#77 Harvey Haddix - St. Louis Cardinals

Harvey Haddix
St. Louis Cardinals
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  170
Born:  September 18, 1925, Medway, OH
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1947 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1952-1956; Philadelphia Phillies 1956-1957; Cincinnati Reds 1958; Pittsburgh Pirates 1959-1963; Baltimore Orioles 1964-1965
Died:  January 8, 1994, Springfield, OH (age 68)

1961 Topps #410

A three-time All-Star and a three-time Gold Glove winner, Harvey Haddix enjoyed a successful 14-year career in the big leagues, winning 136 games and a World Series ring with the 1960 Pirates.  His most famous feat was pitching a 12-inning perfect game against the Braves on May 26, 1959, a game he ultimately lost when the Braves scored an unearned run in the 13th inning.

Haddix was a 20-game winner in 1953, the first of his three years in a row to make the N.L. All-Star team.  That was his best season, as he went 20-9 with a 3.06 ERA, including 19 complete games and six shutouts.  He won at least 10 games in nine different seasons.  Given the nickname "Kitty" in part because of his fielding prowess on the mound, Haddix went the entire 1959 season without committing an error.  Some sources have him earning the nickname "The Kitten" due to his resemblance to Harry "The Cat" Brecheen (#229), while other sources note he had the nickname before ever becoming a teammate of Brecheen's.

In the 1960 World Series, Haddix started and won Game 5 and was the winning pitcher in Game 7 when Bill Mazeroski hit his game-winning home run against the Yankees' Ralph Terry.  Following his playing career, Haddix went on to coach for the Mets, Reds, Red Sox, Indians and Pirates.

Building the Set
December 11, 1996 from Winston-Salem, NC - Card #147

1982 Donruss #651

I was obsessed with the 1982 Donruss set when it came out.  I think it was a combination of the cards being much brighter than their 1982 Topps counterparts, more readily available than packs of 1982 Fleer and the addition of Diamond Kings cards.  The Babe Ruth puzzle didn't hurt either.  Cards of coaches were also a novelty to me, as I had never had any coach cards in my collection.  Haddix shows up in the 1982 Donruss set as a coach for the Pirates, and it struck me as odd to see someone who had to be at least 90 years old (a) in a baseball card set and (b) wearing the garish yellow jerseys of the Pirates, complete with black pillbox hat.  (Haddix was actually only 56 in 1981.)  Upon pulling the card from a pack, I assumed it had to be worth a small fortune.

I remember asking my Dad about Haddix and wanting to know more about the 12-inning perfect game he had thrown in 1959, only to have the Pirates ultimately lose the game.  My Dad had a vivid memory of that game and after he told me all about it, that 1982 Donruss card of an old coach became one of the most prized cards in my growing collection.

I have a vague memory of buying this card back in 1996 right before heading home from college for my winter break.  I paid $7 for the card from Tommy's Collectibles and I would have slipped it into my Dad's Christmas stocking as a Christmas present for "his collection."  When I could, I enjoyed tracking down cards of players that would have had some meaning to my Dad and me, and Haddix fit the bill.

The Card
It's strange to see an action shot of a pitcher as he appears to circle third, having lost his hat, and heading home.  Or is he beating out a play at first base?

Haddix had 1,575 career strikeouts, hitting the 150 strikeout plateau in five different seasons.  His fine 1953 season earned him second place in the N.L. Rookie of the Year voting behind the Dodgers' Jim Gilliam.  I believe this is the first appearance of a cartoon cat on the back of a 1956 Topps card.

1956 Season/Phillies Career
On May 11th, Haddix was traded with Ben Flowers and Stu Miller (#293) to the Phillies for Murry Dickson (#211) and Herm Wehmeier (#78).  Even though he originally didn't want to go to the Phillies, Haddix had a good season, compiling a record of 12-8 after tweaking his mechanics with the help of pitching coach Whit Wyatt.  He would have had 16 wins if not for four blown saves by the Phillies bullpen.  Following the season, and according to his SABR biography, manager Mayo Smith (#60) said the acquisition of Haddix had been the "year's most pleasant surprise."

Haddix was back in the Phillies starting rotation in 1957, appearing in 27 games and going 10-13 with a 4.06 ERA.  His inconsistency landed him in the bullpen for part of the season, but his best game came in July when he threw an 11-inning complete game shutout against the Cubs.  Haddix was dealt to the Reds following the 1957 season for outfielder Wally Post (#158).  In parts of two seasons with the Phillies, Haddix had a record of 22-21 over 58 games and a 3.74 ERA.

Haddix appears in the 1957 Topps set with the Phillies, and a few years back I modified his original 1956 Topps card to update it for his actual team that season.

1953 Topps #273

1957 Topps #265

1959 Topps #184

1961 Topps #100

1965 Topps #67

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1953 Topps #273
First Topps Card:  1953 Topps #273
Representative Phillies Card:  1957 Topps #265
Last Topps Card:  1965 Topps #67
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Panini Golden Age #74
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1953-1965

108 - Haddix non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/23/19.

Sources:  
1965 Topps Blog
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #76 Ray Crone - Milwaukee Braves / #78 Herman Wehmeier - Philadelphia Phillies

Order Collected: #161 Joe DeMaestri - Kansas City Athletics / #220 Del Ennis - Philadelphia Phillies

#76 Ray Crone - Milwaukee Braves

Raymond Hayes Crone
Milwaukee Braves
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  165
Born:  August 7, 1931, Memphis, TN
Signed:  Signed by the Boston Braves as an amateur free agent, July 7, 1949
Major League Teams:  Milwaukee Braves 1954-1957; New York Giants 1957; San Francisco Giants 1958

Ray Crone pitched in parts of five seasons with the Braves and Giants, earning a career record of 30-30 with a 3.87 ERA over 137 games, with 61 starts.  With the Braves in the mid-1950s, he was often an overlooked fourth or fifth starter, pitching in the same rotation as Warren Spahn (#10), Lew Burdette (#219) and Bob Buhl (#244).  He enjoyed his finest season in 1956 (see below) and in June 1957, the Braves traded him with Danny O'Connell (#272) and Bobby Thomson (#257) to the Giants for Red Schoendienst (#165).  Crone pitched briefly for the Giants following the team's move to San Francisco in 1958.

Following three more seasons in the minors with the Tigers, Athletics and Colt .45s organizations, Crone retired in 1961.  Following his playing days, Crone served as a scout for the Expos, Orioles, Padres and Diamondbacks.

Building the Set
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #207
I went nuts and bought 16 cards for our 1956 Topps set on this day at the Sports Card & NASCAR Collectibles Show in Raleigh.  My records show the 16 cards set me back $55 which I would have considered to be a small fortune back then.  I hadn't yet moved back north yet, so I was still living in Raleigh at this time planning for my eventual escape.  I would have provided my Dad with an updated checklist following this show as he was back in New Jersey.

The Card
This is Crone's third appearance in a Topps set, with his 1954 rookie card using a different photo than his 1955 and 1956 cards.  The no-hitter referenced in the middle panel on the back of the card came on August 20th against the St. Paul Saints while Crone was pitching for the Toledo Sox.  It was a seven-inning no-hitter as it was the first game of a double header.

His first Braves start came on May 23, 1954, prior to him being sent back down to Toledo.  Crone threw 10 innings and the information presented by Topps on the back of the card is actually incorrect.  Crone did come to bat in the 10th inning, but the Braves had already taken a 4-2 lead on RBIs from Andy Pafko (#312) and Hank Aaron (#31).  Crone grounded to third to end the inning.  However, Crone did hit a ninth inning single to drive home Howie Pollet (#262) and give the Braves a 1-0 lead at the time.

1956 Season
Crone went 11-10 for the Braves, appearing in 35 games (21 starts) with an ERA of 3.87.  On May 26th, Crone earned a complete-game 11-inning win when the Braves outlasted the Reds to win 3-1.  He allowed one run on seven hits while striking out four, lowering his season ERA to 1.80 in the process.  Heading into the final weekend of the season, the Braves were in first place by a half game.  But they would lose two of three to the Cardinals and the Dodgers swept the Pirates to win the N.L. pennant.  Crone's roommate during the 1956 season was Braves' outfielder Chuck Tanner (#69).

1954 Topps #206

1955 Topps #149

1957 Topps #68

1958 Topps #272

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #206
First Topps Card:  1954 Topps #206
Last Topps Card:  1958 Topps #272
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2007 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-RC
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (5):  1954-1958

19 - Crone non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/23/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #75 Roy Sievers - Washington Nationals / #77 Harvey Haddix - St. Louis Cardinals

Order Collected: #245 Billy Goodman - Boston Red Sox / #93 George Susce, Jr. - Boston Red Sox

#75 Roy Sievers - Washington Nationals

Roy Edward Sievers
Washington Nationals
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  195
Born:  November 18, 1926, St. Louis, MO
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Brown as an amateur free agent, October 14, 1944
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Browns 1949-1953; Washington Senators 1954-1959; Chicago White Sox 1960-1961; Philadelphia Phillies 1962-1964; Washington Senators 1964-1965
Died:  April 3, 2017, Spanish Lake, MO (age 90)

A prolific American League slugger, usually overshadowed by the likes of Mickey Mantle (#135) and Ted Williams (#5), Roy Sievers was the Rookie of the Year in 1949 and a four-time All-Star.  Over his 17-year big league career, he slugged 318 home runs and tallied 1,147 RBIs with a lifetime .267 batting average.  Playing for the basement dwelling Senators, his offensive feats weren't as publicized as those of his counterparts in New York and Boston, but Topps did see fit to give him a Baseball Thrills card in its 1959 set to highlight his accomplishments.

1959 Topps #465

Limited by shoulder injuries early in his career, Sievers blossomed once traded by the Browns to the Senators in February 1954.  He hit at least 20 home runs in every season between 1954 and 1962, driving in at least 100 runs in four of those seasons.  His best season came in 1957 when he hit career highs in home runs (42) and RBIs (114) leading the league in both categories.  He finished third in MVP voting that season behind Mantle and Williams.

Along with Gil Hodges (#145), he's one of two early members of the 300 home run club not in the Hall of Fame.  Sievers also holds the distinction of playing for both Washington expansion teams, finding the most success with the franchise that would ultimately become the Twins in 1961 and then finishing his career with the franchise that would move to Texas and become the Rangers in 1972.

Building the Set
July 31, 1993 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #118
This is one of five 1956 Topps cards I purchased at the Ocean City baseball card show during the summer of '93.  My notes indicate we paid $6 for the card, and it's in absolutely pristine shape.

I already wrote about the summer of '93 with the Frank House (#32) post back in February, but it's worth repeating here.  After missing much of my freshman spring semester with a bad case of mono, I spent the summer mostly resting at home and taking make-up classes at nearby Rowan College of New Jersey (now Rowan University).  Looking back now, it's strange to me that I have so few memories or pictures from that summer.  I found pictures I took from an Orioles-Twins game at Camden Yards with shots of Fernando Valenzuela pitching to Dave Winfield and Kirby Puckett, and another picture of Cal Ripken at bat.  There were also pictures of my Nana's house in Sea Isle, which I think I spent part of that summer painting (again).  But that's it.

I know it was just another summer day at the time, but I'd love to have one picture of my Dad and me as we were about to attend this baseball card show that Saturday afternoon in Ocean City.

The Card
The head shot used for Sievers is the same from his 1954 and 1955 Topps cards.  The action shot appears to show Sievers wearing his road Senators uniform, and sunglasses, pulling back a ball from either foul territory in left field or possibly saving a home run.  The Senators' road uniforms featured no pinstripes and the blue block W in 1954 and 1955, with their home uniforms featuring pinstripes.

Although he won Rookie of the Year honors with the Browns in 1949, his next four seasons with the club were marked with disappointment and lengthy slumps.  Sievers suffered a dislocated shoulder injury on August 1, 1951 while playing for the San Antonio Missions, a Browns' farm team.  He'd spend the next few seasons trying to overcome that injury before the Browns finally traded him to the Senators prior to the 1954 season for Gil Coan.

1956 Season
As the regular left fielder for the Senators, Sievers appeared in 152 games (missing only two of his team's 154 games) and hit .253 with a team leading 29 home runs.  He had 95 RBIs, which was one less than the 96 accumulated by right fielder Jim Lemon.  At the time, Sievers and Lemon formed one of the most feared home run hitting duos on any team along with Mantle and Yogi Berra (#110) from the Yankees.  Sievers appeared in his first of five All-Star Games in 1956, playing in both 1959 games.  In his sole plate appearance in the 1956 game, Sievers pinch-hit for pitcher Early Wynn (#187) in ninth, popping out against pitcher Johnny Antonelli (#138).

Phillies Career
On November 28, 1961, the White Sox traded Sievers to the Phillies for John Buzhardt and Charley Smith.  Having moved to first base for good in 1959 due to lingering shoulder issues, the Phillies picked up Sievers to take over that position from fading prospect Pancho Herrera.

Sievers provided a veteran presence in an otherwise young clubhouse, as the 35-year-old Sievers was the only regular on the 1962 Phillies club older than 27.  Along with Don Demeter, Tony Gonzalez and Johnny Callison, that 1962 team boasted the first quartet of players in franchise history to each hit at least 20 home runs.

Sievers' production fell in 1963 due a fractured rib suffered in spring training when he was hit by a Jim Maloney fastball.  He hit only 19 home runs that season, with his biggest blast being his 300th career home run on June 19th.  That home run, off Mets' reliever Roger Craig (#63), was a walk-off two-run shot to give the Phillies a 2-1 victory.  Struggling at the start of the 1964 season, Sievers was sold to the expansion Senators (the second version) where he was used primarily as a pinch-hitter for the remainder of the season.

In his 2 1/2 years with the Phillies, Sievers hit .244 over 331 games, hitting 44 home runs and driving in 178 runs.  He had a number of Phillies baseball card appearances between 1962 and 1964, most notably appearing with the team in the 1962, 1963 and 1964 Topps flagship sets.

1950 Bowman #16

1951 Topps Red Backs #9

1959 Topps #340

1963 Topps #283

1965 Topps #574

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #16
First Topps Card:  1951 Topps Red Backs #9
Representative Phillies Card:  1963 Topps #283
Last Topps Card:  1965 Topps #574
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-RS
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (15):  1951-1965

115 - Sievers non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/6/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Phillies Room
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #74 Jim King - Chicago Cubs / #76 Ray Crone - Milwaukee Braves

Order Collected: #55 Wally Moon - St. Louis Cardinals / #82 Bill Renna - Kansas City Athletics

#74 Jim King - Chicago Cubs

James Hubert King
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  185
Born:  August 27, 1932, Elkins, AR
Acquired:  Send from Vernon (Longhorn) to the St. Louis Cardinals in an unknown transaction before the 1951 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1955-1956; St. Louis Cardinals 1957; San Francisco Giants 1958; Washington Senators 1961-1967; Chicago White Sox 1967; Cleveland Indians 1967
Died:  February 23, 2015, Fayetteville, AR (age 82)

Jim King was the starting left fielder for the first game ever played by the San Francisco Giants, and he was the longest tenured member of the expansion Washington Senators having joined that club in 1960 and departing in the middle of the 1967 season.  Playing in parts of 11 seasons, King was a career .240 hitter and hit 117 home runs.  His best seasons came with the Senators where he hit his career highs for average (.270 in 1961), home runs and RBIs (24 and 62 in 1963).  He hit for the cycle and accomplished a three-home run game in 1964.  His SABR biography notes he was heartbroken when the Senators traded him to the White Sox on June 15, 1967, as he and his family loved the city and King loved playing for manager Gil Hodges (#145).

Building the Set
September 25, 2005 in Ft. Washington, PA - Card #260
This was a late edition to our set and one of 11 cards we purchased at the 92nd Philadelphia Sports Card Show held at the convention center in Ft. Washington.  My records show we paid $6 for this card. With the Ocean City baseball card shows long gone by now, our only options for local baseball card shows were the "Philly Shows" held in Ft. Washington at the time or the occasional mall baseball card show.

I wrote about this show and this period in our life back with the Chuck Stobbs (#68) post.

The Card
King looks to me like he should be a catcher and I can't picture him as the "Arkansas Humming Bird" as depicted on the back of his card.  A quick Google search for this nickname didn't turn up anything on King, but it did get a number of hits for Lon Warneke who was born in Mount Ida, Arkansas and played for the Cubs, Cardinals and Cubs again between 1930 and 1945.

This is King's rookie card, and he'd go on to appear in Topps' flagship sets in 1957 and 1958, and then 1961 through 1967.

The middle and right panels refer to his minor league heroics, and while King did play for the Fresno Cardinals in 1951, his 1954 team was not the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings.  King spent the entire 1954 season with the Class-A Omaha Cardinals.  He was left unprotected by the Cardinals following that season and was selected by the Cubs on November 22nd in the annual Rule 5 draft.

1956 Season
In 118 games for the Cubs, King hit .249 with 15 home runs and 54 RBIs.  He and Monte Irvin (#194) platooned in left field, with Irvin starting 88 games there to King's 69.  He led all National League left fielders with nine assists.

1957 Topps #186

1958 Topps #332

1962 Topps #42

1965 Topps #38

1967 Topps #509

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1956 Topps #74
First Topps Card:  1956 Topps #74
Last Topps Card:  1967 Topps #509
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1978 TCMA 1960s I #207
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (10):  1956-1958, 1961-1967

30 - King non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/2/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #73 Wayne Terwilliger - New York Giants / #75 Roy Sievers - Washington Nationals

Order Collected: #68 Chuck Stobbs - Washington Nationals / #105 Al Smith - Cleveland Indians

#73 Wayne Terwilliger - New York Giants

Willard Wayne Terwilliger
New York Giants
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  165
Born:  June 27, 1925, Clare, MI
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent before 1948 season
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1949-1951; Brooklyn Dodgers 1951; Washington Senators 1953-1954; New York Giants 1955-1956; Kansas City Athletics 1959-1960

Wayne "Twig" Terwilliger played in parts of nine seasons in the majors before embarking on a 50-year career as a minor and major league coach.  A World War II veteran who saw action in the Pacific Theater at the invasions of Tinian and Iwo Jima, Terwilliger was signed by the Cubs prior to the 1948 season.  A career .240 hitter, Terwilliger primarily served as a back-up second baseman but he did see regular action with the Cubs in 1950 and the Senators in 1953, which was most likely his best season.  He hit .252  with a career high 46 RBIs in 134 games for the Senators that year.

Saints giveaway poster - from a recent eBay auction

He appeared in two games for the 1960 Athletics before retiring as an active player and beginning his
lengthy coaching career.  He first served as the manager of the Greensboro Yankees in 1961 and he joined the Senators organization a year later.  He ultimately served as the third base coach for the Senators between 1969 and 1971 for manager Ted Williams (#5) and was one of the original coaches for the Texas Rangers when the Senators franchise moved west.  After one season in the Astros organization in 1973, he returned to the Rangers as a minor league manager (1975-1980) and then as a coach in the majors again (1981-1985).

He joined the Twins in 1986, earning two World Series rings with them in 1987 and 1991.  Finally, Terwilliger closed out his professional baseball career as a coach for the independent St. Paul Saints (1995-2002) and then as manager or coach for the Ft. Worth Cats (2003-2010).

Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #5
This was one of the Original 44, and I've told the story of how my Dad and I began collecting the 1956 Topps set a few times - most recently with the Pedro Ramos (#49) post here.  This card has seen some love in its day, as some of the edges and corners are admittedly soft and there's some minor surface wear.

I can still hear the way my Dad would pronounce Terwilliger's name, dragging it out as if he was announcing the name in front of a capacity crowd:  Wayne . . . Ter-WILL-Iger.  It's a reflex of mine now that whenever I come across a Terwilliger card and even while composing this post, I feel the need to say his name out loud.  Wayne . . . Ter-WILL-Iger.

He was a coach for the Twins in 1987 when we began collecting the 1956 Topps set, and I remember my Dad asking me during the World Series if I realized who was coaching first.  "How about that Wayne . . . Ter-WILL-Iger," he responded.  When the Twins returned to the World Series in 1991, I returned the favor reminding my Dad that Wayne . . . Ter-WILL-Iger was still coaching for the team.

In 1997, when first round pick J.D. Drew spurned the Phillies offer and went to play for the independent St. Paul Saints, my Dad asked again if I knew who was one of the coaches for the Saints.  I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear his response.  "How about that Wayne . . . Ter-WILL-Iger."

The Card
Terwilliger was a Topps veteran by the time this card was issued, as he had appeared in every set beginning with the 1951 Topps Red Backs issue.  The portrait photo is the same as was used on his 1955 Topps card, except that Topps replaced his "W" Senators logo with a "NY" Giants logo.  Perhaps the play at the plate is against the Phillies?

Turning to the back of the card, Terwilliger did rank regularly near the top of the league in defensive categories, and he finished in the top 10 in sacrifice bunts in three different seasons.  Topps, as has been the case fairly often in this set, trims a year off Terwilliger's age showing his birth year as 1926 and not the actual year of 1925.

1956 Season
Terwilliger appeared in only 14 games for the Giants in 1956, spending much of the season with the Triple-A Minneapolis Millers playing for manager Eddie Stanky.  With the Millers, he hit .245 over 90 games as the team's regular second baseman.

He returned to the Millers for the 1957 season and was traded to the Tigers on October 15, 1957 for Jack Dittmer.

1950 Bowman #114

1951 Topps Red Backs #14

1952 Topps #7

1953 Topps #159

1960 Topps #26

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1950 Bowman #114
First Topps Card:  1951 Topps Red Backs #14
Last Topps Card:  1960 Topps #26
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2011 Topps Lineage Autographs #RA-WT
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1951-1956, 1959-1960

61 - Terwilliger non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/31/19.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wayne Terwilliger.com
Wikipedia

In some cases, the first and last cards listed above are subjective and chosen by me if multiple cards were released within the same year.  Most recent mainstream card may also be subjective and does not include extremely low serial numbered cards, buybacks or cut autograph cards.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #72 Philadelphia Phillies Team Card / #74 Jim King - Chicago Cubs

Order Collected: #59 Jose Santiago - Cleveland Indians / #85 Cleveland Indians Team Card

#72 Philadelphia Phillies Team Card

Topps included full team photos in its baseball card set for the first time in 1956, having previously experimented with team cards in a limited edition 1951 stand-alone set.

46th Street in Sea Isle - August 2018

Building the Set
July 12, 1989 in Sea Isle City, NJ - Card #78
My grandparents' beach house was located on 37th Street in Sea Isle City, right behind the giant white concrete monstrosity of the Spinnaker condominiums.  On lazy summer afternoons, after a morning at the beach and equipped with my lawn mowing money, or money given to me from my parents or my Nana, I would either exchange dollar bills for quarters to play Rolling Thunder at the arcade on the Sea Isle Promenade, or I'd walk nine blocks to 46th Street where there was a baseball card store.  I never knew the name of that baseball card store, but on any given day throughout the summer there would be bikes piled up outside by the front door and there'd be two to three baseball card collectors hovering over completely unorganized boxes of cards on any given day.

The store was never empty.  Looking for the building now on Google Maps, what had been a nameless baseball card store in the late 1980s now appears to be a deli.

I built most of our 1973 Topps set at that store, as the proprietor had an 800-count box of cards from the 1970s in relatively decent shape and at extremely affordable prices.  I remember walking away with a stack of 30 to 40 commons from the 1973 set for no more than $5 or $6 a pop.  This Phillies team card from the 1956 Topps set was in the main display case of the store, and I'm fairly certain it was the oldest card for sale.  There would have the usual suspects of the day in that case - a few Ryne Sandberg rookie cards, maybe a Mark McGwire card from the 1985 Topps set and a few Dwight Gooden cards.  But this card always stood out, and I looked at it several times over several visits before finally asking the dealer to see the card.

I paid $14 for it, which was probably too much at the time, and it was definitely the most I had ever paid for a single card with "my" money up to that point.  Consistent with my tracking of purchases at the time, I cut the price tag away from the protective sleeve for safe-keeping.  Is it any wonder I'd go on to choose accounting as my professional career?

The Card
I took a deep dive look at this card over at The Phillies Room back in 2011.  Here are the subjects featured on the card, including a listing of their 1956 Topps card if they had one.  The uncredited batboy sitting in front is long-time Phillies employee Kenny Bush.  Jack Meyer is listed as "Meyers" on the card's front.  The photo had to have been taken before June 15, 1955, as that's the day Earl Torgeson, featured all the way to the right in the back row, was sold to the Tigers.

Front Row Granny Hamner (#197) Marv Blaylock Coach Benny Bengough Coach Wally Moses Manager Mayo Smith (#60) Coach Whit Wyatt Richie Ashburn Bob Miller (#334) Bobby Morgan (#337) Peanuts Lowrey Traveling Secretary John Wise

2nd Row Trainer Frank Weichec Ron Mrozinski Jim Owens (#114) Jim Greengrass (#275) Thornton Kipper Jack Meyer (#269) Lynn Lovenguth Gus Niarhos Willie Jones (#127) Herm Wehmeier (#78) Lou Ortiz Tom Qualters Jack Spring Del Ennis (#220)

Back Row Murry Dickson (#211) Stan Lopata (#183) Coach Maje McDonnell Mel Clark Roy Smalley Andy Seminick (#296) Dave Cole Curt Simmons (#290) Robin Roberts (#180) Glen Gorbus (#174) Earl Torgeson (#147 with Tigers)

Flipping over to the back of the card, Topps lists Shibe Park as the club's home field even though the ballpark's name had been changed to Connie Mack Stadium for the 1953 season.  Here the other categories that need to be updated:

Most Home Runs - 224 in 2009
Most Double Plays - 179 in 1961 and 1973
Most Games Won - 102 in 2011
Most Consecutive Games Won - 13 in 1977 and 1991
Most Runs Scored in One Game - 26 in 1985
Additional Pennant Winning Teams - 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1993, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
World Championship Teams - 1980, 2008

No Year, Team Name Centered

1955 Variation

The Phillies team card, along with team cards for the Cubs and Indians, is available in three variations.  There's a version with the 1955 date, and then two versions without the year with the team name either centered or to the left.  I have the version with the team name to the left in our set.

1956 Season
With manager Mayo Smith at the helm, the Phillies finished in fifth place in the National League with

a record of 71-83, 22 games behind the pennant winning Brooklyn Dodgers.  The team hit their high water mark only four games into the season when they were 3-1.  They'd quickly drop to under .500 where they stayed the rest of the year.  Their top hitters were Ashburn, Lopata and Jones while Roberts, Harvey Haddix and Simmons were the top three starting pitchers in their rotation.  Lopata and Roberts represented the Phillies at the 1956 All-Star Game but neither appeared in the game.

Phillies Cards That Never Were
There are a few options here for 1956 Topps cards that never were:

• Marv Blaylock (first base) - The team's starting first baseman in 1956 appeared in the 1955 Bowman and 1957 Topps sets, but he was omitted from this set.
• Ted Kazanski (second base) - Similarly, Kazanski was the Phillies' starting second baseman in 1956, but Topps omitted him from the set.  He appeared in the 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958 and 1959 Topps sets, so his omission this year is notable.
• Roy Smalley (shortstop) - Smalley played in a combined 157 games for the Phillies in 1955 and 1956, but he wouldn't receive his first and only Topps Phillies card until 1957.
• Solly Hemus (second base) - A bench player with Smalley, Hemus was acquired from the Cardinals in May and appeared in 78 games.
• Ben Flowers (relief pitcher) - Flowers pitched in 32 games for the Phillies - all in relief.  He never appeared on a Phillies baseball card.
• Maje McDonnell (coach) - McDonnell was a coach for the Phillies in 1956, and he spent time with the club between 1947 and 1960, then again between 1973 and 2009, as a batting practice pitcher, coach, scout, ticket seller, tour guide and overall goodwill ambassador for the franchise.

Haddix, Stu Miller and Elmer Valo would be excellent candidates to receive Phillies cards had their been a 1956 Topps Update set.  Haddix and Miller appear in the 1956 Topps set with the Cardinals while Valo appears with the Kansas City A's.

Sources
Baseball Reference
2019 Philadelphia Phillies Media Guide
The Phillies Room - 1956 Topps Phillies
The Phillies Room - 1956 Topps Phillies Gallery

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #71 Frank Sullivan - Boston Red Sox / #73 Wayne Terwilliger - New York Giants

Order Collected: #99 Don Zimmer - Brooklyn Dodgers / #330 Jim Busby - Cleveland Indians