1999 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  The fronts of the photo cards once again feature full color photos with the player's, coach's or manager's name in white letters against a blue band.  Scott Rolen's card celebrates his 1998 Gold Glove win with a picture of a Gold Glove on the front of his card.  The card backs feature biographical information and complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  For the fifth year in a row, there was no update set issued.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the back of cards): 

1. Bobby Abreu (#53 - OF) 2. Marlon Anderson (#16 - 2B) 3. Alex Arias (#26 - INF) 4. Gary Bennett (#14 - C) 5. Jeff Brantley (#45 - RHP) 6. Billy Brewer (#49 - LHP) 7. Rico Brogna (#2 - 1B) 8. Paul Byrd (#34 - RHP) 9. Galen Cisco (#43 - Pitching Instructor)      10. Chuck Cottier (#3 - Bench Coach) 11. Dave Doster (#15 - INF) 12. Rob Ducey (#25 - OF)

13. Terry Francona (#7 - MG) 14. Ron Gant (#5 - OF) 15. Doug Glanville (#6 - OF) 16. Wayne Gomes (#61 - RHP) 17. Mike Grace (#44 - RHP) 18. Ramon Henderson (#59 - Bullpen Coach)      19. Kevin Jordan (#23 - INF) 20. Mike Lieberthal (#24 - C) 21. Carlton Loewer (#46 - RHP) 22. Hal McRae (#56 - Hitting Instructor) 23. Brad Mills (#9 - First Base Coach) 24. Steve Montgomery (#57 - RHP)

25. Chad Ogea (#33 - RHP) 26. Yorkis Perez (#48 - LHP) 27. Jim Poole (#41 - LHP) 28. Tom Prince (#12 - C) 29. Desi Relaford (#8 - SS) 30. Scott Rolen (#17 - 3B) 31. Ken Ryan (#51 - RHP) 32. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP) 33. Kevin Sefcik (#11 - OF) 34. Paul Spoljaric (#50 - LHP) 35. John Vukovich (#18 - Third Base Coach)      36. Phillie Phanatic

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (2):  Poole, Spoljaric

First Appearance in Phillies Photo Card Set (13):  Anderson, Bennett, Brantley, Byrd, Doster, Ducey, Gant, Loewer, Montgomery, Ogea, Perez, Prince, Ryan
Returning Players in Phillies Photo Card Set (13):  Abreu, Arias, Brewer, Brogna, Glanville, Gomes, Grace, Jordan, Lieberthal, Relaford, Rolen, Schilling, Sefcik

I'm not counting Yorkis Perez's fairly rare photo card issued at the 1998 ALS Autograph and Auction Party as his first appearance.

Manager (1):  Francona
Coaches (6):  Cisco, Cottier, Henderson, McRae, Mills, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic gets a close up on his 1999 card.

Broadcasters (0):  N/A

Set Composition:  The entire 25-man opening day roster makes it into the set, along with catcher Tom Prince who began the year on the disabled list.  Relievers Billy Brewer and Steve Montgomery also receive cards, although they began the season in Triple-A.

Omissions:  It's fairly easy to piece together an imaginary update set checklist, as the injury prone 1999 Phillies team made fairly frequent roster moves and acquisitions throughout the season.  Seven additional players suited up for the Phillies prior to the All-Star break, and an update set released in early July could have consisted of Joel Bennett, Joe Grahe, Robert Person, Cliff Politte, Steve Schrenk, Amaury Telemaco and Randy Wolf.  On the day of the ALS Autograph Party and Auction, June 21st, Person, Telemaco and Wolf were all on the active roster.

Variations/Rarities:  Fellow collector Rick confirmed there are no rarities to be found with this set's design, although in a comment to the original post for this set he mentioned there are a few variations available with facsimile autographs.

Also See:  The Phillies produced three Stadium League sets, and these have proved to be somewhat difficult for me to track down.

• Stadium League SGA - This is a standard-sized, 9-card set with gray borders, given away on Fan Appreciation Day, October 3rd.  The backs of the cards contain individual player highlights from the 1999 season.
• Stadium League Phillies Finest - This is a standard-sized, 9-card set with no borders and Phillies Finest written on the back.  The 14,000 Phillies database entry for the set states the cards were given away as prizes to kids playing a card flipping game in the Fun Zone at Veterans Stadium.
• Stadium League Phillies Finest (5 x 7) - This is a larger version of the 9-card Fun Zone giveaway set, and the origin of these cards is (so far) unknown.

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going through these older team-issued photo card set posts to update them with new information learned (if any) over the past nine years.

1998 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 2000 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Annual Christmas Haul: Santa Mom Writes Book, Delivers Baseball Cards

The author with her book and grandkids

It's become a tradition to gather at my Mom's house on the day after Christmas to exchange gifts with her and my sister's family.  There are way too many gifts exchanged, way too much food eaten, and it's one of the best days of my year.  

Before we get to that though, on Christmas day I unwrapped three cards from my wife Jenna and our sons with a common theme.  They were kind enough to get me the three #1 cards from my next three set builds, 1959 Topps, 1955 Bowman and 1966 Topps, which given I now have a sizable stack from each set, I guess I can say I'm now officially collecting.  

As we approach the end of 2023, I'm 18 cards away from a 1934-36 Diamond Stars set, with that set build likely slowing down in 2024 given the scarcity and price tags of the remaining cards needed.  We're almost two-thirds of the way through the 1969 Topps set, and if I compose five posts a week on the cards we've added, my 1969 Topps blog should be caught up by this time next year.  It's feasible that set is completed by 2025.

My Mom kicked off my collection of the 1955 Bowman set last Christmas, and I've since added a few more cards throughout 2023.  A family friend gifted me his 1959 Topps doubles in February, and I'll be tackling that set once the 1969 Topps set is wrapped up.  And then there's the 1966 Topps set, which I started collecting in the late 1980s given I had the "big" card from the set already in my collection - card #50, Mickey Mantle.  Adding these three #1s was a great way to admit I'm now once again a full-fledged complete set collector, having spent the better part of the last two decades exclusively collecting Phillies baseball cards.

Three #1s

My family also gave me a 2023 Topps factory set, continuing that tradition, and I'm now the proud owner of every Topps flagship set from 1956, 1965 and 1970 through 2023.  The 2023 Topps cards have already been sorted.

My Mom's big surprise for us on the 26th was the announcement she had written a book.  It's wonderful.  It's a collection of stories from her childhood through today, with brief histories of her family and poignant remembrances I'm grateful will now be passed down to our grandkids.  I'm about half-way through reading it as I write this, and I'm taking my time, making sure to take it all in.  She told us writing the book was fun and therapeutic, which I can completely understand given I've authored posts for this blog with only brief interuptions over the past almost 15 years.  Honestly, all the other gifts opened yesterday were very much overshadowed by my Mom's book, and at first I missed the fact I hadn't opened two boxes in my pile about an hour into the exchange.  Since I hadn't yet opened any baseball cards, I had a fairly good idea what was in them, or at least what was in one of them.

Mom has always come through with items from my want lists, and she decided this year to tackle my few remaining Phillies Media Guide needs.  I had never even seen the Phillies Media Guides from the 1960s, and now I'm just one away (1967) from having a full run between 1965 and 2023.  The next box I opened contained 10 individually wrapped baseball card-sized packages, and as I started opening them I noticed they were the first cards from the 1955 Bowman checklist.  Ironically enough, I went from having no Hoyt Wilhelm cards from the 1955 Bowman set to having two over a two day period, and one of them will be offered up for trade soon.  (If you're reading this, and looking to obtain a 1955 Wilhelm card for something of equal value, please leave a comment or send me a message.)

It was another wonderful Christmas, and I'm reminded again how lucky I am.  I hope you and your family had a fantastic holiday season, and here's to a happy, healthy and safe 2024.

1998 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  The fronts feature full color photos with the player's, coach's or manager's name in large capital letters framing one of the corners of the card.  Scott Rolen's card features a badge on the front celebrating his 1997 National League Rookie of the Year win, while Curt Schilling's card celebrates his league leading 319 strikeouts in 1997.  The card backs feature biographical information with the Phillies wordmark logo in the background.  There are some strangely cropped photos in the set - see the cards for Billy Brewer and Bobby Abreu as examples.

How Distributed:  The 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  For the fourth year in a row, there was no update set issued.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the back of cards): 

1. Bobby Abreu (#53 - OF) 2. Ruben Amaro (#33 - OF) 3. Alex Arias (#26 - INF) 4. Matt Beech (#55 - LHP) 5. Ricky Bottalico (#52 - RHP) 6. Billy Brewer (#49 - LHP) 7. Rico Brogna (#2 - 1B) 8. Galen Cisco (#42 - Pitching Instructor) 9. Chuck Cottier (#3 - Bench Coach) 10. Bobby Estalella (#27 - C) 11. Terry Francona (#7 - MG) 12. Doug Glanville (#6 - OF)

13. Wayne Gomes (#61 - RHP) 14. Mike Grace (#44 - RHP) 15. Tyler Green (#28 - RHP) 16. Ramon Henderson (#59 - Bullpen Coach) 17. Rex Hudler (#14 - INF) 18. Gregg Jefferies (#25 - LF) 19. Kevin Jordan (#23 - INF) 20. Mark Leiter (#31 - RHP) 21. Mark Lewis (#5 - INF) 22. Mike Lieberthal (#24 - C) 23. Billy McMillon (#41 - OF) 24. Hal McRae (#56 - Hitting Instructor)

25. Brad Mills (#9 - First Base Coach) 26. Mark Parent (#8 - C) 27. Mark Portugal (#21 - RHP) 28. Desi Relaford (#30 - INF) 29. Scott Rolen (#17 - 3B) 30. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP) 31. Kevin Sefcik (#11 - INF) 32. Jerry Spradlin (#48 - RHP) 33. Garrett Stephenson (#54 - RHP) 34. John Vukovich (#18 - Third Base Coach) 35. Darrin Winston (#58 - LHP) 36. Phillie Phanatic

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0):  But see below under Variations/Rarities . . .

First Appearance in Phillies Photo Card Set (12):  Abreu, Arias, Beech, Brewer, Estalella, Glanville, Gomes, Lewis, McMillon, Relaford, Stephenson, Winston
Returning Players in Phillies Photo Card Set (16):  Amaro, Bottalico, Brogna, Grace, Green, Hudler, Jefferies, Jordan, Leiter, Lieberthal, Parent, Portugal, Rolen, Schilling, Sefcik, Spradlin

Manager (1):  Francona
Coaches (6):  Cisco, Cottier, Henderson, McRae, Mills, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is once again pictured atop his ATV.

Broadcasters (0):  N/A

Set Composition:  The entire 25-man opening day roster is represented in the set with the exception of reliever Matt Whiteside, who signed with the Phillies on March 27th, a few days prior to opening day.  Wayne Gomes, Matt Beech and Bobby Estalella would start the season in the minors, but they're in the set too.  Billy McMillon, who spent the entire 1998 season in Triple-A was the only miss for the Phillies on the checklist and the only player in the set not to suit up at some point during the 1998 season for them.

Omissions:  A card for Whiteside would have been nice, as he would never appear with the Phillies on a baseball card.  (His Chachi Missing Links card will have to suffice.)  Other players who spent significant time with the team that could have found their way into an update set include pitchers Yorkis Perez,  Carlton Loewer, Ken Ryan and Mike Welch along with Paul Byrd, who joined the Phillies on August 14th.  Cards for rookies Jon Zuber, Gary Bennett and Marlon Anderson would have welcome additions to an update set too.

Variations/Rarities:  This is the set that first tipped me off that variations and rarities existed for these team-issued photo card sets.  For years, I was comfortable in the knowledge that once I purchased the complete set from the Vet, I was done for the year.  As Steve F. pointed out back in the 1998 Phillies - The Missing Links post in March 2012, Zuber had a card produced in the same style as the rest of the 1998 team issued set, most likely to allow him to respond to autograph requests and making it his sole Phillies baseball card.  Fellow collector Rick noted in a comment to the original post for this set that cards were issued for Perez and Welch to sign at the annual ALS Autograph and Auction Party, held on June 29th.

Toby Borland and Loewer were on the active roster on June 29th, but cards weren't produced for them for the ALS event.  Oddly enough, Welch was not active on June 29th, and the Phillies wouldn't add him to their roster until July 10th, the first game following the All-Star break.

There's also a Dickie Noles card available with a 1998 copyright on the back and sponsored by Independence Blue Cross/Pennsylvania Blue Shield.

ALS Autograph/Auction Party        1. Yorkis Perez (#45 - LHP) 2. Mike Welch (#47 - RHP) 3. Jon Zuber (#40 - 1B/OF)

Independence Blue Cross/Blue Shield 1. Dickie Noles (#34 - RHP)

Also See:  1998 Topps Phillies

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collectors Steve F. and Rick (@rickphils)

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going through these older team-issued photo card set posts to update them with new information learned (if any) over the past nine years.

1997 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1999 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

1997 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  36
Card Size:  4" x 6"

Description:  The fronts feature full color photos with the player's, coach's or manager's name in grey letters against a red stripe background.  The Interleague Play Inaugural Year logo is also featured on the fronts of the cards.  The card backs feature biographical information along with complete career statistics.

How Distributed:  The 36-card set was available for sale at Veterans Stadium throughout the season.  The 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards notes that the set was sold for $10.  For the third year in a row, there was no update set issued.

Complete Set Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically with uniform number and position from the back of cards): 

1. Ruben Amaro (#37 - OF) 2. Ron Blazier (#22 - RHP) 3. Ricky Bottalico (#52 - RHP) 4. Rico Brogna (#2 - 1B) 5. Galen Cisco (#42 - Pitching Instructor)         6. Chuck Cottier (#3 - Bench Coach) 7. Darren Daulton (#10 - 1B/OF) 8. Terry Francona (#7 - MG) 9. Reggie Harris (#40 - RHP) 10. Rex Hudler (#14 - INF) 11. Gregg Jefferies (#25 - LF) 12. Kevin Jordan (#23 - INF)

13. Mark Leiter (#31 - RHP) 14. Mike Lieberthal (#24 - C) 15. Calvin Maduro (#50 - RHP) 16. Wendell Magee, Jr. (#29 - OF) 17. Derrick May (#34 - OF) 18. Hal McRae (#56 - Hitting Instructor)         19. Brad Mills (#9 - First Base Coach) 20. Michael Mimbs (#47 - LHP) 21. Mickey Morandini (#12 - 2B) 22. Bobby Munoz (#35 - RHP) 23. Mark Parent (#8 - C) 24. Erik Plantenberg (#41 - LHP)

25. Mark Portugal (#21 - RHP) 26. Joe Rigoli (#59 - Bullpen Coach) 27. Scott Rolen (#17 - 3B) 28. Scott Ruffcorn (#33 - RHP) 29. Ken Ryan (#51 - RHP) 30. Curt Schilling (#38 - RHP) 31. Kevin Sefcik (#31 - INF) 32. Jerry Spradlin (#48 - RHP) 33. Kevin Stocker (#19 - SS) 34. Danny Tartabull (#45 - OF) 35. John Vukovich (#18 - Third Base Coach)         36. Phillie Phanatic

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (2):  Harris, Plantenberg

First Appearances (14):  Blazier, Brogna, Hudler, Leiter, Maduro, Magee Jr., May, Parent, Portugal, Rolen, Ruffcorn, Sefcik, Spradlin, Tartabull
Returning Players (12):  Amaro, Bottalico, Daulton, Jefferies, Jordan, Lieberthal, Mimbs, Morandini, Munoz, Ryan, Schilling, Stocker

Kevin Sefcik's card shows his uniform number as #31, even though Sefcik had switched to #11 at the start of spring training to accommodate veteran addition Mark Leiter who took over #31.  

Manager (1):  Francona
Coaches (6):  Cisco, Cottier, McRae, Mills, Rigoli, Vukovich

Phillie Phanatic (1):  The Phanatic is once again pictured riding his ATV.

Broadcasters (0):  N/A

Set Composition:  Change was in the air in 1997, as less than half of the players or coaches featured in this set had appeared in previous team-issued photo card sets.  Relievers Reggie Harris and Erik Plantenberg make their first and last appearances on Phillies baseball cards.  The entire 25-man opening day roster is included in the set, along with Kevin Jordan, who opened the season in the minors, and pitchers Mark Portugal and Ken Ryan, who started the season on the disabled list.  Four additional players began the year on the DL and did not receive cards in the set - pitchers Edgar Ramos, Tyler Green and Mike Grace and long-time center fielder Lenny Dykstra.

Omissions:  Any one not on the opening day roster missed getting a photo card, save for two players who were active at the time of the annual ALS Autograph and Auction Party, held on June 19th - see below.  If the Phillies wanted to issue an update set following the All-Star Break, the set could have included Billy Brewer, Rob Butler, Midre Cummings, Bobby Estalella, Wayne Gomes, Ryan Nye, Ricky Otero and Garrett Stephenson.

Variations/Rarities:  As fellow collector Rick commented on the original post back in November 2014, the Phillies created cards for two additional players for the ALS Autograph and Auction Party - Beech and Gomes.  Also active on June 19th, and not getting cards for the event, were Butler, Nye and Otero.

ALS Autograph and Auction Party 1. Matt Beech (#55 - LHP) 2. Wayne Gomes (#58 - RHP)

Resources:  Beckett.com; Phillies collector Rick (@rickphils)

This set was originally featured in a post back in November 2014, and I'm going through these older team-issued photo card set posts to update them with new information learned (if any) over the past nine years.

1996 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards / 1998 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

1980-1999 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Happy Birthday Doug!

There's so much I could say about our oldest son Doug as he turns 17.  I'm excited for him as he starts his college search and starts to figure out what he wants to do at least at the start of a professional career.  I'm proud of him for his intellectual curiosity, his desire to be the best he can be - whether it be academically or athletically, and his overall kindness.  I'm relieved that I think we've done fairly well as first time parents, and we're raising two good people.

His high school baseball season this past year was weird, as he was good enough to suit up for his varsity team, but young enough that the coach didn't give him much of an opportunity to play.  That will be different this coming year.  Doug played in his final Little League game this past spring, with the coach letting him play all nine positions (including an inning behind the plate) in his final game.  We're somewhat convinced he may be the town's all-time hits leader given he played Little League for over 10 seasons.  He continued to have fun with his travel team, and at this point in his travel baseball career, he's played every position except catcher.  He was again one of the leading hitters on the team and one of my great pleasures in life is watching him play baseball.

Which is why I'm selfishly glad he's decided to go to a DII or DIII school where he's all but guaranteed playing time, and he wants to go to a school within driving distance for us.  I'll keep my unbreakable streak going of not missing any of his games, and proudly make a few Chachi custom cards to mark his collegiate baseball career in a few years.  We're so proud of him, every single day.

Baseball Card Show Reports - Washington Township & The Philly Show

I think I'm slowly coming out of the November slump caused by the Phillies' unceremonious and unexpected exit from the postseason in Game 7 of the NLCS.  As we get closer to Christmas, I find myself thinking less about the past and the what could have been, and thinking more about the future and what might be.  There's a mental health and wellness lesson in there somewhere, but instead of digging deeper into that topic, here's a look at recent happenings with the Phillies and the hard-working support staff at The Phillies Room.  We've attend two (!) baseball card shows within the past month.

Nola Re-Signs / Hoskins Likely Departs:  It's been a relatively quiet offseason so far for the Phillies, as there thankfully aren't a lot of holes to fill.  On November 19th, the Phillies locked up starting pitcher Aaron Nola, signing him to a seven-year, $172 million deal, that will have him wearing a Phillies uniform through at least the 2030 season.  Nola has the chance to put himself towards the top (or at the top) of several all-time Phillies pitching categories, and I'm happy he's coming back.

On the other hand, I'm sad to see that Rhys Hoskins' days with the Phillies are likely at an end.  Club President Dave Dombrowski recently confirmed that Bryce Harper will be the team's first baseman going forward, leaving no real spot for Hoskins.  Hoskins is a Phillies Room Favorite, and it's going to be tough seeing him in a different uniform.

Baseball Card Show Report #1 - Washington Township:  My wife Jenna found an announcement on Faceback for a baseball card show to be held at St. Charles Borromeo Hall in Sicklerville, New Jersey on November 18th.  I gathered my lists and we made the short drive to what the organizers called the "First Ever Sports Card Show" in Washington Township, which I find hard to believe given the number of baseball card stores in the area back in the 1980s and 1990s.  Potential mislabeling aside, it was a decent-sized show with mostly modern stuff and slabbed Pokemon cards.  I found the one dealer selling vintage cards, and cleaned him out of every 1969 Topps card I needed for our set, along with a few 1959 Topps cards for our next set build.  Credit to Jenna for finding the show, and if it happens again, I'll gladly make the 10 minute drive over there.

Baseball Card Show Report #2 - The Philly Show:  With our oldest son Doug sitting for the SATs (!) on Saturday morning, our only choice for attending the December Philly Show was Sunday.  Honestly, I'm fine with going on Sunday as it's much less crowded, and we were able to actually browse dealer tables.  I still only browsed half the hall, as my allotted budget was gone after seeing only a portion of the show.

• eBay has taken over official sponsorship of the show, complete with a new logo and increased advertising.  The quaint, bubble-lettered logo that had been in place since the 1980s is gone and has been replaced by a more edgy, modern logo.  And so it goes.

• 
  I didn't mess around this time, and headed right for Uncle Dick's Cards, finding the second neon green binder of 1969 Topps cards, #301 to #664.  Within 45 minutes, I had accumulated another stack of commons, with some semi-stars, from #301 to #498 in the set.  There were three or four other oldish collectors sitting in a row with me, all going through our chosen binders and meticulously crossing off our checklists along the way.  Uncle Dick prices his cards reasonably, most of which were $1 before a final discount, and everything is extremely organized.  Definitely my kind of dealer, and it will be my first stop when we go back to the Philly Show in March.  I need to finish off the second 1969 Topps binder, going from card #500 through #664.  I added 145 new commons to our set, putting me a little under 2/3 of the way there.

• Doug secured autographs for me from Tom Herr and Bobby Wine on Phillies Alumni photo cards.  Wine was great, taking his time to appreciate the photo of him in his younger days, and pointing to the bleachers behind him in the photo, telling Doug, "That's where [Dick] Allen used to hit 'em."

• I found three reasonably priced and not too beat up Diamond Star cards for that set build.  I'm getting closer on that one, with mostly the uber-expensive and rare high numbers remaining.  Bill Hallahan has been harder to track down than I would have expected, but I found a nice version of his card from Clean Sweep Auctions.  Carl Hubbell and Ducky Medwick were surprise purchases, found, in all places, a bargain bin.  I had no intention of buying any more Diamond Stars cards at the show, but once I saw the prices for both, I couldn't resist.

• William Shatner was there.  Not somebody I'd expect to see at a sports card and memorabilia show, but it was cool to see Captain Kirk up close and personal.

• On the way out, I recognized Phillies great Art Mahaffey by the exit and I asked if he wouldn't mind posing for a picture with Doug.  He finished his hot dog first, and then graciously posed for us.