#425 Carl Yastrzemski AS - Boston Red Sox

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 #638

September 21, 2025 from The Philly Show (Richie's Sports Cards)

On Sunday morning, September 21st, I made the hour-long drive to the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania for the latest installment of the Philadelphia Sports Card & Memorabilia Show, known to its friends as The Philly Show.  The show has a legitimate official sponsor (eBay) and the advertisement for the event notes the show is in its 50th year.  I hadn't attended a baseball card show since the last Philly Show in December, and I was flying solo to this one as our oldest son is in his first month of college at Villanova.  I posted a full summary of the show over at The Phillies Room.

I made stops at six tables at the show, all yielding needed cards for our 1969 Topps set, and I left the show with just 16 more cards to go for my version of a complete set.  After about 90 minutes of walking and buying, while running low on funds, and even lower on stamina, I found a nice display of vintage Topps star cards at Richie's Sports Cards, from Manalpan, New Jersey.  I quickly and easily picked up six more star cards needed for our set from Richie's, my fourth stop of the show.  This is the fourth of those six cards and it cost a little over $13 after a discount.

1960 Topps #390

The Card / Red Sox Team Set / Carl Yastrzemski Puzzle

Carl Yastrzemski appears on three cards in the set (#1, #130 and this card) and his image appears on the backs of 10 All-Star cards in the form of a puzzle.  Fittingly, the final card back I needed to complete my Yaz puzzle is on the back of this card.  The completed puzzle is shown below, in its slightly lopsided glory.

Yastrzemski was an 18-time All-Star between 1963 and 1983, going to 15 straight Mid-Summer Classics between 1965 and 1979.  The starting American League outfield for the 1969 All-Star Game was Frank Howard (#170), Reggie Jackson (#260) and Frank Robinson (#250), with Yastrzemski, Tony Oliva (#600) and Willie Horton (#180) getting the nod as the starting outfielders in this Topps subset.  Yastrzemski replaced Jackson in the top of the sixth inning in the 1969 All-Star Game, and he'd fly out to left in his only at-bat against Jerry Koosman (#90).

The article linked below identifies the black and white photo behind Yaz as coming from a World Series subset card found in the 1960 Topps set.  That's Luis Aparicio (#75) trying to field the ball for the White Sox, with Nellie Fox behind him.  Jim Landis is on the card too, but Yastrzemski's head blocks him here.

Topps All-Star Card Appearances (5):  1968-70, 1978, 1980

1968 Topps #369

1970 Topps #461

1978 Topps #40

1980 Topps #720

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Sports Collectors Daily - Mistaken Identities

#424 Pete Rose AS - Cincinnati Reds / #426 Curt Flood AS - St. Louis Cardinals

#417 Ken Harrelson AS - Boston Red Sox

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 #557
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Vintage Cardboard Collectibles)

On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.

Having spent the first half hour or so pulling 98 commons and semi-stars from the neon green binder of Uncle Dick's Cards, and adding the big purchase of the day, the Rollie Fingers (#597) rookie card, and after adding a few more star cards, the remaining cash I had was starting to burn a hole in my wallet.  I had noticed the common/semi-star boxes at the tables of Vintage Cardboard Collectibles, and I found 14 more cards for our 1969 Topps set and six cards for our not-yet-officially collecting 1959 Topps set.  This is the 12th of those 14 cards.  After the obligatory dealer discount, I handed over the last of my cash, and we exited the show for the drive home.

The Card / Red Sox Team Set / Carl Yastrzemski Puzzle

This is Ken Harrelson's fourth and final appearance in the set, after having appeared on two League Leaders cards (#3 and #5) and his base card (#240).  He's in a Senators uniform on the League Leaders cards, and a Kansas City Athletics uniform on the latter two cards.  After enjoying an All-Star season with the Red Sox in 1968, Harrelson was surprisingly dealt to the Indians on April 19, 1969, as part of a six-player deal.  Harmon Killebrew (#375) started at first base for the American League All-Stars in 1968, with Harrelson making a pinch-hitting appearance in the game's third inning.  He flew to left against Don Drysdale (#400).  Boog Powell (#15) started at first in the 1969 All-Star Game, and it's odd Topps went with Harrelson here instead of Killebrew or Powell. 

The stock photo used in the background behind Harrelson has yet to be identified, but the article linked below figured out by combining the background photos on this card and Johnny Bench's All-Star card (#430), a full action scene showing a mystery play emerges.  The backs of these All-Star cards contain a puzzle piece of either Pete Rose (#120) or Carl Yastrzemski (#130).  The back of Harrelson's card features Yaz, Harrelson's former teammate by the time this card came out.

Topps All-Star Card Appearances (1):  1969

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Sports Collectors Daily - Mistaken Identities

#416 Willie McCovey AS - San Francisco Giants / #418 Tommy Helms AS - Cincinnati Reds

#421 Brooks Robinson AS - Baltimore Orioles

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 #544
December 15, 2024 from The Philly Show (Rookie Cards & More)

On Sunday, December 15th, Doug and I attended the latest Philly Show, spaciously spread out inside Hall A of the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.  I wrote a full show report over at The Phillies Room, including some thoughts on attending the show with our oldest son, who first graced the Philly Show floors back in 2012.

Having spent the first half hour or so pulling 98 commons and semi-stars from the neon green binder of Uncle Dick's Cards, and adding the big purchase of the day, the Rollie Fingers (#597) rookie card, I still had some energy and a little more left over in my spending budget.  Doug and I kind of walked around aimlessly for a little bit, and a display of vintage Topps cards caught my eye from the dealer Rookie Cards & More.  

The prices seemed somewhat low, and I found two cards I needed for our set - this Brooks Robinson All-Star card and the first card showing Ted Williams (#650) as manager of the Senators.  Bundling the cards together, I made an offer to the dealer for the pair, and with the offer accepted, we were two cards closer to completing our set.  

The Card / Orioles Team Set / Carl Yastrzemski Puzzle

Topps made a good call here, as Robinson was in the midst of going to 18 straight All-Star Games in a row, between 1960 and 1974.  (They were still playing two games each year in 1960, 1961 and 1962.)  He was not the starter at third base for the American League All-Stars in 1969, however, as that honor went to the Athletics' Sal Bando (#371).  Robinson replaced Bando in the field in the top of the seventh, getting one at-bat in the bottom of the inning, and striking out against Jerry Koosman (#90).  For the record, Robinson started both games in 1961, each game between 1964 and 1968, and then again each game between 1971 and 1974.

That might be Robinson in the black and white background photo featuring more spectators than action, or it could be someone completely different.  The excellent article linked below was not able to identify the stock photo Topps used.  The backs of these All-Star cards contain a puzzle piece of either Pete Rose (#120) or Carl Yastrzemski (#130).  The back of Robinson's card features the "B" logo from Yaz's hat.

Topps All-Star Card Appearances (7):  1961-62, 1968-70, 1974-75

1961 Topps #572

1962 Topps #468

1968 Topps #365

1970 Topps #455

1974 Topps #334

Sources:  
Baseball Reference

Sports Collectors Daily - Mistaken Identities

#420 Ron Santo AS - Chicago Cubs / #422 Don Kessinger AS - Chicago Cubs

#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