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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.
Building the Set
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #217
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 / Giants Team Set
Giants Cards That Never Were
There are some easy choices here and if I were put in charge of a fifth series for the set, listed below are the additional Giants cards I'd include. Sarni and Schoendienst came over the Cardinals in June as mentioned above, and both settled into regular playing roles with the Giants. I've got seven subjects listed below and I may need to cull that list down if I want equal team representation in my imagery fifth series.
December 2, 2000 from Raleigh, NC - Card #217
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 / Giants Team Set
Listed below are the players, coaches, and club personnel featured on the card. The photo was taken at some point in early 1956 as Ernie Bowman was signed prior to the season. On June 14, 1956, Al Dark (#148) (strangely not in the photo), Ray Katt, Don Liddle (#325) and Whitey Lockman (#205) were dealt to the Cardinals with the Giants receiving six players in return, including second baseman Red Schoendienst (#165) and catcher Bill Sarni (#247).
The clubhouse custodian's last name is Logan, and there shouldn't be a comma between Custodian and Logan on the third row of text.
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The back of the card celebrates the fact the Giants had won more pennants than any other National League team up until 1955. Through 2022, the Giants are one behind the Dodgers with the Dodgers holding a slim 24-23 lead. Franchise legends and Hall of Famers John McGraw (1902-1932), Christy Matthewson (1900-1916), Roger Bresnahan (1902-1908), Rube Marquard (1908-1915), Frankie Frisch (1919-1926), Travis Jackson (1922-1936), Bill Terry (1923-1936), Mel Ott (1926-1947) and Carl Hubbell (1928-1943) are all mentioned too.
Here are the updated statistical categories through the 2022 season, adding the three additional World Championships the Giants have won in the past 66 years.
Most Home Runs - 241 in 2021
Most Double Plays - 183 in 1987
Most Games Won - 107 in 2021
Additional Pennant Winning Teams - 1962, 1971, 1987, 1989, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2021
Additional Championship Teams - 2010, 2012, 2014
Additional Championship Teams - 2010, 2012, 2014
The Polo Grounds is fascinating to me, and I can't imagine what it would have been like to watch a ballgame from any of the seats located beyond the outfield walls.
1956 Season
Manager Leo Durocher was let go following the 1955 season and eight years at the helm for the Giants. His replacement was 38-year-old Bill Rigney, who would lead the Giants, Angels and Twins over a managerial career spanning 18 years. Rigney guided his new team to a 67-87 finish, sixth place in the National League. Willie Mays (#130) was again the star attraction for the club, leading the league with 40 stolen bases and leading the Giants with 36 home runs and 84 RBIs. Rookie Bill White was second on the team with 22 home runs.
Manager Leo Durocher was let go following the 1955 season and eight years at the helm for the Giants. His replacement was 38-year-old Bill Rigney, who would lead the Giants, Angels and Twins over a managerial career spanning 18 years. Rigney guided his new team to a 67-87 finish, sixth place in the National League. Willie Mays (#130) was again the star attraction for the club, leading the league with 40 stolen bases and leading the Giants with 36 home runs and 84 RBIs. Rookie Bill White was second on the team with 22 home runs.
Staff ace Johnny Antonelli (#138), also strangely missing from the team photo, was 20-13 with a 2.86 ERA in 41 games pitched, throwing 258 1/3 innings. No other Giants pitcher won ten games. The team's top reliever was Hoyt Wilhelm (#307), who pitched 89 1/3 innings over 64 appearances, saving eight games.
Giants Cards That Never Were
There are some easy choices here and if I were put in charge of a fifth series for the set, listed below are the additional Giants cards I'd include. Sarni and Schoendienst came over the Cardinals in June as mentioned above, and both settled into regular playing roles with the Giants. I've got seven subjects listed below and I may need to cull that list down if I want equal team representation in my imagery fifth series.
- Bill Rigney (manager) - Rigney had last appeared in a Topps set in 1952 as an infielder with the Giants.
- Bill Sarni (catcher) - Sarni and Schoendienst would get proper Giants cards in the 1957 Topps set.
- Red Schoendienst (second base)
- Bill White (first base) - White would go on to have a 13-year big league playing career, with his rookie card not appearing until the 1959 Topps set. He was the National League President between 1989 and 1994.
- Jackie Brandt (left field) - Brandt, the team's most regularly used left fielder, would also have to wait to 1959 for his rookie card.
- Al Worthington (starting pitcher) - Worthington was 7-14 in 28 games for the Giants.
- Joe Margoneri (starting pitcher) - And Margoneri was 6-6 in 23 games.
Sources
Baseball ReferencePrevious Card / Next Card
Order Collected: #206 Erv Palica - Baltimore Orioles / #237 Jose Valdivielso - Washington Nationals
I don't know how you identified those guys on that card (found a team photo?). Also is Topps listing right-to-left in the caption?
ReplyDeleteLove the '56 team cards, but it's more because of the backs. Also, the Polo Grounds was weird.
I'm starting with the last names listed on the card and then filling in the blanks based on the 1955 (or 1956) rosters. Finding the first names of clubhouse personnel is sometimes tough. And in this case, and I hadn't noticed it until you pointed it out, Topps listed the Giants in right to left order instead of the usual left to right. That's clearly Willie Mays in the front row, third from the right.
ReplyDelete