#293 Dick Dietz - San Francisco Giants

Richard Allen Dietz
San Francisco Giants
Catcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  195
Born:  September 18, 1941, Crawfordsville, IN
Signed:  Signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent, June 3, 1960
Major League Teams:  San Francisco Giants 1966-1971; Los Angeles Dodgers 1972; Atlanta Braves 1973

Died:  June 27, 2005, Clayton, GA (age 63)

Dick Dietz played in eight big league seasons, mostly with the Giants, and was a National League All-Star in 1970.  Dietz came up in 1966, and he'd assume the role of regular catcher Tom Haller's (#310) back-up in 1967, winning a spot on the 1967 Topps All-Star Rookie Team.  He shared catching duties in 1968 with Jack Hiatt (#204) and Bob Barton (#41), and Dietz was behind the plate when Gaylord Perry (#485) no-hit the Cardinals that September 17th.  Finally a regular, he'd serve as the opening day catcher for the Giants for three seasons between 1969 and 1971.  Named a reserve to the National League All-Stars by manager Gil Hodges (#564), Dietz replaced Johnny Bench (#95) in the top of the seventh in the All-Star Game, leading off the bottom of the ninth with a home run off Catfish Hunter (#235).  The home run sparked a rally to tie the game, with the National League winning in the 12th inning after Pete Rose (#120) barreled over Ray Fosse (#244) at home plate.  Dietz was on deck and can be seen guiding Rose into the plate and congratulating him after the play.

Dietz spent his last two seasons with the Dodgers and Braves in 1972 and 1973, retiring following the 1973 season.  In 646 games, Dietz batted .261 with 478 hits, 66 home runs and 301 RBIs.  He owned an impressive career OBP of .390.  Dietz served as a long-time coach and manager in the Giants minor league system after retiring as a player.

Building the Set / Card #269
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March last year, over a year ago at this point, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the penultimate (!) of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me about $1.25.

The Card / Giants Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Topps goes with the minor league accolades for the back of Dietz's card, highlighting his .354 average in 1963 to go along with 35 home runs.  I'm not so sure about Topps' comment on Dietz's defense.  Despite limited playing time, he finished in the top three for errors in four straight seasons between 1968 and 1971.  He also finished in the top three in passed balls during that timeframe, leading the league in both 1970 and 1971.  Baserunners appeared to run wild when Dietz was behind the plate, as he lead the league in stolen bases allowed in 1968 and 1970, with 92 base stealers successful against him in 1970.

Accuracy Index:  Dietz scores a +5 for the accurate depiction in a Giants uniform.

1969 Season
Dietz appeared in 79 games for the Giants, making 69 starts behind the plate, more than the 57 starts by Hiatt or the 33 starts by Barton.  He batted .230 for the season with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs.  Dietz was third in the league for errors by a catcher and also third in the league for passed balls.

1967 Topps #341

1968 Topps #104

1970 Topps #135

1972 Topps #296

1973 Topps #442

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #341
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (7):  1967-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1994 Fleer ProCards #2833
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  50 in the Beckett online database as of 3/23/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#292 Al Downing - New York Yankees / #294 Jim Lemon MG - Washington Senators

#292 Al Downing - New York Yankees

Alphonso Erwin Downing
New York Yankees
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  June 28, 1941, Trenton, NJ
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1961 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1961-1969; Oakland Athletics 1970; Milwaukee Brewers 1970; Los Angeles Dodgers 1971-1977

World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1963-1964; Los Angeles Dodgers 1974

Al Downing played in parts of 17 seasons in the big leagues, was an American League All-Star in 1967 and was the National League Comeback Player of the Year in 1971 after winning 20 games with the Dodgers.  He had a lifetime record of 123-107 with a 3.22 ERA, and he allowed 177 home runs - including one of the most famous home runs ever hit.  Despite his success and longevity, Downing is best remember as the pitcher who surrendered Henry Aaron's (#100) record breaking 715th home run on April 8, 1974.

Downing was a member of the Yankees starting pitching rotation in the mid to late 1960s, as the franchise's perennial hold on the American League was waning.  He won at least 13 games in 1963, 1964 and in his All-Star season of 1967.  He led the league in strikeouts in 1964 with 217, the only time in his career he'd surpass the 200-strikeouts in a season mark.  Following brief stays with the A's and Brewers, Downing enjoyed a resurgence with the Dodgers in the early to mid 1970s.  He went 20-9 with the Dodgers in 1971, leading the league in shutouts with five, and finishing third in Cy Young voting behind Fergie Jenkins (#640) and Tom Seaver (#480).

Following his playing days, Downing served as a color analyst on Dodgers TV broadcasts between 1980 and 1987, and on radio in 2005.  He also briefly broadcast for the Braves in 2000.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #268
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March last year, over a year ago at this point, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 191st of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me a little over $2.

The Card / Yankees Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Downing is shown in a pose similar to that used for his 1967 and 1968 Topps cards, but the photos for all three cards are different.  The back of the card explains an arm injury limited him to just 15 appearances in 1968.  The cartoon highlights his Immaculate Inning thrown on August 11, 1967 against the Indians, striking out Tony Horton, Don Demeter and Duke Sims (#414) on nine pitches.

Accuracy Index:  Downing's card scores a +5 for the accurate Yankees uniform in a photo not seen before.

1969 Season
In his ninth and final season with the Yankees, Downing was 7-5 with a 3.38 ERA in 30 games overall, and 15 starts.  He threw five complete games in his 15 starts, and was the team's fifth starter and swingman, behind Mel Stottlemyre (#470), Fritz Peterson (#46), Stan Bahnsen (#380) and Bill Burbach (#658).  On December 5th, Downing and Frank Fernandez (#557) were traded to the Athletics for Danny Cater (#44) and Ossie Chavarria.

1962 Topps #219

1968 Topps #105

1970 Topps #584

1972 Topps #460

1976 Topps #605

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #219
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1962, 1964-1976
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2004 Upper Deck Legends Timeless Teams #96
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  77 in the Beckett online database as of 3/23/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#291 Vern Fuller - Cleveland Indians / #293 Dick Dietz - San Francisco Giants

#291 Vern Fuller - Cleveland Indians

Vernon Gordon Fuller
Cleveland Indians
Second Base

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  170
Born:  March 1, 1944, Menomonee, WI
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1963 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1964, 1966-1970

Signed by the Indians in 1963, Vern Fuller made his big league debut in September 1964, appearing in a pair of games as a pinch-hitter or pinch-runner.  He'd spend all of 1965 back in the minors, coming up to Cleveland for stints in 1966 and 1967.  Fuller was the opening day second baseman for the Indians in 1968, ultimately making 51 starts at second base and 19 starts at third base, while batting .242.  He'd be back for another full season in 1969, playing in a career-high 108 games and batting .236.  In 1970, Eddie Leon took over the regular second base duties for the Indians, with Fuller appearing in just 29 games and batting .182.  He'd play in his final big league game on October 1, 1970, retiring at the age of 26.  In 325 games with the Indians, Fuller batted .232 with 14 home runs and 65 RBIs.

Building the Set / Card #267
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March last year, over a year ago at this point, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 190th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me $1.25.

The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is only one of three appearances in Topps flagship sets for Fuller, and the photo is from the same session as the photo used for his 1968 Topps card.  The back of the card explains Fuller was injured most of the 1964 season, and his two games in September for the Indians were his only two games all year.

Accuracy Index:  Fuller comes away with a solid +5.

1969 Season
Fuller was the opening day second baseman for the Indians for the second year in a row.  He was either injured or manager Al Dark (#91) wasn't settled on Fuller throughout the season, as he made only 72 starts at second with Zoilo Versalles (#38) and Dave Nelson (#579) both starting over 30 games each at the position.  Fuller batted .236 as mentioned above, with four home runs and a career-high 22 RBIs.

1968 Topps #71

1970 Topps #558

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1968 Topps #71
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (3):  1968-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2019 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-VF
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  13 in the Beckett online database as of 3/23/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#290 Jim Kaat - Minnesota Twins / #292 Al Downing - New York Yankees

#288 Ken Holtzman - Chicago Cubs

Kenneth Dale Holtzman
Chicago Cubs
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  175
Born:  November 3, 1945, St. Louis, MO
Drafted:  Drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 4th round of the 1965 amateur draft, June 8, 1965
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1965-1971; Oakland Athletics 1972-1975; Baltimore Orioles 1976; New York Yankees 1976-1978; Chicago Cubs 1978-1979

World Series Appearances:  Oakland Athletics 1972-1974

Playing in 15 seasons in the majors, Ken Holtzman's career highlights include a pair of no-hitters and three World Series rings as part of the early 1970s Oakland A's dynasty.  Holtzman was drafted by the Cubs in June 1965, and made his big league debut that September after only 12 games in the minor leagues.  His no-hitters came against the Braves on August 19, 1969, and against the Reds on June 3, 1971.  Holtzman was a 17-game winner in both 1969 and 1970, and in November 1971 he was dealt to the surging Athletics in exchange for Rick Monday (#105).  Holtzman was an All-Star in both 1972 and 1973, winning 19 and 21 games, respectively, each season.  He'd win another 19 games in 1974 as Oakland clinched its third straight World Series title.  Always dependable in the postseason, Holtzman was 4-1 in eight World Series appearances, pitching to a 2.55 ERA over 35 1/3 innings.

Over the latter part of his career, Holtzman served as a swingman for the Yankees, winning a fourth World Series ring in 1977 when his team defeated the Dodgers in six games.  He retired at the age of 33 following a return stint with the Cubs in 1978 and 1979.  Holtzman was 174-150 for his career, owning 127 complete games and 31 shutouts, which is currently 103rd on the all-time leaderboard.  He had a 3.49 ERA in 451 games pitched, striking out 1,601 over 2,867 1/3 innings.

Building the Set / Card #266
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March last year, over a year ago at this point, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 189th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me a little over $2.

The Card / Cubs Team Set / Accuracy Index +1

Topps didn't have many photos to use for Holtzman, as this photo had already been used - three times - in the 1968 Topps set.  Collectors saw this photo the year before on his base card, on the 5th Series checklist card, and on his All-Star card.  The back of the card focuses on Holtzman's early career highlights, including his team-leading 11 wins in 1966 and his perfect 9-0 record in 1967.

The card was reprinted in 2002 as part of the limited Topps Wrigley Field Edition set.

Accuracy Index:  The repeat photo drops Holtzman to +1, and it could have gone lower if I tallied up each time the same photo had already been used in the 1968 Topps set.

1969 Season
In one of his finest seasons, Holtzman was 17-13 with a 3.58 ERA in 39 starts for the Cubs.  He was a solid number three starter behind 20-game winners Fergie Jenkins (#640) and Bill Hands (#115).  His first career no-hitter came on August 19th against Phil Niekro (#355) and the Braves.  Aided by the Wrigley Field wind, Henry Aaron (#100) seemingly hit a home run in the seventh inning that was blown back into the park and caught by left fielder Billy Williams (#450).  Holtzman didn't record any strikeouts during his no-hitter, only the third time in baseball history that had happened, and the first time it had happened since 1923.

1967 Topps #185

1968 Topps #60

1975 Topps #145

1978 Topps #387

1980 Topps #298

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #185
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1967-1980
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 Topps Archives Chicago Cubs #CUBS-63
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  107 in the Beckett online database as of 3/18/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#287 Jose Tartabull - Boston Red Sox / #289 Bart Shirley - Los Angeles Dodgers

#287 Jose Tartabull - Boston Red Sox

Jose Milages Tartabull
Boston Red Sox
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  165
Born:  November 27, 1938, Cienfuegos, Cuba
Signed:  Signed by the San Francisco Giants as an amateur free agent before 1958 season
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1962-1966; Boston Red Sox 1966-1968; Oakland Athletics 1969-1970

World Series Appearances:  Boston Red Sox 1967

A light-hitting outfielder, Jose Tartabull played in parts of nine seasons in the majors, but he's best remembered for a throw to the plate during the Impossible Dream season in 1967 for the Red Sox.  Tartabull was originally drafted by the Giants and traded to the Athletics in late 1961.  He'd appear in 107 games as a rookie in 1962, serving as the fourth outfielder on the ninth place Athletics team.  Dealt to the Red Sox in June 1966, Tartabull would again settle in as a back-up to regular outfielders Carl Yastrzemski (#130), Reggie Smith (#660) and Tony Conigliaro (#330).  On August 27, 1967, with the Red Sox battling the Twins and White Sox for the league lead, the Red Sox held a 4-3 lead over the White Sox heading to the bottom of the ninth inning.  With the tying run on third base, Duane Josephson (#222) lofted a soft line drive to right, caught by Tartabull, who wasn't known for a strong throwing arm.  Tartabull's throw home was high, causing catcher Elston Howard to leap in the air, but Howard caught the ball and came down on  home plate in time to catch the runner.  The Red Sox won the game, briefly taking possession of first place, with the throw serving as an impetus for the team and their fans.

1993 Pinnacle #478

Tartabull played for three more big league seasons following his heroics in 1967, and he'd retire in 1972 after playing in Mexico.  In 749 games, Tartabull batted .261 with a pair of home runs, 107 RBIs and 81 stolen bases.  His son, Danny Tartabull, played for 14 seasons with the Mariners, Royals, Yankees, Athletics, White Sox and Phillies.  The younger Tartabull was an All-Star with the Royals in 1991.

Building the Set / Card #265
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March last year, over a year ago at this point, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 188th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me a little over $2.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set / Accuracy Index -7

It looks as if the photos used for Tartabull's 1967, 1968 and 1969 Topps cards were all taken at the same time by the batting cages.  Credit to the Topps' cartoonist here for demonstrating what it would have looked like when Tartabull originally signed with the Giants.  The game-winning pinch-hit mentioned in the write-up happened on April 29, 1967 at Fenway Park.  The Athletics had taken a 10-9 lead in the top of the 15th when Rick Monday (#105) hit a solo home run.  Reliever Jack Aker (#612) couldn't retire the Red Sox, loading the bases and giving up Tartabull's game-winning single to score Conigliaro.

Accuracy Index:  Tartabull loses points for the former team's uniform (-5) and since he didn't play for the Red Sox in 1969 (-2).

1969 Season
Despite batting .281 in 1968, Tartabull was left off the Red Sox opening day roster in 1969, beginning the season with the Triple-A Louisville Colonels.  He was batting .216 in 14 games with the Colonels when the Red Sox sold him to the Athletics on May 7th.  Tartabull appeared in 75 games for Oakland, batting .267 with 11 doubles and 11 RBIs.  He gained more regular playing time as the season progressed, ultimately starting 34 games in center field and 21 games in left field.

1962 Topps #451

1964 Topps #276

1967 Topps #56

1968 Topps #555

1970 Topps #481

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #451
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1962-1964, 1966-1970
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1993 Pinnacle #478
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  37 in the Beckett online database as of 3/18/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#286 Dock Ellis - Pittsburgh Pirates / #288 Ken Holtzman - Chicago Cubs

#285 Don Mincher - Seattle Pilots

Donald Ray Mincher
Seattle Pilots
First Base

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'3"  Weight:  205
Born:  June 24, 1938, Huntsville, AL
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago White Sox as an amateur free agent before 1956 season
Major League Teams:  Washington Senators 1960; Minnesota Twins 1961-1966; California Angels 1967-1968; Seattle Pilots 1969; Oakland Athletics 1970-1971; Washington Senators 1971; Texas Rangers 1972; Oakland Athletics 1972

World Series Appearances:  Minnesota Twins 1965; Oakland Athletics 1972
Died:  March 4, 2012, Huntsville, AL (age 73)

Don Mincher was a veteran of 13 big league seasons, playing in the final seasons of both 20th Century Washington baseball teams and in the first seasons of their new locations in Minnesota and Texas.  He was an All-Star in 1967 with the Angels, perhaps his best season, and the only Pilots player to appear in the All-Star Game in the team's sole year of existence in 1969.  Mincher hit at least 20 home runs in five different seasons, reaching a career high in 1970 with 27.  He drove in at least 70 runs in three different seasons.  Mincher won a World Series ring with the Athletics in his final season in the big leagues, and he had a key pinch-hit in Game 4 of the 1972 World Series to help his team to victory.  In 1,400 career games, Mincher batted .249 with exactly 200 home runs and 643 RBIs.

Mincher began his second career as a minor league executive in 1985, serving as the president and general manager of his hometown Huntsville Stars until 2001.  While he never played for the club, the Stars, then an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, retired his #5 in 2008.  He'd go on to serve as president of the Southern League until 2011.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1965 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #264
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

In mid-March last year, over a year ago at this point, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set.  That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon.  I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.

This is the 187th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York.  My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside.  After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far.  With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298.  The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me a little over $2.

The Card / Pilots Team Set / Accuracy Index -8

Mincher is shown wearing an Angels jersey and hat, in a photo likely taken in 1967 and at the same time as the photo used for his 1968 Topps card.  The cartoon became outdated following Mincher's appearance in the 1969 All-Star Game - see below.  In the 1967 All-Star Game, he pinch-hit for pitcher Gary Peters (#34) in the eighth inning and singled off Bob Gibson (#200).

Accuracy Index:  Mincher scores a -8 for the Angels jersey (-5) and logo-less hat (-3).

Inserts:  Mincher is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.  It's basically the same photo used for his base card, except he's got his glasses on.

1969 Season
Mincher was the 2nd pick in the 1968 expansion draft, and the Pilots' overall #1 pick, selected from the Angels.  The opening day first baseman for the Pilots, he'd start 118 games at the position and play in 140 games overall.  Mincher and Mike Hegan (#577) were both selected to the All-Star Game, with only Mincher appearing in the game, pinch-hitting for Denny McLain (#150) in the fourth inning.  Facing Gibson again, Mincher struck out.  

He batted .246 for the Pilots with a team-leading 25 home runs and 78 RBIs.  Tommy Davis (#135) took the team RBI crown with 80.  In January 15, 1970, before the Pilots moved to Milwaukee and become the Brewers, Mincher was dealt with Ron Clark (#561) to the Athletics for Mike Hershberger (#655), Lew Krausse (#23), Phil Roof (#334) and Phil Sanders.

1960 Topps #548

1965 Topps #108

1968 Topps #75

1970 Topps #185

1972 Topps #242

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1960 Topps #548
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (13):  1960-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1983 Galasso 1969 Seattle Pilots #10
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  67 in the Beckett online database as of 3/17/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#284 Expos Rookie Stars / #286 Dock Ellis - Pittsburgh Pirates