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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
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #32
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Walt Dropo (#238) post, back in February. Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and this Yankees team card is the 14th of 16 from series three. This is one of three team cards included within the Original 44 along with the Indians (#85) and Cardinals (#134) team cards. I remember thinking how much cooler team cards used to be, listing out everyone in the photo, including a diagram of the team's home ballpark on the back, along with all-time season records. The team cards I would have been used to in the early 1980s included a little picture of the manager in the top corner and a checklist on the back.
This was one of the Original 44, and I re-told the story of how my Dad and I started collecting this set with the Walt Dropo (#238) post, back in February. Seven of the Original 44 came from series one, with 11 coming from series two, and this Yankees team card is the 14th of 16 from series three. This is one of three team cards included within the Original 44 along with the Indians (#85) and Cardinals (#134) team cards. I remember thinking how much cooler team cards used to be, listing out everyone in the photo, including a diagram of the team's home ballpark on the back, along with all-time season records. The team cards I would have been used to in the early 1980s included a little picture of the manager in the top corner and a checklist on the back.
The Card / Yankees Team Set
This is the 16th and final team card in the set, and Topps saved the best for last. There are no team cards to be found within the fourth and final series. Listed below are the players, coaches, and club personnel featured on the card. Bat boys Ed Carr and Joe Carrieri are seated in front. Don Larsen's name is misspelled on the front of the card.
The photo was likely taken after a trade on May 11, 1955, when Johnny Sain and Enos Slaughter were dealt to the Athletics for Sonny Dixon and cash. None of those three players are pictured here. (Slaughter would come back to the Yankees as a waiver claim on August 25, 1956.) This card features an impressive six Hall of Famers, highlighted below.
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Topps had to parse down the list of Yankee Greats to include on the back of the card, and they went with Bob Meusel, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bill Dickey (who is on the front of the card as a coach), Lefty Gomez, Red Ruffing, Tony Lazzeri, Red Rolfe, Joe DiMaggio, Tom Henrich and George Selkirk. The Yankees would call the original Yankee Stadium home until 2008, with extensive renovations taking place during the 1974 and 1975 seasons. As part of the renovations, the center field fence, which had at one point been up to 466 feet away, was moved in to a mere 408 feet.
Here's a look at which records would need to be updated through the 2022 season:
Most Home Runs - 306 in 2019
Most Double Plays - 214 in 1956
Most Games Won - 114 in 1998
Additional Pennant Winning Teams - 1956-1958, 1960-1964, 1976-1978, 1980-1981, 1995-2007, 2009-2012, 2017-2020, 2022
Additional Championship Teams - 1956, 1958, 1961-1962, 1977-1978, 1996, 1998-2000, 2009
Additional Championship Teams - 1956, 1958, 1961-1962, 1977-1978, 1996, 1998-2000, 2009
The Yankees easily won the American League pennant, as they were in sole possession of first place for all but five games during the season. Mickey Mantle starred for the club, eventually winning the Triple Crown with a .353 average, 52 home runs and 130 RBIs. Mantle was also the unanimous choice for the league's MVP. Yogi Berra added to his Hall of Fame resume by hitting .298 with 30 home runs and 105 RBIs. On the mound, Whitey Ford was 19-6 with a 2.47 ERA and Johnny Kucks was 18-9. Tom Morgan and Tommy Byrne were the top fireman, although with 50 complete games by the pitching staff, they weren't needed often. Morgan recorded 11 saves.
On September 18th, Mantle's 50th home run of the season came in the 11th inning in a game against the White Sox. Mantle became the first Yankee slugger with 50 home runs since Ruth in 1928, and the eventual win would also clinch the pennant for the club. The Yankees would defeat the Dodgers in seven games in the World Series, with Don Larsen hurling a perfect game in Game 5.
Yankees Cards That Never Were
Here are the Yankees cards I would have included had Topps asked me to put together a fifth series checklist. Time travel would have been involved. It's not a surprise the Yankees are already fairly well represented in the 1956 Topps set.
- Casey Stengel (manager) - Only two manager's card were included in the set, and it's odd that Stengel wasn't one of them.
- Enos Slaughter (of) - As mentioned above, Slaughter returned to the Yankees in the summer and he's already in the set on an Athletics card.
- Norm Siebern (of) - Norm Siebern appeared in 54 games for the Yankees, the highest total of any player not in the 1956 Topps Yankees team set.
- Bobby Richardson (2b) - Bobby Richardson made his debut on August 5, 1955, and he'd appear in 16 games before his 1957 break-out season.
- Tom Sturdivant (rhp) - Tom Sturdivant went 16-8 with a 3.30 ERA in 32 appearances, and his rookie card appeared in the 1957 Topps set.
- Tom Morgan (rhp) - As mentioned above, Tom Morgan led the team with 11 saves.
- Rip Coleman (lhp) - Lefty Rip Coleman would appear in the 1957 Topps set with the Athletics.
Sources
Baseball ReferencePrevious Card / Next Card
Order Collected: #250 Larry Doby - Chicago White Sox / #252 Vernon Law - Pittsburgh Pirates
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