#214 3rd Series Checklist 219-327 / Special Autographed Photos Checklist

This is the first of two checklists in a row, and I'm going to skip the part of these checklist posts where I typically prepare a lengthy state of the union or state of the set summary.  The last checklist post came just a few weeks' ago, and not much has changed since then.  I'm writing this on the evening of Sunday, January 15th, tired from spending the bulk of the day un-decorating the house and putting away Christmas.  It's never fun, and today was no different.  But I am trying to improve my overall mindset when it comes to the month of January.  I don't like the attitude of "let's get this over with," and I've always had the tendency to embrace and enjoy Christmas, and then look forward to the spring and baseball once the holiday season had ended.  As I get older, and as I continue to practice mindfulness, I'm trying to be more grounded in the present and not wish away days, weeks, months.  Even if January is the worst month.  (I could use some more practice.)

Building the Set / Card #34
December 3, 2022 from The Philly Show (Huggins & Scott Auctions)

At the outset of The Philly Show, more formally known as the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, we needed just four cards to complete our 1965 Topps set.  I wrote a full summary of the show in this post over at The Phillies Room.

The show so far had been an all-timer.  Major purchases were made (1965 and 1969 Topps Mickey Mantle, 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson rookie card, Diamond Stars Rogers Hornsby), our 1965 Topps set was completed and I admittedly wasn't ready to leave just yet.  With a little more cash in hand, I decided to find a few more cards for our now newly-collecting 1969 Topps set.  

I found a box of vintage semi-star cards at the table of Higgins & Scott Auctions from Silver Spring, Maryland, with a "50% Off" sign attached to it.  It was truly a hodge podge of minor stars, checklists, multi-player Rookie Stars cards and other assorted randomness.  After confirming the cards were indeed 50% off the sticker prices, I found eight interesting cards needed for our set and parted with my final $50 of the day.  This checklist card, the second checklist we've already added to the set, was $5, and I consider that a fair price given it's clean and completely unmarked.

The Card / Checklists

Rather than have a star player make a cameo here, as all of the other checklists in the set do, Topps went with nothing but numbers, check boxes and names here in order to fit in the 33-card "Special Autographed Photos" set on the back.  This is more commonly referred to today as the Deckle Edge set, and I'm tracking those here as I add each player's base card to our set.  If I had been collecting this set back in 1969, the presence of these 33 cards would have led me to believe they too were part of the overall set and I would have tried to track them all down.  Topps would add two updated cards to the set with Jim Wynn and Joe Foy replacing Hoyt Wilhelm and Rusty Staub in subsequent printings.

With no star making a cameo on the card, this is the only card in the entire 1969 Topps set that doesn't fall into any team sets.

#213 Gerry Arrigo - Cincinnati Reds / #215 Rico Petrocelli - Boston Red Sox

#1 1968 A.L. Batting Leaders - Carl Yastrzemski / Danny Cater / Tony Oliva

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.

Building the Set / Card #33
December 3, 2022 from The Philly Show (Huggins & Scott Auctions)

At the outset of The Philly Show, more formally known as the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, we needed just four cards to complete our 1965 Topps set.  I wrote a full summary of the show in this post over at The Phillies Room.

The show so far had been an all-timer.  Major purchases were made (1965 and 1969 Topps Mickey Mantle, 1969 Topps Reggie Jackson rookie card, Diamond Stars Rogers Hornsby), our 1965 Topps set was completed and I admittedly wasn't ready to leave just yet.  With a little more cash in hand, I decided to find a few more cards for our now newly-collecting 1969 Topps set.  

I found a box of vintage semi-star cards at the table of Higgins & Scott Auctions from Silver Spring, Maryland, with a "50% Off" sign attached to it.  It was truly a hodge podge of minor stars, checklists, multi-player Rookie Stars cards and other assorted randomness.  After confirming the cards were indeed 50% off the sticker prices, I found eight interesting cards needed for our set and parted with my final $50 of the day.  This League Leaders card, the first card of the set, was $7.50.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set / Athletics Team Set / Twins Team Set

Carl Yastrzemski (#130) won his third and final batting title in 1968 with a .301 mark, adding to the titles he had previously won in 1963 and his Triple Crown year of 1967.  That's a low mark for a batting title, but 1968 has become universally known as the Year of the Pitcher.  Danny Cater (#44) makes a somewhat surprising appearance here, as his .290 average was good enough for the runner-up spot behind Yastrzemski.  Cater had joined the Athletics via a trade with the White Sox on May 27, 1966, and he's still shown wearing a White Sox uniform and hat here.  His base cards from the 1968 and 1969 Topps sets show him hatless, but at least wearing the green vested uniform of the Kansas City Athletics.  Cater would bat .301 in 1970, which was only good enough for 10th place in the batting race that season.

Finally, Tony Oliva (#600) and his .289 mark resulted in a third place finish.  Oliva would win three batting titles in his career, in 1964, 1965 and 1971.  For the record, the Orioles' Paul Blair (#506) and his .211 average wasn't the worst in the league in 1968.  His teammates Mark Belanger (#299) and Curt Blefary (#458) had worse marks with .208 and .200, respectively.  The Tigers' Don Wert (#443) had a .200 average and the Yankees' Tom Tresh (#212) rounds out the official list with a sub-Mendoza line average of .195 for the year.

I wanted to take a quick look back at the #1 card of each Topps flagship set released in the 1960s.

1960 Topps #1 Early Wynn - Chicago White Sox (1959 A.L. Cy Young)

1961 Topps #1 Dick Groat - Pittsburgh Pirates (1960 N.L. MVP)

1962 Topps #1 Roger Maris - New York Yankeees (1961 A.L. MVP)

1963 Topps #1 1962 N.L. Batting Leaders - T. Davis, F. Robinson, Musial, B. White, Aaron

1964 Topps #1 1963 N.L. ERA Leaders - Koufax, Ellsworth, Friend

1965 Topps #1 1964 A.L. Batting Leaders - Oliva, B. Robinson, E. Howard

1966 Topps #1 Willie Mays - San Francisco Giants (1965 N.L. MVP)

1967 Topps #1 The Champs - F. Robinson, Bauer, B. Robinson

1968 Topps #1 1967 N.L. Batting Leaders - Clemente, Gonzalez, M. Alou

1969 Topps #1 1968 A.L. Batting Leaders - Yastrzemski, Cater, Olivia

It's interesting to me that when Topps decided to open its set with League Leaders cards in 1960s, there was no set formula.  It was a different category or different league each time.

#2 1968 N.L. Batting Leaders

#500 Mickey Mantle - New York Yankees

Mickey Charles Mantle
New York Yankees
First Base

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  195
Born:  October 20, 1931, Spavinaw, OK
Signed:  Signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent before 1949 season
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1951-1968

World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1951-1953, 1955-1958, 1960-1964
Died:  August 13, 1995, Dallas, TX (age 63)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1974

Writing about the extremely well-known Hall of Famers in this set is way more difficult and daunting than writing about the fringe players who enjoyed a cup of coffee in the majors.  What can I write here about Mickey Mantle that isn't already well known and better written?

With that caveat out of the way . . . Mickey Mantle, the popular center fielder for the Yankees during their 1950s and early 1960s dynasty, was a three-time A.L. MVP winner, a 20-time All-Star, a triple crown winner in 1956 and a member of 7 World Champion Yankees teams.  He's regarded as one of the best switch hitters in baseball history and was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 1974.  Mantle led the league in home runs four times and in runs scored five times.  He finished his career with a .298 batting average, 2,415 hits, 536 home runs (currently 18th all-time) and 1,509 RBIs.  His #7 was retired by the Yankees upon his retirement in 1969, he ranked 17th on the 1998 Sporting News list of Baseball's 100 Greatest Players, and he was voted as one of the three outfielders on Major League Baseball's All-Century Team.

Not surprisingly, Mantle was my Dad's favorite non-Phillies baseball player.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #32
December 3, 2022 from The Philly Show (Sports Card Plus - Cooper City, FL)
At the outset of The Philly Show, more formally known as the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, we needed just four cards to complete our 1965 Topps set.  We arrived at the show in a steady rain right after doors opened at 9am, secured our autograph tickets and started walking the floor prior to the arrival of most of the crowd.  My goal for the show was simple:  Find those last four cards needed to complete our 1965 Topps set.  I wrote a full summary of the show in this post over at The Phillies Room.

I found the first three (Orlando Cepedea, Gordy Coleman, Tony Perez rookie card) of the final four after carefully scouring dealer tables throughout the expansive layout.  Having spent a few hours at this point walking the show floor, I had added notes in my phone for the location of five ungraded 1965 Topps Mickey Mantles I had come across so far, none of which had checked off the two qualities I was looking for - relative affordability and excellent or better condition.

When I came across a Mantle card from Sports Card Plus, I knew we had completed our 1965 Topps set.  There was some negotiation, and a little hesitation, but I eventually agreed to the price the dealer finally offered.  And then . . . I went a step further.  In the case next to the stack of 1965 Topps superstar cards was a stack of 1969 Topps superstar cards with the 1969 Topps Mantle card, one of the key cards of that set, on top of the stack.  I asked to see that card as well, studied it for a minute or two, and offered the dealer a bundled price for the two Mantle cards.  My offer was accepted after a few beats, Venmo information was exchanged, and the cards were ours.  Our 1965 Topps set, begun almost three years prior, was complete, and I had also added one of the most expensive cards needed for our relatively new 1969 Topps set build.

I found Doug and casually announced, "We completed the set."  Smiling, he asked to see the Mantle card and then I proceeded to show him not one but two new Mantle cards.  I then regaled him with my negotiation story, which will be embellished and lengthened for dramatic effect as the years go on.  My Dad would be proud.  The card was tucked away for a few weeks and found its way under our Christmas tree as a "gift" from my sons to me.

The Card / Yankees Team Set / Accuracy Index +3

The back of this card contains Mantle's complete big league career statistics, and reflects his retirement announcement from earlier in the year.  Like all Mantle Topps flagship cards, this card has seen a fair share of reprints over the years beginning with the 1996 Topps Commemorative Mickey Mantle Reprints inset set.  Mantle would appear in nine more Topps flagship sets in the coming years, but this is his final Topps flagship card issued contemporaneously with his playing career.

This is one of 23 cards available in the set's fifth series available as either "yellow letter" or "white letter" variations, with the yellow letter variations being more prevalent.  This is the more prevalent yellow letter variation with Mantle's name printed in yellow.

Accuracy Index:  Topps gets a +3 for this Mantle card on a technicality.  Five points are awarded since Mantle is obviously shown on the correct team, but then two points are subtracted since he didn't play for the Yankees in 1969.

Inserts:  Mantle is included as one of the 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.

1969 Season
Mantle played in his final big league game on September 28, 1968, starting at first base for the Yankees against the Red Sox in Fenway Park.  Facing Boston starter Jim Lonborg (#109), he popped up to shortstop Rico Petrocelli (#215) in the top of the first inning, and was replaced in the bottom of the inning at first by Andy Kosco (#139).  On March 1, 1969, he officially announced his retirement and the Yankees hosted Mickey Mantle Day on June 8th.  More than 70,000 fans attended the ceremony that saw Mantle's #7 permanently retired.  At the time, the Yankees had only previously retired three other numbers - #4 for Lou Gehrig in 1939, #3 for Babe Ruth in 1948 and #5 for Joe DiMaggio in 1952.

1951 Bowman #253

1952 Topps #311

1959 Topps #10

1962 Topps #200

1968 Topps #280

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1951 Bowman #253
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (25):  1952-1953, 1956-1969, 1975, 1996, 2006-2012
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Update Salute to the Mick #STM-9
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  5,875 in the Beckett online database as of 1/15/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1956 Topps Blog / 1965 Topps Blog

#499 Astros Rookie Stars / #501 Tony Gonzalez - San Diego Padres

#260 Reggie Jackson - Oakland Athletics

Reginald Martinez Jackson
Oakland Athletics
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  195
Born:  May 18, 1946, Abington, PA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Kansas City Athletics in the 1st round of the 1966 amateur draft, June 7, 1966
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1967; Oakland Athletics 1968-1975; Baltimore Orioles 1976; New York Yankees 1977-1981; California Angels 1982-1986; Oakland Athletics 1987

World Series Appearances:  Oakland Athletics 1973, 1974; New York Yankees 1977, 1978, 1981
Hall of Fame Induction:  1993

One of the most prolific and clutch power hitters of his era, "Mr. October," Reggie Jackson, won three World Series rings with the Athletics and two more with the Yankees, while earning World Series MVP honors in both 1973 and 1977.  Jackson was a 14-time All-Star between 1969 and 1984, and was named the American League MVP in 1973 when he led the league in runs scored (99), home runs (32) and RBIs (117).  He led the Athletics to five straight West division pennants between 1971 and 1975, batting .310 and driving in six runs in the 1973 World Series to help defeat the Mets in seven games.  He signed a five-year deal with the Yankees following the 1976 season, powering that tumultuous team to the World Series in 1977 and 1978.  Jackson cemented his Mr. October nickname with three straight home runs in the series-clinching Game 6 of the 1977 World Series.

Jackson led the league in home runs four times, including one last time in 1982 when he hit 39 for the Angels.  He retired as a player following one last year in Oakland in 1987, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993 on his first ballot.  Jackson collected 2,584 hits, 563 home runs and 1,702 RBIs while batting .262 in 2,820 major league games.  He's the all-time major league strikeout leader with 2,597, and recently only Jim Thome came close to breaking that mark with 2,548.  The Yankees retired his #44 in 1993 and the Athletics followed by retiring his #9 in 2004.  Jackson is currently a special advisor to the Houston Astros, who defeated the Phillies in the 2022 World Series.

Building the Set / Card #31
December 3, 2022 from The Philly Show (America's Pastime - Fair Lawn, NJ)
At the outset of The Philly Show, more formally known as the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, we needed just four cards to complete our 1965 Topps set.  We arrived at the show in a steady rain right after doors opened at 9am, secured our autograph tickets and started walking the floor prior to the arrival of most of the crowd.  My goal for the show was simple:  Find those last four cards needed to complete our 1965 Topps set.  I wrote a full summary of the show in this post over at The Phillies Room.

The first two cards needed to complete our set took a while to find, but I eventually added the Orlando Cepeda and Gordy Coleman cards within the first hour of walking around.  With Cepeda and Coleman out of the way, I turned my attention to the Tony Perez rookie card and the BIG final card needed for our set - Mickey Mantle.  Perez came quickly, as I found a gorgeous version of the card for sale from dealer America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey.  Again looking to bundle that card with another card needed for our 1969 Topps set, I set my sights on the Reggie Jackson rookie card.  What followed was my first of two successful negotiation sessions of the day, as I was able to add both cards for what I deemed to be extremely reasonable (and fair) price.  The Jackson card eventually found its way under the Christmas tree for our oldest son Doug.

The Card / Athletics Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is Jackson's iconic rookie card, and one of the most well-known and highly sought after cards in the 1969 Topps set.  The write-up on the back only hints at what would come in future years following Jackson's break-out 1968 season.  I tried to track the many, many times this card has been reprinted, starting with the 1989 Topps/LJN Baseball Talk product.  By my unofficial tally and through reviewing the images available in the Trading Card Database, this card, not counting parallel versions, has been reprinted 25 times.  The most recent reprint came as an oversized box loader in boxes of 2022 Topps Update.

Accuracy Index:  Jackson's card scores a solid 5, and I've read from several sources that Topps purchased the photo of the young star given the ongoing player boycott of Topps.  The Athletics moved from Kansas City to Oakland before the start of the 1968 season, so this photo was taken during spring training 1968 in the midst of the boycott.

Inserts:  Jackson is included as one of the 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.

1969 Season
A budding star and the everyday right fielder for the Athletics, Jackson appeared in 152 games, batting .275 and leading the club with 47 home runs 118 RBIs.  His 47 home runs would be a career best.  He'd lead the league in runs (123), slugging percentage (.608) and strikeouts (142).  Jackson made the first of his 14 All-Star Game appearances, starting in center field and going 0 for 2 with a walk off National League starter Steve Carlton (#255).

1970 Topps #140

1973 Topps #255

1978 Topps #200

1984 Topps #100

1987 Topps Traded #52T

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #260
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (21):  1969-1987, 2001-2002
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Update Legend Variation #US9
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  4,631 in the Beckett online database as of 1/15/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#259 Bill Short - Cincinnati Reds / #261 Bob Johnson - Atlanta Braves

#50 Bob Clemente - Pittsburgh Pirates

Roberto Walker Clemente
Pittsburgh Pirates
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  August 18, 1934, Carolina, Puerto Rico
Signed:  Signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers as an amateur free agent, February 1954
Major League Teams:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1955-1972World Series Appearances:  Pittsburgh Pirates 1960, 1971

Died:  December 31, 1972, San Juan, Puerto Rico (age 38)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1973

One of the most prolific pure hitters of the 1960s, and a true five-tool talent, Roberto Clemente played his entire 18-year career with the Pirates, leading them to World Series titles in 1960 and 1971.  He was a 15-time All-Star, a 12-time Gold Glove winner, the N.L. MVP in 1966 and the World Series MVP in 1971.  A four-time batting champ, Clemente joined the exclusive 3,000 hit club in the second to last game he'd ever play on September 30, 1972.  At the time, he was the 11th player in baseball history to join the club.  A few months later, and less than 10 weeks after the passing of Jackie Robinson, Clemente died in a plane crash off the coast of Puerto Rico while en route to deliver earthquake relief supplies to Nicaragua.

The pride of Puerto Rico, Clemente's legacy lives on through the countless Latino baseball players he's inspired over the past four decades.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1956 Topps blog.

Building the Set / Card #30
December 3, 2022 from The Philly Show (Bob Lennon)
At the outset of The Philly Show, more formally known as the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, we needed just four cards to complete our 1965 Topps set.  We arrived at the show in a steady rain right after doors opened at 9am, secured our autograph tickets and started walking the floor prior to the arrival of most of the crowd.  My goal for the show was simple:  Find those last four cards needed to complete our 1965 Topps set.  I wrote a full summary of the show in this post over at The Phillies Room.

The first two cards needed to complete our set took a while to find, but I eventually added the Orlando Cepeda and Gordy Coleman cards within the first hour of walking around.  I still have no idea why the Coleman card proved to be so elusive.  I had seen the card at various shows throughout the past few years, but all copies seemed to be banged up with soft corners.  I finally found a Coleman card in decent shape from dealer Bob Lennon and spying this Clemente card at the same table I found the Coleman card, I swung a reasonable deal to add that card as well.  I told the dealer this Clemente card marked our first big purchase for our new 1969 Topps set, which seemed to genuinely make his day.  I didn't know at the time I'd still add two even bigger star cards to our set before leaving the show, and 11 cards overall would be added.

The Card / Pirates Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Topps reprinted this card as part of the Roberto Clemente Commemorative Reprints insert set included in packs of its 1998 Topps flagship offering.  The back of the card contains Clemente's amazing statistics from his first 14 years in the majors.

Accuracy Index:  Clemente scores a solid +5, and given his career exclusivity with the Pirates that wasn't a tough score for Topps to achieve.

Inserts:  Clemente is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.  He's one of 27 players and one of only eight future Hall of Famers to appear in both insert sets.

1969 Season
In one of his best seasons statistically, Clemente appeared in 138 games, batting .345 with 19 home runs and 91 RBIs.  He was the runner-up for the National League batting crown, with Pete Rose (#120) nudging him out of the top spot with a .348 average.  Clemente led the league with 12 triples.  As was the norm during his career, he was again named to the All-Star team and won a Gold Glove following the season.  He didn't reveal the incident at the time, but Clemente later told a Pittsburgh journalist he had been briefly kidnapped and held at gunpoint while the Pirates were on a road trip to San Diego in late May.

1955 Topps #164

1961 Topps #388

1966 Topps #300

1971 Topps #630

1973 Topps #50

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1955 Topps #164
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (23):  1955-1973, 1975, 1987, 1998, 2001
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Update Legend Variation #US21
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  2,580 in the Beckett online database as of 1/14/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1956 Topps Blog / 1965 Topps Blog

#49 Royals Rookie Stars / #51 Woody Fryman - Philadelphia Phillies

#395 Chris Short - Philadelphia Phillies

J. Christopher Short
Philadelphia Phillies
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'4"  Weight:  205
Born:  September 19, 1937, Milford, DE
Signed:  Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent, June 14, 1957
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Phillies 1959-1972; Milwaukee Brewers 1973

Died:  August 1, 1991, Wilmington, DE (age 53)

2006 Toyota Phillies Wall of Fame Postcards

The best and most popular left-handed Phillies pitcher of his era, Chris Short was a staff ace during a lean decade for the club, and arguably the second best left-handed pitcher in the National League behind Sandy Koufax.  He was a two-time All-Star in 1964 and 1967.  Short's first big season came in 1964, when he went 17-9 with a 2.20 ERA, third best in the league behind Koufax and Don Drysdale (#400).  Unfortunately, his team's epic September collapse overshadows the memory of Short's fantastic year, as the Phillies blew a 6 1/2 game lead with 12 games remaining to barely miss a return to the World Series for only the third time in franchise history.  Short rebounded with an even better season in 1965, going 18-11 with a 2.82 ERA in a career-high 297 1/3 innings pitched.  He also struck out a career-best 237 that season, including 18 Mets in a 15-inning outing on October 2, 1965.  Short won 20 games in 1966, and followed that up with a 19 win season in 1968.  A back injury in 1969 hampered the remaining four years of his playing days.

Short retired following a single season with the Brewers in 1973.  For his career, he was 135-132 with a 3.43 ERA and 1,629 strikeouts over 2,325 innings pitched.  Short was active in the community following his retirement.  A ruptured brain aneurysm in October 1988 left him comatose, and he'd pass away nearly three years later having never regained consciousness.  The Phillies posthumously inducted Short into their Wall of Fame in 1992.

Building the Set / Card #29
October 17, 2022 from Tomball, TX - Card #594
In early October, with the Phillies improbably in the postseason and about to go on a month-long journey that would culminate with a trip to the World Series, I received an e-mail announcing a sale in the online store for The Battersbox, located in Tomball, Texas.  I had had my eye on the 1965 Topps Sandy Koufax card for quite some time, and I had assumed this would be the second to last card added to our set, with just the Mickey Mantle card remaining.  Riding the high of the good vibes brought on by the Phillies, and realizing it had been over a month since I had added any vintage cards, I happily added the Koufax card to my cart along with two cards to be added to my not-yet-collecting 1969 Topps set.  This Short card was one of the two bonus purchases, and it cost $2.50.  

It was actually the second time I had purchased this card in the span of a month, as it was one of seven cards added from the Deptford Mall Baseball Card Show in September.  But the version received from The Battersbox was sharper overall, so the earlier Short card landed in my trade pile.

The Card / Phillies Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Much to the chagrin of local collectors, Short declined to sign a contract with Topps and spent the first seven seasons of his career without a Topps baseball card.  He appeared in the annual oversized photo packs, a set of black and white portraits of the Phillies' more prominent players, but his "rookie card" and first Topps set appearance wouldn't come until 1967.  This is therefore only his third appearance in a Topps flagship set.  The back of the card highlights his two scoreless innings pitched in the 1967 All-Star Game and his then career 20 shutouts with the Phillies.

Accuracy Index:  Short is depicted accurately on the Phillies (+5), using a photo collectors hadn't seen before.

Inserts:  Short is included as one of the 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.

1969 Season
Short suffered a back injury early in the season and was limited to just two starts and 10 innings overall before opting for season-ending surgery in June.  His 1969 season an anomaly, he'd return in 1970 to appear in 36 games, making 34 starts.

Phillies Career
Short's Phillies journey began with his signing in June 1957, and ended when the team released him on October 26, 1972.  Short sat atop the Phillies all-time left-handed pitcher leaderboard for just about every major pitching category until being ultimately surpassed by Steve Carlton (#255).  

As of this writing, he's currently fifth all-time in games pitched (459), fourth in shutouts (24), fourth in wins (132), fourth in innings pitched (2,253), and fourth in strikeouts (1,585), typically behind some combination of Carlton, Robin Roberts, Pete Alexander and Cole Hamels.

1967 Topps #395

1968 Topps #139

1970 Topps #270

1971 Topps #511

1972 Topps #665

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1967 Topps #395
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (6):  1967-1972
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2004 Fleer Greats of the Game #72
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  59 in the Beckett online database as of 1/13/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
The Phillies Room

#394 Pilots Rookie Stars / #396 Jim Campanis - Kansas City Royals