#101 Roy Campanella - Brooklyn Dodgers

Roy Campanella
Brooklyn Dodgers
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  190
Born:  November 19, 1921, Philadelphia, PA
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1946 season
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1948-1957
Hall of Fame Induction:  1969
Died:  June 26, 1993, Woodland Hills, CA (age 71)

The heart of the Dodgers teams throughout most of the 1950s, Roy Campanella helped lead Brooklyn to the 1955 World Series title and was the National League's MVP in 1951, 1953 and 1955.  An eight-time All-Star, he joined Jackie Robinson (#30), Don Newcombe (#235) and Larry Doby (#250) as the first quartet of African Americans to appear in the All-Star Game.  His finest season was 1953 when he hit .312 and reached career highs in both home runs with 41 and RBIs with 142.  His home run tally was the highest ever for a catcher, and has since been passed by Todd Hundley.

His home run in Game 3 of the 1955 World Series helped shift the momentum in the Dodgers' favor and he added another home run in the series tying Game 4.  Campanella is also acknowledged as one of the best catchers in baseball history.  His caught stealing percentage of 57.4% is still the best ever mark.

On January 28, 1958, prior to the Dodgers scheduled first season in Los Angeles, Campanella was in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the shoulders down.  He'd eventually regain use of his arms and hands, but he'd never walk again.  He stayed active within the Dodgers organization following his accident and was elected into the Hall of Fame in 1969.  On June 4, 1972, the Dodgers retired Campanella's #39, along with #42 for Robinson and #32 for Sandy Koufax (#79).

Building the Set
December 25, 1994 from San Diego, CA - Card #135
This was my "big" present from Santa for Christmas 1994.  With my Dad's help, Santa secured this card from Kit Young Cards in San Diego for what my notes say was $75.  That price seems steep, but there were six other cards from the 1956 Topps set under the Christmas tree that year from Kit Young Cards with the other six cards costing a combined $20.  In December 1994, I would have been home from college for the winter break of my junior year.

This was the last Christmas my family and I spent in the house on 12th Street in my hometown where I grew up.  My parents were in the process of building a new house and we'd visit the construction site throughout that winter break.  I had a tough time leaving my childhood home behind and the 1994-1995 timeframe brought about quite a few major changes in my life.

The Card
Campanella must have had an exclusive contract with Bowman for a few years in the early 1950s, as he'd appear in every Bowman set but was omitted from the 1954 and 1955 Topps set.  This is his first appearance in a Topps set since 1953.  For the cards celebrating his MVP wins in the 1975 Topps set, Topps created cards that never were from their 1951 and 1955 sets for Campanella.

I'm assuming that's Yogi Berra (#110) in the action shot?  If so, my guess is it's a play from either the 1952 or 1953 World Series as I think it would be too soon for Topps to have photos from the 1955 World Series available for use in this set.  This would have been a significant milestone card within the 1956 set.  As card #101, it would have led off the second series and been at the top of a new stack of cards for collectors who had gathered the first 100 cards from the first series.

This card was reprinted as part of the 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set and the 2001 Topps Through the Years insert set.

Dodgers Team Set

1956 Season

Campanella was slowed by hand and thumb injuries in 1956.  He had had a few surgeries prior to the 1955 season to repair nerve damage in his glove hand and unfortunately the pain in his hand continued into the 1956 season.  Making matters worse, Campanella broke his thumb early in the season when he hit a batter's bat accidentally while making a pickoff throw to first.  In 124 games, he hit .219 with 20 home runs and 73 RBIs, but he did still make the N.L. All-Star squad.  Rube Walker (#333) saw the bulk of the playing time behind the plate while Campanella was out with his injuries.

1949 Bowman #84

1952 Topps #314

1953 Topps #27

1959 Topps #550

1975 Topps #193

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1949 Bowman #84
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1952-1953, 1956-1957, 1959, 1961, 1975
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2019 Topps 150 Years of Baseball #81

1,410 - Campanella non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 4/12/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
SABR
The Trading Card Database

We're officially into the second series of the 1956 Topps set, starting with this Campanella card.  I've added a 1st Series Review page here, summarizing the first 100 cards from the set.

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.