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Vintage Phillies Team Sets

Friday, October 31, 2014

1990 Phillies Team Issue

I updated this post here in July 2023 and this original post is now outdated.
 

Number of Cards:  45
Card Size:  4 1/8" x 6"
Description:  For the second 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.  The set is sponsor-less, as Tastykake sponsored its final set in 1989 and the Medford Food Company wouldn't come along as the new sponsor until 1991.

How Distributed:  It took me years to track down this set, and I finally found one in late September at The Philly Show.  The dealer I bought the set from told me these cards were never sold in complete set form and that he had hand-collated the entire 1990 set.  According to him, the cards were distributed four or five at a time throughout the season at Veterans Stadium.  An eight-card update set was produced very late in the season, featuring what was most likely Dale Murphy's first Phillies baseball card.  Murphy was acquired from the Braves on August 3rd.

Complete Standard Checklist (37):  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.
  • 4 - Lenny Dykstra
  • 6 - Sil Campusano
  • 8 - Charlie Hayes
  • 9 - Von Hayes
  • 10 - Darren Daulton
  • 11 - John Kruk
  • 13 - Roger McDowell
  • 15 - Dave Hollins
  • 16 - Nick Leyva MG
  • 17 - Ricky Jordan
  • 21 - Dickie Thon
  • 23 - Randy Ready
  • 24 - Carmelo Martinez
  • 25 - Steve Lake
  • 26 - Ron Jones
  • 27 - Curt Ford
  • 28 - Tom Herr
  • 31 - Jim Vatcher
  • 35 - Darrel Akerfelds
  • 37 - Rod Booker
  • 38 - Pat Combs
  • 39 - Dennis Cook
  • 42 - Don Carman
  • 43 - Ken Howell
  • 45 - Terry Mulholland
  • 47 - Bruce Ruffin
  • 49 - Jeff Parrett
  • 51 - Chuck McElroy
  • 54 - Jason Grimsley
  • 1 - Richie Ashburn RET
  • 20 - Mike Schmidt RET
  • 32 - Steve Carlton RET
  • 36 - Robin Roberts RET
  • Phillie Phanatic
  • Phillies Coaches
  • Phillies Broadcasters
  • PRISM Broadcasters
Complete Update Checklist (8):
  • 3 - Dale Murphy
  • 30 - Joe Boever
  • 34 - Dickie Noles
  • 46 - Brad Moore
  • 48 - Marvin Freeman
  • 49 - Tommy Greene
  • 53 - Chuck Malone
  • 54 - Jose DeJesus
One and Done (0)
First Appearances (15):  Akerfelds, Boever, Booker, Campusano, Combs, DeJesus, Freeman, Greene, Grimsley, Hollins, Malone, Martinez, McElroy, Murphy, Vatcher
Returning Players (21):  Carman, Cook, Daulton, Dykstra, Ford, C. Hayes, V. Hayes, Herr, Howell, Jones, Jordan, Kruk, Lake, McDowell, Moore, Mulholland, Noles, Parrett, Ready, 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):  Leyva
Coaches (1):  The coach's card features Larry Bowa, Darold Knowles, Hal Lanier, Denis Menke, Mike Ryan and John Vukovich.
Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic returns after a one year absence.  The photo used pictures him atop the Phillies dugout.
Broadcasters (2):  The core TV/radio broadcast team of Richie Ashburn, Harry Kalas, Andy Musser and Chris Wheeler are featured on a card.  The PRISM broadcast team of Jim Barniak, Garry Maddox and Mike Schmidt are featured on another.
Commemorative Cards (4):  Ashburn, Carlton, Roberts and Schmidt

Schmidt's #20 was retired in a pre-game ceremony on May 26th, and cards of the four players to have their numbers retired - Ashburn, Roberts, Carlton and Schmidt - are included in the set.  Also of interest is Schmidt's first card as a broadcaster, featuring him with his fellow PRISM broadcasters.  Schmidt's first stint as a broadcaster lasted just the one season.

For those of you not in the Philadelphia area, PRISM was the Philadelphia-based HBO equivalent that broadcast a handful of Phillies games every year between 1976 and 1997.

Variations/Rarities:  Fellow collector Rick left a few comments on this post and sent me an e-mail with scans showing cards made available at the 1990 ALS fund raising event (now the Phillies Phestival) at Veterans Stadium.  The Phillies issued cards celebrating the ten year anniversary of the 1980 World Champions, issuing the ten cards listed below.  Solo cards were also issued for coaches Bowa and Lanier.
  • 2 - Larry Bowa CO
  • 22 - Hal Lanier CO
  • Larry Bowa
  • Dallas Green MG
  • Greg Gross
  • Greg Luzinski
  • Garry Maddox
  • Bake McBride
  • Tug McGraw
  • Paul Owens
  • Manny Trillo
  • Del Unser
Also See:  The Mysterious Jim Vatcher Card
Trivia:  The Beckett database incorrectly lists the set as "1990 Phillies Tastykake" even through the Tastykake logo or name is nowhere to be found on the set.  The Beckett database also omits the eight update cards.  The 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards lists the set at "1990 Phillies Photocards," and omits the Vatcher card from the main set.  For years, my want list for this set included only 44 cards as most published checklists for the set omit the Vatcher card.
Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

3 comments:

  1. At the Phestival that year (then called ALS) they issued postcards for the 10 yr anniversary of the 1980 team. I don't have the list in front of me but cards included Luzinski, Bowa, Dallas Green, Maddux and a few others with copyright date of 1990. Back then they also issued postcards for any alumni or other invited guests. Some of the ALS only postcards included Elmer Valo (A's), Bobby Shantz, Joe Coleman, Sr, Joe Coleman, Jr, Harry Anderson, Joe Torre (Cardinals) and others. In 1992 Dick Allen was listed as a guest but was a no show due to illness but has been available in the secondary market.

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  2. Ok--got to my stuff. There was a Larry Bowa card (#2 on back) and a Hal Lanier card (#22 on back) that was issued at ALS. There were also 10 team issued cards from players of the 1980 team: Paul Owens, Dallas Green, Bake McBride, Larry Bowa, Manny Trillo, Garry Maddox, Del Unser, Tug McGraw, Greg Luzinski and Greg Gross. Will send you photos via email.

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