#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.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #100 Baltimore Orioles Team Card / #102 Jim Davis - Chicago Cubs

Order Collected: #78 Herman Wehmeier - Philadelphia Phillies / #262 Howie Pollet - Chicago White Sox

#100 Baltimore Orioles Team Card

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
February 7, 2007 in Voorhees, NJ - Card #291
This is one of six cards I purchased at the Echelon Mall Baseball Card show in February 2007, spending $70 total, including $20 on this Orioles team card, which was probably too much.  At the time, Doug was a few days away from turning two months old and we had just celebrated my Dad's 63rd birthday a few weeks earlier.

I think Jenna had been out shopping on this day when she texted (or called) me to let me know there was a baseball card show being held at what used to be the Echelon Mall.  The former mall has since been converted as part of the Voorhees Town Center.

The Card
The St. Louis Browns moved to Baltimore and were renamed the Orioles after the 1953 season.  A question I often ask myself is if I had been born a die-hard Orioles fan, would I go back and collect all Browns baseball cards up through 1953?  I'm assuming I would as those Browns players still have a connection to the Orioles franchise today.  The existing Orioles franchise actually began its life as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901 before moving to St. Louis in 1902 where they'd play the next 52 seasons.

The back of this team card goes into the history of baseball in Baltimore prior to the Browns moving to Maryland.  The original Baltimore Orioles played in the American Association and the National League between 1882 and 1899.  The players mentioned on the back of this card were members of that original Orioles team - Dan Brouthers (1894-1895), Hugh Jennings (1893-1899), Willie Keeler (1894-1898), John McGraw (1891-1899) and Wilbert (not Wilbur) Robinson (1890-1899).

Two of the charter members of the American League in 1902 were the Milwaukee Brewers, who moved to Baltimore as mentioned above, and the second version of the Baltimore Orioles who would become the New York Highlanders or Americans between 1903 and 1913, and eventually the New York Yankees.  McGraw and Robinson played for both the first and second versions of the Orioles.  The third version of the Orioles was a minor league team active between 1903 and 1953.  If you're keeping score at home, the current Orioles team is the fourth version of the franchise overall.

No Year, Team Name Left

1955 Variation

The Orioles team card, along with team cards for several other clubs, is available in three variations.  There's a version with the 1955 date, and then two versions without the year and with the team name either centered or to the left.  I have the version with the centered team name in our set.

Here are the subjects featured on the card, including a listing of their 1956 Topps card if they had one.  The photo was taken in Memorial Stadium after July 30, 1955, as that's the date the Orioles received Eddie Lopat in a trade from the Yankees for Jim McDonald.  Lopat is present in the second row of the photo.  Former Whiz Kid Eddie Waitkus was released by the team on July 25th, but he's not present in the team photo.

Front Row Art Schallock Bob Hale (#231) Wayne Causey Coach Lloyd Brown Coach Al Vincent Manager Paul Richards Coach Lum Harris Coach Harry Brecheen (#229) Willy Miranda (#103) Freddie Marsh (#23) Cal Abrams Batboy George Diering Batboy Jack Freedy Batboy Martin Young

2nd Row Don Johnson Hal Smith (#62) Dave Pope (#154) Jim Dyck (#303) Jim Pyburn George Zuverink (#276) Gus Triandos (#80) Bob Nelson (#169) Bill Wight (#286) Ed Lopat Jim Wilson (#171) Trainer Ed Weidner

Back Row Harry Dorish (#167) Tom Gastall Erv Palica (#206) Dave Philley (#222) Hal Brown Ted Gray Ray Moore (#43) Chuck Diering (#19) Don Leppert

The Orioles played their home games at Memorial Stadium through the 1991 season, moving into Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992.  There are a few categories on the back of the card that need to be updated:

Most Home Runs - 257 in 1996
Most Double Plays - 191 in 1999
Games Won - 109 in 1969
Most Consecutive Games Won - 14 in 1916 and 1973
Additional Pennant Winning Teams - 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1983, 1997, 2014
Additional Championship Teams - 1966, 1970, 1983

Orioles Team Set

1956 Season
In their third year in Baltimore, manager Richards guided the team to a 69-85 record, finishing in sixth place in the American League.  It was the new team's best finish since moving from St. Louis and they'd reach the .500 mark in 1957.  Left fielder Bob Nieman could be considered the team MVP as he hit .322 with 12 home runs and 64 RBIs.  Triandos led the team in both home runs with 21 and RBIs with 88 and he hit .279.

The pitching was fairly lackluster with Moore leading the team with 12 wins and a 4.18 ERA.  Connie Johnson was 9-10 with a 3.43 ERA and Zuverink led the team with 16 saves.

Third base prospect Brooks Robinson had been a September call-up in 1955 and in 1956 he appeared in 15 games with the Orioles, batting .227 (10 for 44) and hitting his first home run.

Orioles Cards That Never Were
There are a number of good options here for 1956 Topps cards that never were:

• Paul Richards (manager) - Richards was also serving as the team's GM and he'd manage the Orioles between 1955 and 1961.
• Dick Williams (center field) - Williams appeared in 87 games for the Orioles in 1956, but he'd need to wait until 1957 for his first Topps Orioles card.  He'd go on to have a Hall of Fame career as a manager.
• Tito Francona (right field) - Francona's rookie card is in the 1957 Topps set.  He appeared in 139 games for the 1956 Orioles.
• Hoot Evers (outfield) - 1956 was to be the last year of Evers' 12-year career.  His only Topps flagship card is found in the 1952 Topps set.
• Wayne Causey (third base) - Appearing in 68 games in 1955 and 53 in 1956, Causey wouldn't appear on any baseball cards until he joined the Athletics in 1961.
• Brooks Robinson (third base) - The future Hall of Famer's rookie card can be found in the 1957 Topps set.

The late, great Bob Lemke created card #351 for Robinson and he posted it to his blog back in November 2015.  I'm reproducing here, but please head over to Bob Lemke's Blog to view his wonderful collection of cards that never were.

There are quite a few other players who appeared with the Orioles in 1956, but appear in the 1956 Topps set with other teams:  regular third baseman and future Hall of Famer George Kell (#195 - White Sox), regular left fielder Nieman (#267 - White Sox), outfielder Joe Frazier (#141 - Cardinals), infielder Grady Hatton (#26 - Red Sox), starting pitcher Connie Johnson (#326 - White Sox), and relievers Billy Loes (#270 - Dodgers), Johnny Schmitz (#298 - Red Sox), Sandy Consuegra (#265 - White Sox) and Babe Birrer (#84 - Tigers).

That's a wrap on the first series from the 1956 Topps set.  I've added a 1st Series Review page here, summarizing the first 100 cards from the set.

Sources
Baseball Reference

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #99 Don Zimmer - Brooklyn Dodgers / #101 Roy Campanella - Brooklyn Dodgers

Order Collected: #90 Cincinnati Redlegs Team Card / #177 Hank Bauer - New York Yankees

#99 Don Zimmer - Brooklyn Dodgers

Donald William Zimmer
Brooklyn Dodgers
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'9"  Weight:  165
Born:  January 17, 1931, Cincinnati, OH
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent before 1949 season
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1954-1957; Los Angeles Dodgers 1958-1959; Chicago Cubs 1960-1961; New York Mets 1962; Cincinnati Reds 1962; Los Angeles Dodgers 1963; Washington Senators 1963-1965
As a Manager:  San Diego Padres 1972-1973; Boston Red Sox 1976-1980; Texas Rangers 1981-1982; Chicago Cubs 1988-1991
Died:  June 4, 2014, Dunedin, FL (age 83)

1978 Topps #63

Before he was a successful big league manager and coach, Don Zimmer played 12 seasons and was an All-Star with the Cubs in 1961.  He enjoyed his best season with the Dodgers in 1958, attaining career highs in batting average (.262), home runs (17) and RBIs (60) as the team's everyday shortstop.  He won two World Series rings with the Dodgers in 1955 and 1959.  In 1953, he was hit in the head with a pitch thrown by Jim Kirk and was knocked unconscious for two weeks.  The incident led to the introduction of protective batting helmets.  He was briefly an original member of the expansion Mets in 1962 and he played part of a season in Japan in 1966 with the Toei Flyers.

His coaching career saw him spend time with the Expos (1971), Padres (1972), Red Sox (1974-1976, 1992), Yankees (1983, 1986, 1996-2003), Cubs (1984-1986), Giants (1987), Rockies (1993-1995) and Devil Rays/Rays (2004-2014).  As a manager, Zimmer had a lifetime record of 885-858.  His Red Sox teams won over 90 games in 1977, 1978 and 1979 and he led the Cubs to an N.L. East pennant in 1989.  He won the N.L. Manager of Year Award that year.  Zimmer spent 66 years in professional baseball, and the Rays, for whom he was coaching at the time of his death, retired his #66 in 2015 to celebrate that milestone and to pay tribute to their coach.

Building the Set
June 24, 1989 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #77
My Dad and I purchased this card at the Ocean City IX baseball card show held within the Ocean City Music Pier on the boardwalk.  I have in my notes that we paid $2.50 for this card, along with the cards of Jim Finigan (#22) and Nelson Burbrink (#27).  I would have just finished my freshman year of high school when we bought this card and I was in the middle of collecting the 1973 Topps set.

The windows would have been open inside the showroom floor, and the sounds and smells of the shore served as the background as I poured through binders or boxes of baseball cards.  Above the din of the collectors looking for bargains and dealers hawking their wares, you could hear the occasional sea gull or even the crashing of waves.  I miss those shows and I become more and more nostalgic about them every year.  A perfect day with my Dad would consist of walking among the dozens of tables of baseball cards, finding cards for our sets and taking a break with a birch beer and a slice from Mack & Manco's.

I keep the postcard featured here in my 1988-1989 Phillies baseball card binder.  There's a thumbtack hole in the top left corner, which means at one point it hung on the bulletin board in my bedroom.  The 9th Seashore Baseball Card & Sports Memorabilia Show featured two autograph signers for the weekend - Dick Sisler and Jim Bunning.  My Dad didn't like driving at night, which is why we wouldn't have stuck around for Bunning on Saturday.  I probably never realized we had missed our chance at meeting Sisler the night before, and the names Sisler and Bunning meant nowhere as much to me then as they do now.

The Card
That's a fantastic posed action shot showing Zimmer in mid-air about to make the throw to first.  The main photo is the same used for his 1955 Topps rookie card.  The back calls attention to his timely hitting, prowess as a defender at second base and his speed on the basepaths.  All things I wouldn't have imagined Zimmer had been capable of, knowing what I knew about the Cubs manager when we bought this card in 1989.

Zimmer and Jim Gilliam (#280) had a platoon in 1955 with the Dodgers at second base, with the right-handed batting Zimmer starting 62 games there and the switch-hitting Gilliam starting 91 games.  Zimmer also was the only back-up at shortstop needed for Pee Wee Reese (#260) as Reese started 142 games with Zimmer spelling him 12 times.

Dodgers Team Set

1956 Season

Zimmer only played in 17 games for the Dodgers, hitting .300 (6 for 20) with a pair of RBIs.  He had started the season serving as Reese's back-up at short, but he was hit by Hal Jeffcoat (#289) fastball on June 23rd, breaking his cheekbone and ending his season.

1955 Bowman #65

1959 Topps #287

1965 Topps #233

1982 Donruss #195

1991 Topps #729

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Bowman #65
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (22):  1955-1965, 1973-1974, 1977-1981, 1988-1991
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2014 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-DZ

Topps gave Zimmer a 1954 Topps inspired card in its 1994 Topps Archives release.  His 1956 Topps card was reprinted in the 1995 Topps Archives Brooklyn Dodgers set.

158 - Zimmer non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/29/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

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.

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Set Order: #98 Camilo Pascual - Washington Nationals / #100 Baltimore Orioles Team Card

Order Collected: #27 Nelson Burbrink - St. Louis Cardinals / #72 Philadelphia Phillies Team Card

#98 Camilo Pascual - Washington Nationals

Camilo Alberto Pascual
Washington Nationals
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  170
Born:  January 20, 1934, La Habana, Cuba
Signed:  Signed by the Washington Senators as an amateur free agent before 1952 season
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1954-1960; Minnesota Twins 1961-1966; Washington Senators 1967-1969; Cincinnati Reds 1969; Los Angeles Dodgers 1970; Cleveland Indians 1971

If not for Camilo Pascual, the Senators/Twins teams of the late 1950s/early 1960s would have lost a lot more games than they actually did.  Pascual was a mainstay in those teams' pitching rotations, making at least 25 starts in 11 different seasons between 1956 and 1967.  He was named to seven All-Star teams and was a 20-game winner in 1962 and 1963.  Pascual led the A.L. in complete games in 1959, 1962 and 1963 and in shutouts in 1959, 1961 and 1962.  He struck out over 200 in a season four times, leading the league in that category in 1961, 1962 and 1963.  He finished in the top four in ERA in the A.L. in four different seasons.  Pascual holds the record for opening day strikeouts, having fanned 15 Red Sox on opening day in 1960.  Ted Williams (#5) described Pascual's overhand curveball as the "most feared curveball in the American League for 18 years."

The Twins, who had moved from Washington, traded Pascual to the expansion Washington Senators in December 1966, giving him the distinction of having pitched for both versions of the expansion Senators teams.

Over his career, Pascual pitched in 529 games and had a record of 174-170 with a 3.63 ERA.  His 2,167 career strikeouts currently ranks him 68th on the all-time list.  Following his playing career, Pascual served as Gene Mauch's pitching coach for the Twins between 1978 and 1980.  He also worked as a scout for the A's, Mets and Dodgers and he was the scout who recommended the A's sign Jose Canseco.  Pascual was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame in 2012.

July 14, 2012 - Tony Oliva inducts Pascual into the Twins Hall of Fame

Building the Set
Summer of 1983 or 1984 in Millville, NJ - Card #7
This Pascual card was one of the Original 44.  I last told the full story of the Original 44 in the Pedro Ramos (#49) post and by the time I get to the next card from the Original 44 - Ed Mathews (#107) - it might be time for me to repeat the story again.  The Cardinals, Indians and Senators were the teams best represented in that original haul as there were six cards from each of those teams added to our set.

The Card
The same photo was used for this card and Pascual's 1955 Topps rookie card.  On the back, the middle panel does a great job of highlighting the varied repertoire in Pascual's pitching arsenal.  Along with his fantastic curveball, Pascual also threw an effective, and at times unhittable, fastball.

Nationals Team Set

1956 Season

As a 22-year-old in his third full season, Pascual went 6-18 with a 5.87 ERA over 39 games and 27 starts.  He led the A.L. in home runs allowed with 33.  The Senators lost 95 games with Pascual's 18 serving as a career low-point for the pitcher.  Chuck Stobbs (#68) with 15 losses, Bob Wiesler (#327) with 12 losses and Pedro Ramos (#49) with 10 losses trailed Pascual in that category.

Following the season, Pascual helped lead the Cienfuegos Elephants of the Cuban winter league to a championship season by going 15-5 and pitching 16 complete games.

1955 Topps #84

1959 Topps #413

1962 Topps #230

1965 Topps #255

1970 Topps #254

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Topps #84
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (16):  1955-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #255

133 - Pascual non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/28/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

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.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #97 Jerry Lynch - Pittsburgh Pirates / #99 Don Zimmer - Brooklyn Dodgers

Order Collected: #85 Cleveland Indians Team Card / #107 Ed Mathews - Milwaukee Braves

#97 Jerry Lynch - Pittsburgh Pirates

Gerald Thomas Lynch
Pittsburgh Pirates
Catcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  185
Born:  July 17, 1930, Bay City, MI
Acquired:  Purchased by the New York Yankees from Greenville (Cotton States)
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1954-1956; Cincinnati Reds 1957-1963; Pittsburgh Pirates 1963-1966
Died:  April 1, 2012, Austell, GA (age 81)

Jerry "The Hat" Lynch was one of the premier pinch-hitters of his day, accumulating 116 pinch-hits which places him currently 10th on the all-time list.  His 18 pinch-hit home runs are currently third on the all-time list behind Cliff Johnson with 20 and Matt Stairs with 23.  Lynch's best season came in 1961 with the Reds when he hit .315 over 96 games.  He had five pinch-hit home runs that season, driving in 25 runs.  His biggest hit that year (not a pinch-hit) was a two-run home run off Bob Anderson on September 26th to give the Reds a 6-3 win over the Cubs and helping the team clinch the 1961 N.L. pennant .  The Reds lost in the World Series to the Yankees, but Lynch's fine season earned him 22nd place in the league's MVP voting.

Playing in 640 games with the Reds and 544 with the Pirates in two separate stints, Lynch was a career .277 batter with 115 home runs and 470 RBIs.  He was elected into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1988.

1988ish?

Building the Set
August 29, 1988 in Millville, NJ - Card #64
This is the last of four cards I acquired in a trade with one of my collector friends back in Millville and the last time I'll share this story.  Along with the cards for Tom Brewer (#34), Ed Roebuck (#58) and Ray Jablonski (#86), this Lynch card was one of four cards I acquired for our 1956 Topps set via a trade, and all I had to surrender were a bunch of 1988 Topps doubles.

We were about a year in to officially collecting the 1956 Topps set when I added four cards to the set through a trade with a friend of mine.  Now my friend probably has no recollection of this, but I'm going to omit his name to protect the innocent.  In the summer of 1988, I was aware of a few different baseball card collectors from my school.  Most of them were busy accumulating as many "Future Stars" cards from the 1988 Topps set as possible, convinced these cards would be worth hundreds of dollars in a matter of a few short years.  The Kevin Elster card was a particularly hot commodity, as was anything with a Topps Rookie Cup on it such as the cards for Mark McGwire, Mike Greenwell, Ellis Burks and Casey Candaele.

My friend had four 1956 Topps cards set aside in an "oldies" pile, and I'm guessing he had added these to his collection by accident or maybe through an older relative.  In any event, I went over to his house this late summer day in August, equipped with my 1988 Topps doubles, and ready to deal.  I don't remember the specifics of the trade, but I ended up with four 1956 Topps commons, including this Lynch card, and he ended up with a small stack of 1988 Topps rookies.  We were both happy with our respective hauls, so in our minds it was a fair deal.

I've lost track of this friend over the years, but his name lives on in my official records of how each card in our 1956 Topps set was obtained.

The Card
According to his Baseball Reference page, Lynch wore #18 with the Pirates in 1955 and #14 with the club in 1954 and 1956.  That's him getting called out by the umpire in what looks like a close play at first base with the fielder possibly obstructed by Lynch's large head shot.  And speaking of the head shot, Lynch's 1954 Topps card features him wearing a standard Pirates helmet.  His 1955 and 1956 cards use the same photo but Topps has altered the helmet into a floppy looking hat.  Topps went with catcher for Lynch's position, which is a strange choice.  In 73 games in the field in 1955, Lynch played the outfield 71 times (either left or right field) and caught in only 2 games.

On the back, the first panel refers to Lynch's seasons with the 1950 Greenville Bucks and the 1953 Norfolk Tides where he hit .329 and .333 respectively.  Lynch completely missed the 1951 and 1952 seasons while serving in the military.  The final panel references his jump in batting average from .239 in 1954 to .284 in 1955.

Pirates Team Set

1956 Season

This was probably the worst season of Lynch's big league career.  He appeared in only 19 games, batting .158 (3 for 19) in limited action in the months of June and July.  I'm assuming an injury was the reason for his complete lack of playing time during the season.  Following the season, the Pirates left him unprotected in December's rule 5 draft and he was selected by the Reds.

1954 Topps #234

1959 Topps #97

1961 Topps #97

1963 Topps #37

1966 Topps #182

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1954 Topps #234
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1954-1966
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Topps Archives 1954 #234

64 - Lynch non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/27/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

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.

Previous Card / Next Card

Set Order: #96 Bill Tremel - Chicago Cubs / #98 Camilo Pascual - Washington Nationals

Order Collected: #86 Ray Jablonski - Cincinnati Redlegs / #25 Ted Kluszewski - Cincinnati Redlegs

#96 Bill Tremel - Chicago Cubs

William Leonard Tremel
Chicago Cubs
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  180
Born:  July 4, 1929, Lilly, PA
Acquired:  Purchased with John Andre and Billy Muffett from Shreveport (Texas), June 8, 1954
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1954-1956
Died:  December 22, 2013, Hollidaysburg, PA (age 84)

Bill Tremel pitched in parts of three seasons with the Cubs, appearing in 57 games all in relief.  He had a lifetime record of 4-2 with a 4.05 ERA and 6 saves.  Nicknamed "Mumbles," Tremel spent 11 seasons in the minor leagues going 72-60 in 430 games with a 4.03 ERA.

Building the Set
June 22, 1993 in Ocean City, NJ - Card #111
Given the creases visible on the front of this card, there's no way my Dad was with me when this was purchased from Only Yesterday on the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ.  My Dad would have rejected this card outright for our set given its condition.  This Tremel card was purchased along with the cards for Spook Jacobs (#151) and Dick Brodowski (#157) for $10.  Up until a few years ago, Only Yesterday was located on the Ocean City boardwalk and it was one of the few stops that was a must-visit for me whenever I'd walk the boards.  (The others being, and still being, Shriver's, Johnson's Popcorn, Manco & Manco's and the Surf Mall.)

I missed a chunk of my spring semester of my freshman year of college due to a bad bout of mono.  In the summer of 1993, after that freshman year, I was back at home.  June 22nd would have been a Tuesday, so that's a strange day to be visiting the Ocean City boardwalk given I would have had a summer job somewhere.

The Card
The photo on the front was the same photo used on Tremel's rookie card in the 1955 Topps set.  Topps would reprint the card for Tremel to sign for inclusion in the 2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs insert set.

Flipping to the back, granted Tremel was undefeated, but his record was 3-0 in in 1955 in 23 relief appearances.  And Topps is being somewhat generous here in calling him one of the "top relief pitchers in the league."  Tremel had a 3.72 ERA over 38 2/3 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts and 18 walks.  The win referenced in the final panel on the back came on July 8, 1954 against the Braves.  Tremel pitched seven innings in relief in a game the Cubs won, 9-8, in 14 innings.

Cubs Team Set

1956 Season

Tremel returned to the Cubs bullpen for the start of the 1956 season.  His sole appearance for the team came on April 27th against the Reds.  He allowed a run on three hits in 2/3 of an inning, ending his time with the Cubs and his big league career.  Sent back down to the Double-A Tulsa Oilers, Tremel led the team in appearances with 63 and had a record of 11-6 with a 4.23 ERA.

Tremel remained with the Cubs organization through 1957 and spent parts of the 1958 and 1959 seasons pitching in the Dodgers and Athletics organizations.

1955 Topps #52

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Topps #52
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (2):  1955-1956
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2005 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #RO-BT

7 - Tremel non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/26/20.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
The Trading Card Database
Wikipedia

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.

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Set Order: #95 Milwaukee Braves Team Card / #97 Jerry Lynch - Pittsburgh Pirates

Order Collected: #30 Jackie Robinson - Brooklyn Dodgers / #151 "Spook" Jacobs - Kansas City Athletics

#95 Milwaukee Braves Team Card

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
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.

Front Row Jim Pendleton Humberto Robinson Bob Trowbridge Paul Cave Roberto Vargas Andrew Bratkowitz Billy Queen Joey Jay Warren Sphan (#10)

2nd Row Danny O'Connell (#272) Al Spangler Coach Bob Keeley Coach Johnny Cooney Manager Charlie Grimm Coach Bucky Walters Charlie Gorin Pete Whisenant Johnny Logan (#136) Dave Jolly Equipment Mgr. Joe Taylor Public Relations Donald Davidson

3rd Row Trainer Charles Lacks Jack Dittmer Bobby Malkmus Alfred Facchini Dave Koslo Andy Pafko (#312) Eddie Mathews (#107) Phil Paine Ray Crone (#76) Charlie White Frank Torre (#172) Bill Bruton (#185) Joe Adcock (#320) Clubhouse Mgr. Tommy Ferguson Traveling Sec'y Duffy Lewis

Back Row Del Crandall (#175) Roy Smalley Jack Caro Bob Buhl (#244) Lew Burdette (#219) Jim Wilson (#171 with Orioles) Don McMahon Bob Giggie Bill Roland Hank Aaron (#31) Chuck Tanner (#69) Jack Parks Ernie Johnson (#294) Chet Nichols (#278) Glenn Thompson Gene Conley (#17) Bobby Thomson (#257)

I was able to get most of the full names of everyone from the postcard below I found online.


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

No Year, Team Name Left

1955 Variation

The Braves team card is available in three variations.  There's a version with the 1955 date, and then two versions without the year with the team name either centered or to the left.  I have the version with the team name centered in our set, and based on a recent eBay search, this seems to be the most prevalent version.

Braves Team Set

1956 Season

The 1956 Braves went into the final series of the season with a one game lead in the N.L., but they dropped their first two games to the Cardinals while the Dodgers swept the Pirates to give the Dodgers the pennant.  The Braves finished with a 92-62 record led by the bats of Hank Aaron and Eddie Matthews and bolstered by the pitching of Warren Spahn.  Aaron won the N.L. batting title (.328), and led the league in hits (200) and doubles (34), while leading the Braves in runs scored with 106.  Joe Adcock led the team in home runs and RBIs with 38 and 103 respectively, while Matthews hit 37 home runs and drove in 95.

1958 Topps #475

The starting pitcher trio of Spahn (20-11, 2.78), Lew Burdette (19-10, 2.70) and Bob Buhl (27-18, 3.32) accounted for over 60% of the team's total wins.

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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Set Order: #94 Ronnie Kline - Pittsburgh Pirates / #96 Bill Tremel - Chicago Cubs

Order Collected: #94 Ronnie Kline - Pittsburgh Pirates / #116 Eddie O'Brien - Pittsburgh Pirates