1979 Phillies Photocards

I updated this post here in November 2020 and this original post is now outdated.

 

Number of Cards:  38
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  As was the case with all Phillies photocards issued throughout the 1970s, these cards feature a black and white photo with the players' name below.  The backs of the cards are blank and there's no indication on the cards themselves that they're from 1979.  Some of the cards contain blue facsimile autographs, as noted on the checklist below.
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.

It should be noted that the two cards from this set in my collection (to date) feature actual autographs from the players.  The original Brusstar and Christenson cards were distributed without autographs - facsimile or legitimate.

Complete Standard Checklist:

Ramon Aviles Doug Bird Bob Boone (auto) Larry Bowa (auto) Warren Brusstar Jose Cardenal Steve Carlton (auto) Larry Christenson Rawly Eastwick (auto) Nino Espinosa (auto) Greg Gross Bud Harrelson Jim Kaat (auto) Randy Lerch Jim Lonborg Greg Luzinski (auto) Pete Mackanin (auto) Garry Maddox (auto) Bake McBride (auto)

Tim McCarver Tug McGraw (auto) Rudy Meoli (auto) Dickie Noles Danny Ozark MG (auto) Dave Rader Ron Reed (auto) Pete Rose (auto) Dick Ruthven (auto) Kevin Saucier Mike Schmidt Lonnie Smith (auto) Herm Starrette CO (auto) Tony Taylor CO (auto) Bobby Tiefenauer CO (auto) Manny Trillo (portrait) Manny Trillo (action) Del Unser Bobby Wine CO (auto)

One and Done (1):  Meoli
First Appearances (11):  Aviles, Bird, Espinosa, Gross, Mackanin, Noles, Rader, Rose, Saucier, Smith, Trillo (2 versions)
Returning Players (20):  Boone, Bowa, Brusstar, Cardenal, Carlton, Christenson, Eastwick, Harrelson, Kaat, Lerch, Lonborg, Luzinski, Maddox, McBride, McCarver, McGraw, Reed, Ruthven, Schmidt, Unser

This set is your only hope of ever owning a Rudy Meoli Phillies baseball card.  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):  Ozark
Coaches (4):  Starrette, Taylor, Tiefenauer, Wine
Phillie Phanatic (0)
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (0)

The set omits hitting/third base coach Billy DeMars.

Variations/Rarities:  There are two versions of the Trillo card.  One is a hatless portrait photo and the other shows him swinging at the plate.  I'm not sure which is more prevalent than the other, so I've listed them both above as part of the main checklist.

In his comment below, Steve F. points out that the following "error" cards are also available.

• Warren Brusstar (actually depicts Randy Lerch, #47)
• Rawly Eastwick (no auto)
• Dick Ruthven (no auto)

Also See:  My First Phillies Game; 1979 Burger King Phillies #13 Pete Rose
Trivia:  I found the two cards featured here through an eBay search for "Phillies Photocards."  It was only through the awesome photos provided at The Trading Card Database for this set that I was able to identify these cards as being from 1979.  Collector Dave Sosidka uploaded the checklist and scans of all cards to the database back in 2011.  The Beckett database entry for this set lists the set as "Phillies Postcards" and omits the Starrette card.
Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Beckett.com; Phillies collector Steve F.