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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.
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #6
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 was the first team card from the set we added to our collection, and I remember being impressed with how Topps included the names of everyone in the picture on the front of the card. The back of the card was just as cool, with a diagram of the team's stadium complete with dimensions, a brief history of the club and a listing of the team's all-time season records and pennant wins. This would have been around the time I was starting to dig more into the history of the game, and I would have had an inkling as to who Napolean Lajoie or Tris Speaker were.
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| 2003 Topps #638 |
When I originally came across this card, Topps had stopped including team cards in their sets, having last produced a subset of 26 team cards in its 1981 set. Team cards made a re-appearance in Topps sets beginning in 2001 and through the 2000s, but Topps had to remove or block those people who hadn't signed a contract with the company - most notably batboys and non-player personnel. That led to weird walls appearing on some cards to hide any non-consenting subjects. This problem didn't exist in 1956, which is why we're treated to the inclusion of the Indians' batboy, trainer and traveling secretary in their team photo.
The Card
The logo on the card features Chief Wahoo wearing a World Series crown. This was the team's alternate logo used between 1949 and 1955 to celebrate their World Series title in 1948. The Indians haven't won a title since. In case there was any confusion, Topps provides a handy "TEAM CARD" designation above and below the card number on the back.
Here are the subjects featured on the card, including a listing of their 1956 Topps card if they had one. The photo was taken during the 1955 season at some point after July 31st, as that's the day the Indians claimed Sal Maglie off waivers from the Giants. Maglie is present in the back row of the photo.
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Most Home Runs - 223 in 2019
Most Consecutive Games Won - 22 in 2017
Additional Pennant Winning Teams - 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2007, 2016, 2017, 2018
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Indians Team Set
1956 Season
The team boasted three 20-game winners with Wynn, Lemon and Score and those three pitchers combined to throw 55 complete games. The success of those starters meant that closer Mossi (11 saves) or top reliever Narleski (1.52 ERA) weren't needed much. Wynn, Score and Narleski represented the Indians at the All-Star Game.
Wertz led the offense with 32 home runs and 106 RBIs with Rocky Colavito having a successful rookie season by hitting .276 with 21 home runs and 65 RBIs.
Indians Cards That Never Were
There are a few options here for 1956 Topps cards that never were:
- Al Lopez (manager) - A future Hall of Famer, a manager's card for Lopez in his final year leading the Indians is needed. (Manager cards that never were will be a common theme for all teams other than the Dodgers and Phillies.)
- Rocky Colavito (right field) - Colavito's rookie card can be found in the 1957 Topps set, but as the team's regular right fielder and one of their top sluggers he could have found his way into the 1956 Topps high series.
- George Strickland (shortstop) - Strickland was the team's starting shortstop in 1955 and he appeared in 85 games in a back-up role in 1956. He was absent from Topps sets between 1953 and 1956.
- Cal McLish (relief pitcher) - Only Mossi (48 games) relieved more games in 1956 than McLish (37 games). He'd have his rookie card in the 1957 Topps set as well.
- Ralph Kiner (left field) - Kiner wrapped up his Hall of Fame career with 113 games for the Indians in 1955. The team released him on October 24, 1955, but he could have had a career capper card in the set.
- Ferris Fain (first base) - The same goes for Fain. He appeared in 56 games for the 1955 Indians, the final year in a career in which he was the two-time A.L. batting champion with the Athletics and a five-time All-Star.
The late, great Bob Lemke created card #352 for Colavito and he posted it to his blog back in December 2015. I'm reproducing here, but please head over to Bob Lemke's Blog to view his wonderful collection of cards that never were.
Preston Ward (#328 with the Pirates) and Dave Pope (#154 with the Orioles) both spent time with the Indians in 1956 and they appear in the set with other teams.
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Preston Ward (#328 with the Pirates) and Dave Pope (#154 with the Orioles) both spent time with the Indians in 1956 and they appear in the set with other teams.
Sources
Baseball Reference
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Order Collected: #73 Wayne Terwilliger - New York Giants / #98 Camilo Pascual - Washington Nationals
Very helpful and interesting. Thank you.
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