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.

Phillies at Nationals: June 2nd to June 4th

1965 Topps #36

2023 Chachi Series Previews #2

Friday 7:05, Saturday 4:05, Sunday 1:35
Nationals Park - Washington, DC

At the Ballpark:  There will be postgame fireworks on Friday night, and on Sunday, the first 10,000 kids will receive a Kids Arm Hug Doll featuring the Nationals' mascot, Screech.

Phillies 25-31
4th Place in the N.L. East, 8 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables
Zack Wheeler (4-4, 3.60)
TBD
Ranger Suarez (0-2, 7.13)

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Nick Castellanos - .300
Runs:  Nick Castellanos - 35
Home Runs:  Kyle Schwarber - 13
RBIs:  Alec Bohm - 37
Stolen Bases:  Bryson Stott and Trea Turner - 8

Wins:  Four tied with - 4
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 3.60

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 76
Saves:  Craig Kimbrel - 7

Nationals 24-32
5th Place in the N.L. East, 9 games behind the Braves

Nationals Probables
Josiah Gray (4-5, 2.77)
MacKenzie Gore (3-3, 3.57)
Trevor Williams (2-3, 3.93)

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Joey Meneses - .300
Runs:  Lane Thomas - 35
Home Runs:  Lane Thomas - 8
RBIs:  CJ Abrams and Joey Meneses - 29
Stolen Bases:  Victor Robles - 8

Wins:  Patrick Corbin and Josiah Gray - 4
ERA:  Josiah Gray - 2.77

Strikeouts:  MacKenzie Gore - 74
Saves:  Kyle Finnegan - 11

2023 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2023 Season Summary Index / 2023 Chachi Set Checklist

Game 107 - Reed, McBride Inducted Into Wall of Fame

Phillies 11, Nationals 5
Game 107 - Saturday Night, August 6th in Philadelphia
Record - 0-1, 3rd Place, 9 1/2 games behind the Mets

One Sentence Summary:  Following the induction of Bake McBride and Ron Reed into the Phillies Wall of Fame, the current offense stayed hot as the hapless Nationals fell yet again, 11-5.

What It Means:  The Phillies own a four game winning streak and have won nine of their last ten.  They have a one game lead over the Brewers for the third Wild Card spot and they'll go for the four-game series sweep this afternoon.

What Happened:  Every starter except Kyle Schwarber had at least one hit, with Jean Segura leading the way with a three-hit night.  Rhys Hoskins hit his third straight first inning home run in a row.  Matt Vierling added a three-run home run in the first, with J.T. Realmuto contributing a two-run home run in the sixth.  Bryson Stott had a two-run triple and Edmundo Sosa doubled home Realmuto for his first hit with the team.  Ranger Suarez picked up the win, going 5 1/3 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits.

Featured Cards/Field Report:  Doug and I returned to the Hall of Fame Club, arriving shortly after the gates opened and grabbing a prime spot once again right aside the suite where various Wall of Famers and alumni were gathered.  Doug was on a roll the entire night, adding autographs to his Bake McBride/Ron Reed print (shown above) and adding solo signatures to past Wall of Fame prints.  Some of the signers were repeats from the night before, and other than Charlie Manuel, who gets a second card, I've created cards for all the new alumni who signed for Doug on Saturday night.

We were bummed McBride wasn't able to join the festivities, and it was somewhat surreal for me to see all my heroes from the 1980 team.  Of the former players and coaches stopping to sign, only Luis Aguayo and George Vukovich stopped short of Doug's spot before going into the suite.  Bob Boone, Dick Ruthven and (I believe) Warren Brusstar didn't sign at all.

We found it extremely impressive that Manny Trillo, Bobby Abreu, Manuel, Dickie Noles, Mike Lieberthal, Randy Wolf and Lee Elia all signed as many autographs as wanted.  They were gracious with their time, often stopping to chat with the assembled fans.  Trillo especially took his time, working slowly through the line, signing anything and everything put in front of him.  It was a memorable night, and we're already looking forward to next year!

My early prediction for the 2023 Wall of Fame inductee is Larry Andersen.  The current broadcaster has cut back on his schedule, and he was a member of both the 1983 and 1993 Phillies teams, who will be celebrating their 40th and 30th anniversaries next season, respectively.

2022 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2022 Season Summary Index / 2022 Chachi Set Checklist

Series Preview - Braves at Phillies: April 1st to April 4th

1986 Topps #51

1986 Topps #621

Thursday 3:05, Saturday 4:05 and Sunday 1:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

At the Ballpark:  Holy crap, we made it.  After 18 months of not being able to attend live Phillies baseball in Philadelphia due to the ongoing pandemic, 8,800 fans will return to the ballpark this afternoon to watch the Phillies take on the Braves.  For this entire opening series, all fans will receive a Rally Towel.

Braves 35-25 in 2020
1st Place in the N.L. East, 4 games ahead of the Marlins

Braves Probables - 2020 Records
Max Fried (7-0, 2.25)
Charlie Morton (2-2, 4.74)
Ian Anderson (3-2, 1.95)

Braves Leaders - Spring Training
Average:  Sean Kazmar - .409
Runs:  Ozzie Albies - 11
Home Runs:  Ronald Acuna, Jr. - 5
RBIs:  Ehire Adrianza - 12
Stolen Bases:  Braden Shewmake - 3

Wins:  3 tied with - 2
ERA:  Ian Anderson - 6.38
Strikeouts:  Huascar Ynoa - 28
Saves:  9 tied with - 1

Phillies 28-32 in 2020
3rd Place in the N.L. East, 7 games behind the Braves

Phillies Probables - 2020 Records
Aaron Nola (5-5, 3.28)
Zack Wheeler (4-2, 2.92)
Zach Eflin (4-2, 3.97)

Phillies Leaders - Spring Training
Average:  Bryce Harper - .343
Runs:  Odubel Herrera - 11
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper and Odubel Herrera - 4
RBIs:  Didi Gregorius - 12
Stolen Bases:  Johan Rojas - 5

Wins:  4 tied with - 2
ERA:  Zack Wheeler - 5.03

Strikeouts:  Zack Wheeler - 22
Saves:  JoJo Romero - 2

1965 Topps - 1st Series Phillies Alumni

In celebration of the completion of the first series (cards 1 to 88) of our 1965 Topps set, here's a look at each card from that first series featuring a former, current or future Phillies player, coach or manager.  You can follow along as we collect this set here.

#13

#15

#16

#20

#22

#23

#33

#36

#52

#62

#64

#67

#72

#75

#80

1965 Topps 2nd Series Phillies Alumni

1983 Tastykake Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  32
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/4"

Description:  This is the first team-issued photo card set featuring full color photos.  A color head shot of each player is on the front and the backs are either blank or contain an encouraging message "written" by the player.  Most of these messages begin with a standard, "Dear Fan: Thanks for your letter.  the Phillies and I appreciate your interest."  In the checklist below, I've indicated which photo cards have the "Dear Fan" greeting on the back, which are blank and which have a message variation.  This is the second consecutive year Tastykake sponsored the set, and the black Tastykake logo can be found on the backs of all cards with the exception of the card for Veterans Stadium.

Interestingly enough, the 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards lists Joe Amalfitano in the checklist instead of Porfi Altamirano.  The Beckett database entry for the set perpetuates this error.  As pointed out by 14,000 Phillies in his checklist entry for the set, both Beckett and the Standard Catalog omit the Dave Roberts card from their checklists.

How Distributed:  My guess is these photo cards were available to purchase in set form at Veterans Stadium and also available individually as players responded to fans' autograph requests.  I personally had a tough time tracking down the cards for John Denny, Von Hayes and Bill Robinson.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically, with Dear Fan inscriptions unless otherwise noted): 

1. Luis Aguayo 2. Porfi Altamirano 3. Marty Bystrom (blank) 4. Steve Carlton (blank) 5. Larry Christenson 6. Pat Corrales MG (blank)       7. Ivan DeJesus 8. John Denny 9. Bob Dernier 10. Bo Diaz 11. Ed Farmer

12. Greg Gross 13. Von Hayes 14. Al Holland 15. Garry Maddox 16. Gary Matthews 17. Tug McGraw (Support . . . )       18. Larry Milbourne 19. Bob Molinaro 20. Sid Monge 21. Joe Morgan 22. Tony Perez

23. Ron Reed (blank) 24. Dave Roberts 25. Bill Robinson 26. Pete Rose 27. Dick Ruthven (blank) 28. Mike Schmidt (blank) 29. Ozzie Virgil 30. Phillies Coaches (blank) 31. Phillie Phanatic  32. Veterans Stadium (blank)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0)

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (7):  Denny, Hayes, Holland, Milbourne, Molinaro, Morgan, Perez
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (21):  Aguayo, Altamirano, Bystrom, Carlton, Christenson, DeJesus, Dernier, Diaz, Farmer, Gross, Maddox, Matthews, McGraw, Monge, Reed, Roberts, Robinson, Rose, Ruthven, Schmidt, Virgil

Manager (1):  Corrales
Coaches (1):  There's one card featuring all five Phillies coaches - Mike Ryan, Deron Johnson, Bobby Wine, Dave Bristol and Claude Osteen.

Phillies Phanatic (1):  The more readily available version features the Phanatic on his ATV.

Other Cards (1):  Veterans Stadium.

Surprises:  There are no real surprises here, and I'm assuming the set was issued once with no updates made.  The entire 25-man opening day roster, with the exception of the two players discussed below, received photo cards.  The Phillies also had five players on the disabled list to start the 1983 season, and they all received cards too - Luis Aguayo, Marty Bystrom, Hayes, Al Holland and Roberts.

Omissions:  Len Matuszek and Alejandro Sanchez both made the opening day roster, but were omitted from the set.  Sanchez returned to the minors a week into the season when Hayes was activated from the disabled list.  Matuszek stuck around a bit longer, optioned down to Triple-A Portland on April 29th.  Kiko Garcia started the season at Portland, but was recalled on May 17th and he'd remain with the club through the rest of the season.  I wish the Phillies had considered an update set as Garcia and a number of players acquired during the season - Joe Lefebvre, Willie Hernandez, Larry Andersen and Sixto Lezcano - would have been obvious choices.  There were also a number of prospects who debuted during 1983, including Charles Hudson, Kevin Gross, Steve Jeltz, Juan Samuel and Darren Daulton, and update cards for those players would have been highly sought after by collectors.

Variations/Rarities:  According to the set's entry in the 2001 Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards, several cards are available with different backs.  There's also a different Phanatic card available showing him walking around the field in the vicinity of home plate.  I've listed these variations below.

Fellow collector Bill e-mailed to let me know of a few other back variations.  The Greg Gross card can be found with both "Dear Fan" and "Support amateur baseball" backs.  And the ATV variation of the Phanatic can be found with "Dear Fan" and "Tell your parents" backs.

Back Variations       1. Greg Gross (Support . . . ) 2. Sid Monge (Quitters never win)      3. Pete Rose (A good eduction) 4. Phillie Phanatic (Tell your parents)

Phanatic Variation        1. Phillie Phanatic - Not on ATV

Resources:   14,000 Phillies, Beckett.com, Phillies collector Bill, 1984 Phillies Media Guide.

This set was originally featured in a post back in October 2014, and I'm going to slowly go through these team-issued set posts and update them with new information gathered (if any) over the past six years.

Standard Version

Variation

1982 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards / 1984 Tastykake Phillies Photo Cards

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