  Odubel Herrera - 6

Wins:  Vince Velasquez - 5
ERA:  Vince Velasquez - 2.75
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 70
Saves:  Jeanmar Gomez - 17

Cubs Leaders
Average:  Ben Zobrist - .346
Runs:  Ben Zobrist - 34
Home Runs:  Anthony Rizzo - 11
RBIs:  Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo - 35
Stolen Bases:  Dexter Fowler and Jason Heyward - 6

Wins:  Jake Arrieta - 9
ERA:  Jake Arrieta - 1.72
Strikeouts:  Jake Arrieta - 67
Saves:  Hector Rondon - 8

1970 Topps #24

1970 Topps #654

1970 Topps #375

1970 Topps Appreciation:  On November 17, 1969, the Phillies traded long-time right-fielder, three-time All-Star and fan favorite Johnny Callison (with player to be named later Larry Colton) to the Cubs for Oscar Gamble and Dick Selma.

Callison was in the twilight of his impressive 16-year career and he'd enjoy his last full season as a regular in 1970.  Playing in 147 games, he hit .264 with 19 home runs and 68 RBIs, although according to his SABR biography he spent the season clashing with Cubs manager Leo Durocher. Callison played sparingly for the Cubs in 1971 and was traded to the Yankees in January 1972 where he spent the last two seasons of his career.

Selma had an unimpressive four-year stint with the Phillies, going 11-21 in 142 games with a 3.73 ERA.  As the team's primary closer in 1970, he recorded a career high 22 saves.

Gamble spent three years with the Phillies as a back-up outfielder.  In 254 games with the Phillies, he hit .241 with 8 home runs and was traded away to the Indians in November 1972 as part of the (first) Del Unser trade.

1985 Topps - Phillies Cards

1985 Topps #600

1985 Topps #650

1985 Topps #348

1985 Topps #149

I spent a lot of time in 2015 with the 1985 Topps set, as it was the basis for this year's custom Chachi set and I tried to feature relevant cards in each series preview post.  As I've done the last few years, it's time to tally up the Phillies related cards in the 1985 Topps set.  I came up with 153 cards from the base set and the 132-card traded set, falling just short of the 154 Phillies related cards in the 1988 Topps set.  (Links to past posts are below.)

The list below contains every player, coach or manager who spent time with the Phillies and also appeared in the 1985 Topps set.  You'll notice that the N.L. Central blows away the competition thanks to the future and ex-Phillies-heavy Cubs, Reds, Pirates and Cardinals.

National League East (55 - 16 without Phillies)
Atlanta Braves (4) - #25 Steve Bedrosian, #129 Gene Garber, #320 Dale Murphy, #716 Dale Murphy AS
Miami Marlins (0)
New York Mets (6) - #53 Tom Gorman, #492 Dave Johnson MG, #517 Jerry Martin, #649 Sid Fernandez, #677 Wally Backman, #83T Roger McDowell
Philadelphia Phillies (39)
Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) (6) - #134 Terry Francona FS, #448 Derrel Thomas, #501 Dan Schatzeder, #526 Dave Palmer, #578 Terry Francona, #733 Tony Scott

National League Central (37)
Chicago Cubs (10) - #98 Steve Lake, #124 Rich Hebner, #189 Warren Brusstar, #210 Gary Matthews, #460 Ryne Sandberg, #484 Larry Bowa, #538 Keith Moreland, #563 Dick Ruthven, #589 Bob Dernier, #713 Ryne Sandberg AS
Cincinnati Reds (8) - #6 Pete Rose RB, #107 Tom Foley, #547 Pete Rose MG, #600 Pete Rose, #675 Tony Perez
Milwaukee Brewers (1) - #203 Bob McClure
Pittsburgh Pirates (9) - #125 Kent Tekulve, #139 Bob Skinner FS, #183 Larry McWilliams, #385 Jose DeLeon, #433 Jim Morrison, #537 Bill Robinson, #2T Bill Almon, #55T Al Holland, #75T Sixto Lezcano
St. Louis Cardinals (9) - #113 Tom Herr, #229 Dave LaPoint, #255 Lonnie Smith, #294 Tom Nieto, #421 Dave Rucker, #499 Danny Cox, #551 Andy Van Slyke, #15T Bill Campbell, #30T Ivan DeJesus

1985 Topps #103

1985 Topps #212

1985 Topps #221

1985 Topps Traded #109T

National League West (15)
Arizona Diamondbacks (0)
Colorado Rockies (0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (5) - #57 Pat Zachry, #440 Fernando Valenzuela, #32T Mariano Duncan, #58T Ken Howell, #88T Al Oliver
San Diego Padres (3) - #242 Greg Harris, #273 Bill Almon DP, #558 Carmelo Martinez
San Francisco Giants (7) - #74 Mike Krukow, #103 Randy Lerch, #310 Manny Trillo, #365 Danny Ozark MG, #541 Mark Davis, #27T Jim Davenport MG, #71T Dave LaPoint

American League East (9)
Baltimore Orioles (3) - #173 Mike Young, #289 Tom Underwood, #366 Todd Cruz
Boston Red Sox (2) - #89 Jackie Gutierrez, #686 Mike Easler
New York Yankees (3) - #284 Marty Bystrom, #724 Oscar Gamble, #769 Joe Cowley
Tampa Bay Rays (0)
Toronto Blue Jays (1) - #80T Len Matuszek

American League Central (18)
Chicago White Sox (3) - #221 Ron Reed, #650 Greg Luzinski, #37T Oscar Gamble
Cleveland Indians (5) - #119 Pat Corrales MG, #212 George Vukovich, #237 Julio Franco, #788 Steve Comer, #99T Vern Ruhle
Detroit Tigers (7) - #160 Lance Parrish, #307 Sparky Anderson MG, #333 Willie Hernandez, #408 Sid Monge, #586 Bill Scherrer, #708 Lance Parrish AS, #744 Doug Bair
Kansas City Royals (3) - #671 Dane Iorg, #773 Hal McRae, #109T Lonnie Smith
Minnesota Twins (0)

1985 Topps #333

1985 Topps #724

1985 Topps #754

1985 Topps Traded #75T

American League West (19)
Houston Astros (3) - #44 Dickie Thon, #426 Vern Ruhle, #634 Bill Dawley
Los Angeles Angels (3) - #133 Bob Boone FS, #348 Bob Boone, #81T Gene Mauch MG
Oakland Athletics (7) - #5 Joe Morgan RB, #12 Dave Lopes, #231 Dwayne Murphy, #352 Joe Morgan, #472 Jim Essian, #607 Bill Almon, #50T Steve Henderson
Seattle Mariners (4) - #449 Phil Bradley, #640 Steve Henderson, #656 Chuck Cottier MG, #754 Larry Milbourne
Texas Rangers (2) - #149 Dickie Noles, #47T Greg Harris

Other
Team USA (0)

Memory Lane

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

Phillies at Indians: April 30th to May 1st

Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05
Progressive Field - Cleveland, OH

Phillies 12-14, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves
Indians 10-13, 4th Place in the A.L. Central, 3 1/2 games behind the Tigers

Phillies Probables:  Roy Halladay (2-2, 5.08), Cliff Lee (2-1, 3.03)
Indians Probables:  Zach McAllister (1-3, 3.52), Scott Kazmir (0-1, 8.64)

At the Ballpark:  There's not one darn promotion or giveaway for either of these games at the ballpark formerly known as Jacobs Field.  It's just two good, old-fashioned baseball games with those long-time rivals, the Phillies and the Indians.  (I still haven't accepted interleague play.)

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Michael Young - .352

Runs:  Chase Utley - 14

Home Runs:  Chase Utley - 4

RBIs:  Chase Utley - 18

Stolen Bases:  Ben Revere - 5

Wins:  3 tied with - 2

ERA:  Kyle Kendrick - 2.41

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 34

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 4

1973 Topps #372

1973 Topps Flashback:  On November 30, 1972, the Phillies traded outfielders Roger Freed and Oscar Gamble to the Indians for outfielder Del Unser and minor leaguer Terry Wedgewood.  One of the more notable things about the 1973 Topps set is that it was the last set of the vintage era released in series form.  Unser's card, found in series two, still features him as a member of the Indians.  Gamble's card, found in series three, is also an Indians card, but in name only.

1973 Topps #247

Gamble is clearly sliding into second base at Veterans Stadium as the Reds shortstop, Davey Concepcion, looks on.  This is one of the most iconic cards of the 1973 Topps set, and the fine 1973 Topps set blog 1973 Topps Photograpy from the late, great Chris Stufflestreet paid tribute to the card here.  Gamble spent three seasons in Cleveland before being traded in November 1975 to the Yankees, which of course spawned this card.

The 1973-1974 seasons were Unser's first stint in Philly, and he was the team's regular center fielder.  In those two seasons, he hit .276 with 22 home runs and 113 RBIs.  He'd depart for five seasons with the Mets and Expos before coming back to the Phillies via free agency prior to the 1979 season.  I've featured Unser's cards and written about the highlights of his Phillies career here and here.

Phillies at Padres: April 19th to April 22nd

Petco Park - San Diego, CA
Thursday and Friday 10:05, Saturday 8:35 and Sunday 4:05

Phillies 5-7, 5th Place in N.L. East, 4 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Padres 3-10, 5th Place in N.L. West, 6 1/2 games behind the Dodgers

Phillies Probables:  Vance Worley (0-1, 3.75), Cole Hamels (1-1, 3.65), Roy Halladay (3-0, 1.17), Joe Blanton (1-2, 4.26)
Padres Probables:  Joe Wieland (0-1, 10.80), Edinson Volquez (0-1, 4.24), Cory Luebke (1-1, 3.71), Anthony Bass (0-2, 3.38)

At the Ballpark:  Tonight is a fireworks night at Petco, with the fireworks to start following the game.  The first 25,000 fans will receive a Padres hat on Saturday and Sunday is Military Opening Day.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Hunter Pence - .326

Runs:  Hunter Pence - 7

Home Runs:  Hunter Pence -2
RBIs:  Hunter Pence - 7

Stolen Bases:  Shane Victorino - 5

Wins:  Roy Halladay - 3

ERA:  Roy Halladay - 1.17
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 9

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 3

1979 Topps #630 and #263

1979 Topps Flashback:  Today's flashback features two flashy '70s outfielders known just as much for their glorious heads of hair as their stellar play.  Bake McBride was the team's regular right fielder from 1977 to 1981, hitting .292 in 553 games and stealing 98 bases.  During the magical 1980 season, McBride hit .309 with 33 doubles, 10 triples and 87 RBIs and he finished 10th in National League MVP voting.  Here's a link to a great wallpaper created by Dick Allen Hall of Fame, celebrating the Phillies All-Hair Outfield of 1978.  Sadly, Oscar Gamble had departed the club some six years earlier and he spent the '78 season with the Padres.

Gamble came to the Phillies in November 1969 when the team shipped long-time Phillie Johnny Callison to the Cubs as part of a four-player trade.  He played all three outfield positions during his three years with the club while hitting only .241.  The Phillies traded him and Roger Freed to the Indians following the 1972 season, in the deal that first brought Del Unser to the club.

1972 Topps Phillies

1972 Topps #112, #751, #690 and #520

Of all the "vintage" sets I've completed from the '70s, this was probably the most difficult to put together.  It was a challenge finding some of the high numbers in decent shape and I collected the bulk of this set during a time of transition in my life when things weren't exactly rainbows and lollipops.  Thankfully, I had the majesty of the psychedelic tombstone set to keep me company when I found myself in times of trouble.

The Set

1972 Topps #520 (Back)

Number of cards in the set:  Topps upped the ante once again, going with 787 cards in the complete set.  It would be ten years until Topps produced a baseball card set this large, when it released its 1982 set with 792 cards.

My very brief thoughts on the set:  I love it.  As difficult a set as it was to put together, it was a fun set to collect. Every time I asked a dealer if he had any '72 commons, inevitably the dealer would smile.  This is just one of the baseball card sets I could easily flip through on a grumpy day and not help but cheer up.  Completely off the top of my head, my favorite Topps sets would have to be - 1956, 1975, 1972, 1981, 1976.  (The order of this listing is subject to change without notice.)

Notable competition:  Not a darn thing really.  There were the usual oddballs, a Kellogg's set with no Phillies in it and 10-card locally issued Phillies Ticketron set.

1972 Phillies

Record and finish:  1971 was a bleak year, but 1972 was even worse.  The Phillies went 59-97, finishing 37 1/2 games behind the Pirates, securely in last place.  Things could only go up from here.

Key players:  A discussion of the team's key players in 1972 starts and ends with Steve Carlton.  Carlton put together perhaps one of the greatest seasons any pitcher has ever thrown, going 27-10 and winning almost half of his team's 59 total wins.  He finished 30 of his 41 starts, had a 1.97 ERA and 310 strikeouts.  Following the season, he was the unanimous pick for the Cy Young Award.  Young Greg Luzinski won the team's offensive triple crown, hitting .281 with 18 home runs and 68 RBIs.

Key events:  Following the 1971 season, Rick Wise and Carlton both wanted pay increases neither team's owner's were willing to grant.  A straight-up one-for-one deal was struck, shipping Wise to the Cardinals and Carlton to the Phillies on February 25, 1972.  Carlton would go on to help lead the Phillies to their World Championship in 1980 and he was enshrined in Cooperstown in 1994 as one of the greatest left-handed pitchers of all time.

1972 Topps #768, #635, #69 and #377

Manager Frank Lucchesi was fired in July and general manager Paul Owens stepped in for the rest of the season.  In September, the Phillies recalled two of their top prospects - Mike Schmidt and Bob Boone.

1972 Phillies in 1972 Topps

Cards needed for a complete team set:  There are 30 Phillies cards in a master team set.  We're up to 90 Topps Phillies cards from the '70s, and 558 total Topps Phillies cards from 1951 through 1972.

Who’s in:

• Cards of the eight starting position players - 7 cards

#167 Deron Johnson (1b), #768 Denny Doyle (2b), #520 Larry Bowa (ss), #635 Don Money (3b), #112 Greg Luzinski (lf), #690 Willie Montanez (cf), #69 Roger Freed (rf)

• Cards of the starting pitching rotation - 4 cards

#751 Steve Carlton TR, #252 Ken Reynolds, #599 Billy Champion, #357 Woodie Fryman

1972 Topps #252, #599, #357 and #665

• Base cards of other players who played with the Phillies in 1972 - 11 cards

#139 Tim McCarver, #283 Darrell Brandon, #324 Mike Ryan, #377 Terry Harmon, #423 Oscar Gamble, #453 Barry Lersch, #482 Joe Hoerner, #528 Ron Stone, #587 Bill Wilson, #665 Chris Short, #726 Dick Selma

• 1972 Rookie Stars cards - 2 cards

#14 Pete Koegel, Mike Anderson and Wayne Twitchell, #741 Tom Hutton with John Milner (Mets) and Rick Miller (Red Sox)

• Base cards of players who didn't play with the Phillies in 1972 - 1 card, #43 Rick Wise
• In Action cards - 2 cards, #44 Rick Wise and #168 Deron Johnson
• Boyhood Photo cards - 1 card, #345 Rick Wise
• Manager card - 1 card, #188 Frank Lucchesi
• Team card - 1 card, #397

1972 Topps #397

Who’s out:  Bill Robinson, one of the team's bright spots, was left out of the set, despite appearing in 82 games for the Phils.  Back-up first baseman Joe Lis and left reliever Mac Scarce also got left out.

Phillies on other teams:  Regular catcher John Bateman (#5) is featured with the Expos.  Relievers Jim Nash (#401) and Gary Neibauer (#149) are both featured with the Braves.  Carlton appears as a Cardinal (#420) before making his appearance as a Phillie in the final series.  Bobby Wine appears with the Expos (#657).  Wine was released by Montreal in July and joined the Phillies coaching staff.

What’s he doing here:  I can't really argue with any of the players selected.  Rick Wise ended up with a regular card and an In Action card in the first series, as well as a Boyhood Photo card in the third series.  One interesting tidbit (at least to me) - Jim Fregosi, who was traded from the Angels to the Mets in December 1971, appears as an airbrushed Met on his Boyhood Photo card (#346) but as an Angel on his series one base card (#115).  I guess the Topps airbrush artist didn't have enough time to replace Wise's Phillies hat with a Cardinals hat for his Boyhood Photo card.

Cards that never were candidates:  Robinson, Lis and Scarce are candidates.  I'd also add a card for interim manager Owens, who had to wait for the 1984 Topps set for his "rookie" card.  Hutton and Twitchell both appeared on multi-player Rookie Stars cards, but they should have their own cards.  And I'd add a Rookie Stars card featuring Schmidt and Boone. 

Favorite Phillies card:  Based on historic significance - Carlton's Traded card or the team card featuring The Vet scoreboard in the background for the first time on cardboard.  Based on pure aesthetics - Luzinski's first solo card.

1972 Topps #423, #168, #345 and #188

Other Stuff

Recycled:  Given the popularity of the Topps Heritage set, why not have an all '70s themed Heritage release as well?  The thought of waiting ten more years to see this design back in packs of cards is a little depressing.

Blogs/Websites:  It's been inactive for over a year, but there's a lot of good stuff archived over at the 1972 Topps Set blog.  I also miss the frequent postings from Dinged Corners on the glory of the '72 set.

Did You Know?:  This set marks Topps first foray into the world of Traded cards, as there's a 7-card Traded subset featured in the sixth and final series.  Topps would try the format again in 1974 and 1976 before making the set a permanent fixture in 1981.  (Barring a few years in the mid-'90s.)