#429 Willie Horton AS - Detroit Tigers

All-Star cards returned to Topps sets in 1968 under The Sporting News banner for a three-year run between 1968 and 1970.  Topps included 20 All-Star cards in its 1969 set, featuring 10 All-Stars from each league and one player from each position, including both a right-handed and left-handed pitcher.  

Building the Set / Card #383
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 91st of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little less than $2.

1964 Topps #139

The Card / Tigers Team Set / Pete Rose Puzzle

In the outfield for the American League All-Stars is Willie Horton (#180), Carl Yastrzemski (#130) and Tony Oliva (#600).  The outfielders for the actual 1968 All-Star Game had been Yastrzemski, Horton and Frank Howard (#170).  A year later, the American League All-Star starting outfielders were Howard, Frank Robinson (#250) and rookie Reggie Jackson (#260).  Horton was a four-time All-Star, joining the team in 1965, 1968, 1970 and 1973.

That's not Horton swinging away in the black and white photo in the foreground.  It's his outfield All-Star mate from 1968 Howard, featured on a photo Topps recycled from its 1964 Topps set.  Howard was shown on that card connecting for a home run off Yankees' pitcher Whitey Ford in Game 4 of the 1963 World Series.  Linked below is a great article from Sports Collectors Daily, and the author did his best in tracking down the origins of the action photos appearing on these All-Star subset cards.  

The backs of these All-Star cards contain a puzzle piece of either Pete Rose (#120) or Yastrzemski.  The back of Horton's card features a close-up of Rose's elbow.

Topps All-Star Card Appearances (1):  1969

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Sports Collectors Daily - Mistaken Identities

#428 Lou Brock AS - St. Louis Cardinals / #430 Johnny Bench AS - Cincinnati Reds

#426 Curt Flood AS - St. Louis Cardinals

All-Star cards returned to Topps sets in 1968 under The Sporting News banner for a three-year run between 1968 and 1970.  Topps included 20 All-Star cards in its 1969 set, featuring 10 All-Stars from each league and one player from each position, including both a right-handed and left-handed pitcher.  

Building the Set / Card #382
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 90th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little over $2.

1961 Topps #306

The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Pete Rose Puzzle

Curt Flood (#540), teammate Lou Brock (#85) and Pete Rose (#120) each get outfield spots on The Sporting News National League All-Star team.  Flood, Henry Aaron (#100) and Willie Mays (#190) were the starting outfielders in the actual 1968 All-Star Game, with Matty Alou (#490), Aaron and Cleon Jones (#512) starting in the outfield in the 1969 game.  Flood was a three-time All-Star, earning a spot on the team in 1964, 1966 and 1968.

Linked below is a great article from Sports Collectors Daily, and the author did his best in tracking down the origins of the action photos appearing on these All-Star subset cards.  There's some fantastic detective work explained in the article that led to the outfielder shown on this card being identified as Roberto Clemente (#50), in a play from Game 1 of the 1960 World Series.  Topps used the photo on a 1960 World Series card in its 1961 set.  They zoomed in on Clemente and removed his #21 from his back for this Flood card.

The backs of these All-Star cards contain a puzzle piece of either Rose or Carl Yastrzemski (#130).  The back of Flood's card features the first piece and the top left of the Rose puzzle.

Topps All-Star Card Appearances (1):  1969

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Sports Collectors Daily - Mistaken Identities

#425 Carl Yastrzemski AS - Boston Red Sox / #427 Tony Oliva AS - Minnesota Twins

#423 Bert Campaneris AS - Oakland Athletics

All-Star cards returned to Topps sets in 1968 under The Sporting News banner for a three-year run between 1968 and 1970.  Topps included 20 All-Star cards in its 1969 set, featuring 10 All-Stars from each league and one player from each position, including both a right-handed and left-handed pitcher.  

Building the Set / Card #381
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 89th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little over $2.

The Card / Athletics Team Set / Carl Yastrzemski Puzzle

Bert Campaneris (#495) appeared in six All-Star Games, making three starts as the American League's shortstop - 1973, 1974 and 1975.  Along with Vida Blue, Gene Tenace, Joe Rudi (#587) and Reggie Jackson (#260), he was one of five Athletics' players in the starting line-up in 1975.  Campaneris was a reserve in 1968, and not named to the squad in 1969, when Rico Petrocelli (#215) was the starting shortstop for the American League All-Stars.

Campaneris is wearing an outdated Kansas City Athletics uniform here, as the team hadn't worn pinstripes since the early 1960s.  The photo could likely date back to the same session as the photo used for his 1965 Topps rookie card.  The action photo behind Campaneris is actually a photo of Yankees' shortstop Tony Kubek catching the ball as the Pirates' Gino Cimoli slides into second base in play that happened in Game 4 of the 1960 World Series!  It's not the exact photo used on the 1961 Topps card, but it's from the same play.  Linked below is a great article from Sports Collectors Daily, and the author did his best in tracking down the origins of the action photos appearing on these All-Star subset cards.  

The backs of these All-Star cards contain a puzzle piece of either Pete Rose (#120) or Carl Yastrzemski (#130).  The back of Campaneris' card features Yaz's right elbow.

Topps All-Star Card Appearances (4):  1969, 1974-76

1961 Topps #309

1974 Topps #335

1975 Topps #170

1976 Topps #580

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Sports Collectors Daily - Mistaken Identities

#422 Don Kessinger AS - Chicago Cubs / #424 Pete Rose AS - Cincinnati Reds

#422 Don Kessinger AS - Chicago Cubs

All-Star cards returned to Topps sets in 1968 under The Sporting News banner for a three-year run between 1968 and 1970.  Topps included 20 All-Star cards in its 1969 set, featuring 10 All-Stars from each league and one player from each position, including both a right-handed and left-handed pitcher.  

Building the Set / Card #380
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 88th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little over $2.

The Card / Cubs Team Set / Carl Yastrzemski Puzzle

Don Kessinger (#225) started at shortstop for the National League All-Stars in 1969, with teammate Ron Santo (#570) keeping him company at third base.  Kessinger was 0 for 3 in the game, and was lifted for pinch-hitter Willie Mays (#190) in the top of the fifth.  Denis Menke (#487) would take the field at shortstop in the bottom of the fifth.  Kessinger was a six-time All-Star between 1968 and 1974, making four starts.

The action photo of the leaping fielder is Pirates' third baseman Bob Bailey (#399) and the photo had been used on the back of Bailey's card in the 1964 Topps Giant set.  Linked below is a great article from Sports Collectors Daily, and the author did his best in tracking down the origins of the action photos appearing on these All-Star subset cards.  The backs of these All-Star cards contain a puzzle piece of either Pete Rose (#120) or Carl Yastrzemski (#130).  The back of Kessinger's card features one of Yaz's eyes, looking for a pitch to hit.

Topps All-Star Card Appearances (2):  1969-70

1964 Topps Giant #4

1970 Topps #456

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Sports Collectors Daily - Mistaken Identities

#421 Brooks Robinson AS - Baltimore Orioles / #423 Bert Campaneris AS - Oakland Athletics

#420 Ron Santo AS - Chicago Cubs

All-Star cards returned to Topps sets in 1968 under The Sporting News banner for a three-year run between 1968 and 1970.  Topps included 20 All-Star cards in its 1969 set, featuring 10 All-Stars from each league and one player from each position, including both a right-handed and left-handed pitcher.  

Building the Set / Card #379
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

1969 Topps #166

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 87th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost a little over $2.

The Card / Cubs Team Set / Carl Yastrzemski Puzzle

Ron Santo was a nine-time All-Star, and was the starting third baseman at the 1969 All-Star Game in Washington, sharing the infield with shortstop and teammate, Don Kessinger (#225).  Batting fifth, Santo was 0 for 3 in the game, before being replaced at third by Tony Perez (#295) in the sixth.  Santo earned a .333 (5 for 15) All-Star Game average in his nine appearances, making four starts.

The stock photo used in the background behind Santo is Tigers' slugger Al Kaline (#410), and eagle-eyed collectors would recognize the photo of Kaline from earlier in the set, on the 1968 World Series Game #5 card (#166).  The backs of these All-Star cards contain a puzzle piece of either Pete Rose (#120) or Carl Yastrzemski (#130).  The back of Santo's card features Yaz's belt and the bottom left of the puzzle.

Topps All-Star Card Appearances (4):  1968-70, 1974

1968 Topps #366

1970 Topps #454

1974 Topps #334

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Sports Collectors Daily - Mistaken Identities

#419 Rod Carew AS - Minnesota Twins / #421 Brooks Robinson AS - Baltimore Orioles

#418 Tommy Helms AS - Cincinnati Reds

All-Star cards returned to Topps sets in 1968 under The Sporting News banner for a three-year run between 1968 and 1970.  Topps included 20 All-Star cards in its 1969 set, featuring 10 All-Stars from each league and one player from each position, including both a right-handed and left-handed pitcher.  

Building the Set / Card #378
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 86th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost me less than $2.

The Card / Reds Team Set / Carl Yastrzemski Puzzle

The starting second baseman at the actual 1969 All-Star Game was the Braves' Felix Millan (#210), but Tommy Helms (#70) had received the starting nod in 1968.  Helms was a two-time All-Star, first earning a roster spot in 1967.  In the two games, he was 1 for 4 with a double off Luis Tiant (#560) in the second inning of the 1968 contest.

The stock photo used in the background behind Helms has yet to be identified, but it's highly likely neither of the players shown are actually Helms.  The backs of these All-Star cards contain a puzzle piece of either Pete Rose (#120) or Carl Yastrzemski (#130).  The back of Helms' card contains a piece of Yaz's jersey.

Topps All-Star Card Appearances (1):  1969

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Sports Collectors Daily - Mistaken Identities

#417 Ken Harrelson AS - Boston Red Sox / #419 Rod Carew AS - Minnesota Twins

#416 Willie McCovey AS - San Francisco Giants

All-Star cards returned to Topps sets in 1968 under The Sporting News banner for a three-year run between 1968 and 1970.  Topps included 20 All-Star cards in its 1969 set, featuring 10 All-Stars from each league and one player from each position, including both a right-handed and left-handed pitcher.  

Building the Set / Card #377
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 85th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost me less about $4.25.

1971 Topps Greatest Moments #11

The Card / Giants Team Set / Carl Yastrzemski Puzzle

Willie McCovey (#440) was the starting first baseman for the National League All-Stars and the game's MVP in 1969.  McCovey hit a two-run home run in the top of the third off Blue Moon Odom (#195), and added a solo home run in the fourth off Denny McLain (#150).  He had two more at-bats in the game before being replaced in the sixth inning by Lee May (#405).  McCovey was a six-time All-Star, getting starts at first base in the 1966, 1968, 1969 and 1971 All-Star Games.

This is McCovey's third of five appearances in the set, as he had already appeared on two League Leaders cards (#4 and #6), and his base card was still coming up.  He also appears on a Giants Heroes combo card (#572) with teammate Juan Marichal (#370).  The action photo on this card is actually Tony Oliva (#600), with Topps recycling a photo used on the back of Oliva's 1964 Topps Giants card, and it would be used again on his 1971 Topps Greatest Moments card.  The backs of these All-Star cards contain a puzzle piece of either Pete Rose (#120) or Carl Yastrzemski (#130).  The back of McCovey's card is the first piece of the Yaz puzzle.

Topps All-Star Card Appearances (3):  1960, 1969-70

1960 Topps #554

1970 Topps #450

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Sports Collectors Daily - Mistaken Identities

#415 Ray Washburn - St. Louis Cardinals / #417 Ken Harrelson AS - Boston Red Sox

#415 Ray Washburn - St. Louis Cardinals

Ray Clark Washburn
St. Louis Cardinals
Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  205
Born:  May 31, 1938, Pasco, WA
Signed:  Signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as an amateur free agent before 1960 season
Major League Teams:  St. Louis Cardinals 1961-69; Cincinnati Reds 1970

World Series Appearances:  St. Louis Cardinals 1967-68; Cincinnati Reds 1970

Ray Washburn pitched for a decade in the majors, enjoying his best season in 1968, the Year of the Pitcher.  Washburn joined the Cardinals' starting rotation in 1962, going 12-9 with a 4.10 ERA in 25 starts and 34 games overall.  A shoulder injury in 1963 would cost him the better part of two seasons, and he'd return to the Cardinals' starting pitching rotation in 1966, winning 11 games.  He won 10 games in 1967, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless innings in that year's World Series as his team downed the Red Sox in seven games.  In 1968, Washburn was 14-8 with a 2.26 ERA and 124 strikeouts in a career-high 215 1/3 innings pitched.  On September 18th that season, he no-hit the Giants at Candlestick Park, becoming the first Cardinals pitcher to accomplish the feat since Lon Warneke in 1941.  Giants' pitcher Gaylord Perry (#485) had no-hit the Cardinals the day before.

Dealt to Cincinnati for George Culver (#635) in November 1969, Washburn played one final season in the majors, appearing in 35 games for the Reds mostly as a reliever.  His final career appearance came in Game 5 of the 1970 World Series in a losing effort against the Orioles.  Washburn was 72-64 for his career, with a 3.53 ERA in 239 games pitched.

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

Building the Set / Card #376
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 84th of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost me less than a dollar.

The Card / Cardinals Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

Photos for Washburn's 1968 and 1969 Topps cards were taken at the same time during a batting practice session at Busch Stadium.  The cartoon on the back of the card highlights his 1968 no-hitter, and I believe the write-up includes an uncorrected error.  Washburn pitched two shutouts in 1968, and not four.

Accuracy Index:  I would expect the +5 score to become more prevalent as we move into the higher series of the set.

1969 Season
Washburn pitched well in 1969, but couldn't match his success from the prior season.  He was 3-8 with a 3.06 ERA in 28 games overall, and 16 starts.  He threw 132 1/3 innings, with a pair of complete games and a 2 1/3 inning save against the Phillies in a 11-3 blow-out win on July 17th.  On November 5th, the Cardinals sent him to Cincinnati in exchange for reliever Culver.

1962 Topps #19

1964 Topps #332

1967 Topps #92

1968 Topps #388

1970 Topps #22

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1962 Topps #19
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1962-70
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2019 Topps Heritage Real One Autographs #ROA-RW
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  36 in the Beckett online database as of 10/3/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database
1965 Topps Blog

#414 Duke Sims - Cleveland Indians / #416 Willie McCovey AS - San Francisco Giants

#414 Duke Sims - Cleveland Indians

Duane B. Sims
Cleveland Indians
Catcher

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  197
Born:  June 5, 1941, Salt Lake City, UT
Signed:  Signed by the Cleveland Indians as an amateur free agent before 1959 season
Major League Teams:  Cleveland Indians 1964-70; Los Angeles Dodgers 1971-72; Detroit Tigers 1972-73; New York Yankees 1973-74; Texas Rangers 1974

Duke Sims was a catcher for 11 big league seasons, spending the most time behind the plate with the Indians.  A back-up early in his career to Joe Azcue (#176), he'd enter into a platoon with Azcue in the late 1960s before ultimately winning the everyday job.  He steadily improved in 1968 and 1969, with perhaps his best season coming in 1970 when he batted a career-best .264 while also reaching career highs in home runs (23) and RBIs (56).  Sims showed his value with starts in left field, right field, first base and at catcher that season.  The Indians dealt him to the Dodgers before the 1971 season and Sims would spend the next four years with four different teams.  He played in only nine games for the Yankees in 1974 and 1975, but Sims holds the distinction of being the last Yankee starting catcher in old Yankee Stadium in 1973.  He also hit the last home run at old Yankee Stadium, a solo shot off the Tigers' Fred Holdsworth on September 30, 1973. 

He retired after the 1974 season, in which he served as the back-up to Rangers' catcher Jim Sundberg.  In 843 games, he batted .239 with 580 hits, exactly 100 home runs and 310 RBIs.

Building the Set / Card #375
December 3, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)

Doug and I returned to The Philly Show in early December, once again held inside the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  eBay has taken over sponsorship of the show, with the quaint, bubble-lettered Philly Show logo that had been in place since the 1980s replaced with a more modern logo, keeping with the times.  I wrote about the show in a post over at The Phillies Room.

Similar to my strategy from March, I wanted to focus on accumulating commons and having found success with Uncle Dick's Cards before, I didn't mess around and headed right for the neon green binders.  I pulled 145 cards from the binder containing cards 301 to the end of the set, stopping when I reached 500.  This card was the 83rd of 145 cards purchased for our set, and after the dealer discount due to my bulk purchase, it cost me less than a dollar.

The Card / Indians Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The #9 Sims wore with the Indians between 1965 and 1970 is peaking through on the front of his jersey.  The Topps photographer snapped Sims between batting practice swings at Yankee Stadium, and as mentioned above, Sims would later make some history in that ballpark.  The back of the card explains Sims' long journey to the majors and highlights his high batting marks throughout his minor league journey.

Accuracy Index:  It's a solid +5 for Sims' card.

1969 Season
One of Sims' best seasons, and his strongest season given his career-high 3.2 bWAR, Sims gradually won more playing time competing primarily with Ray Fosse (#244) and Ken Suarez (#19).  Sims batted .236 in 114 games, with 18 home runs and 45 RBIs.  Both those power numbers were his career highs until he surpassed them in 1970.

1966 Topps #169

1967 Topps #3

1971 Topps #172

1972 Topps #63

1974 Topps #398

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #169
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (9):  1966-74
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1989 Swell Baseball Greats #128
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  41 in the Beckett online database as of 10/3/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#413 Roland Sheldon - Seattle Pilots / #415 Ray Washburn - St. Louis Cardinals