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Beginning in 1961, Topps started including league leader cards in its sets and there are 12 league leaders cards kicking off the 1969 Topps set. League leader cards can be found at the beginning of each Topps set issued in 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969.
April 30, 2022 from Ocean City Sports Show
Growing up in South Jersey, I'd look forward to the Ocean City Baseball Card show every summer, saving my precious birthday or gas mowing money so that I could spend it all during one glorious afternoon inside the Ocean City Music Pier among dozens of tables of vintage baseball cards. When my wife Jenna texted me that there was a baseball card show coming up in Ocean City on April 30th this past year, I admittedly got giddy. We needed 11 cards to complete our 1965 Topps set, I had plans to begin collecting a 1969 Topps set, and I figured I'd add a Diamond Stars card or two to that growing set. We loaded the family in the car, trekked down to Ocean City, and I stepped inside the Music Pier for the first time in over 20 years.
The memories came flooding back, but none of the former baseball card dealers from my youth did. There were maybe 15 tables scattered on the lower portion of the Music Pier floor and I immediately scanned mostly shiny slabbed cards, bobble heads, signed jerseys, and nary a vintage baseball card in sight. It was a little depressing. Determined to come away with something, anything for my collection, I scoured a "3 for $20" box and came away with a few cards for Doug's collection, namely Alec Bohm relic cards, and six cards from sets I'm not even collecting yet, including this League Leaders card and its diamond-cut back.
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Willie McCovey (#440) won both the league's home run and RBI titles in 1968, and he'd repeat that feat again in 1969 - his MVP season. McCovey had previously led the league in home runs in 1963 when he connected for 44. His 36 home runs in 1968 seem like a low total, but 1968 was universally acclaimed as the Year of the Pitcher. Dick Allen (#350) finished second with 33 home runs, and he'd lead the American League in this category in both 1972 and 1974. Ernie Banks (#20) rounds out the trio with 32 home runs. Banks had previously led the league in home runs in his MVP season of 1958 and again in 1960.
If not for a monster game on the final day of the 1968 season, in which Allen hit three home runs against the Mets, this card would have shown McCovey, Banks and then Allen and Billy Williams (#450) tied for third place with 30 home runs each.
I appreciate the added touch of adding every player to have hit a grand slam in 1968 on the back of the card. Allen led in this category with two.
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