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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.
October 10, 1998 in Winston-Salem, NC - Card #166
This is the second card in a row purchased from Season Ticket in October 1998, as the previous card in the set, Ronnie Kline (#94), was also purchased on this day. This Braves team card was one of ten cards I purchased from the store in Winston-Salem with this card and the Athletics team card being my two big purchases. The two team cards cost me $20 for the pair. I wrote about Season Ticket in detail back in March 2019 in my post for the Rudy Minarcin (#36) card.
The Card
Wow, there are a ton of people on this card! Listed below are the subjects featured on the card, including a listing of their 1956 Topps card if they had one. This looks to be a full camp picture, as there are quite a few players featured who never suited up with the Braves or who wouldn't make their debut for a few more seasons. The picture could be from spring training 1955, and had to have been taken prior to April 13th, as that's the date Jim Wilson (pictured in the back row) was sold to the Orioles.
Pitcher Don McMahon is listed as "MacMahon" on the card's front. Also pictured is Braves public relations director, Donald Davidson. He's the really short guy all the way to the right in the photo, and I was curious to learn more about him. I found a few interesting articles with anecdotes about his career with the Braves, and here's one from Baseball Prospectus that gives a good idea of who he was.
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On the back of the Topps team card, the team's origins in Boston are mentioned. The Braves franchise started in Boston in 1876 where they played for 76 years. Moving to Milwaukee for the 1953 season, they played in that city for 13 seasons. They moved again to Atlanta for the 1966 season, where they've played for the past 53 years. I never realized how relatively short their stay in Milwaukee actually was. The Milwaukee Brewers moved from Seattle in 1970 and called County Stadium their home between 1970 and 2000.
I believe the stolen bases category on the back is an error, as the Braves only had 135 stolen bases in 1909. The team had 189 stolen bases in 1902. Also, the franchise's longest winning streak was in 1891 when the Boston Beaneaters won 18 in a row. Here are the categories on the back of card that need updating:
Most Home Runs - 249 in 2019
Most Double Plays - 197 in 1985
Most Games Won - 106 in 1998
Most Runs Scored in One Game - 20 in 1999 and 2001
Additional Pennant Winning Teams - 1957, 1958, 1969, 1982, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010, 2013, 2018, 2019
World Championship Teams - 1957, 1995
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Braves Team Set
1956 Season
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| 1958 Topps #475 |
Manager Charlie Grimm was fired in June after the team got off to a 24-22 start. He was replaced by Fred Haney, who would take the team to the World Series in 1957 and 1958.
Braves Cards That Never Were
There are a few options here for 1956 Topps cards that never were, but overall Topps did a great job with their 1956 Braves checklist as most players deserving of cards received them.
- Wes Covington (outfield) - Covington debuted in 1956, appearing in 75 games for the Braves and hitting .283.
- Del Rice (catcher) - The team's backup catcher totalled 98 games with the club in 1955 and 1956, but he'd have to wait until 1957 for his Topps card.
- Jack Dittmer (second base) - The same goes for Dittmer, who appeared in 82 games with the Braves in 1955 and 1956. His 1957 Topps card features him with the Tigers.
- Felix Mantilla (infield) - The future All-Star made his debut in 1956, appearing in 35 games.
- Dave Jolly (relief pitcher) - The Braves didn't really need a closer with their strong starting rotation, but Jolly served in that role in 1956, saving a team high 6 games.
- Fred Haney (manager) - The late, great Bob Lemke created a Grimm card for the former Braves manager, but Haney should have a card in the set as well. (I'm linking here to Lemke's 1955 Topps style card for Grimm, as I don't believe he ever posted his 1956 Topps style Grimm card on his blog.)
If we wanted to stretch a little, and if prospects were included in this set that never was, the case could be made for cards for both Bob Uecker and Juan Pizarro. Both were signed as amateur free agents by the Braves before the 1956 season.
Sources
Baseball Reference
Wikipedia
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Order Collected: #94 Ronnie Kline - Pittsburgh Pirates / #116 Eddie O'Brien - Pittsburgh Pirates
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