#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

#225 Don Kessinger - Chicago Cubs

Donald Eulon Kessinger
Chicago Cubs
Shortstop

Bats:  Both  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  170
Born:  July 17, 1942, Forrest City, AR
Signed:  Signed by the Chicago Cubs as an amateur free agent, June 19, 1964
Major League Teams:  Chicago Cubs 1964-1975; St. Louis Cardinals 1976-1977; Chicago White Sox 1977-1979

As a Manager:  Chicago White Sox 1979

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the light-hitting Don Kessinger was widely regarded as one of the best shortstops in baseball.  He was a six-time All-Star between 1968 and 1974 and won Gold Gloves in back-to-back years in 1969 and 1970.  Kessinger assumed regular shortstop duties for the Cubs in mid-1965 from Roberto Pena (#184), and was a mainstay in the Cubs' line-up for 10 1/2 seasons through 1975.  His best season offensively came in 1969 when he batted .273 with four home runs and 53 RBIs, with the Cubs waning late in the season to the Amazin' Mets.  For years, Kessinger formed a solid double play combination with second baseman Glenn Beckert (#171).

With rookie Dave Rosello ready to take over at shortstop, the Cubs dealt Kessinger to the Cardinals in October 1975.  He'd play four more seasons in the majors with the Cardinals and White Sox, and the White Sox named him their player-manager prior to the 1979 season.  He'd resign the position on August 2nd with the White Sox slumping at 46-60.  Kessinger later coached at the University of Mississippi between 1991 and 1996, his college alma mater, and was one of the many members of the inaugural class in the Cubs Hall of Fame in 2021.  In 2,078 major league games, Kessinger batted .252, collecting 1,931 hits.  He's currently ranked 23rd all-time for games played at shortstop with 1,955 and he's 15th all-time for assists by a shortstop with 6,212.

Building the Set / Card #288
November 18, 2023 from The TWP Card Show - Sicklerville, NJ (Sal's Sports Cards & Memorabilia)

I wrote about this show back in December at The Phillies Room.  My wife Jenna found an announcement on Faceback for a baseball card show to be held at St. Charles Borromeo Hall in Sicklerville, New Jersey on November 18th.  That Saturday, I gathered my lists and we made the short drive to what the organizers called the "First Ever Sports Card Show" in Washington Township, which I find hard to believe given the number of baseball card stores in the area back in the 1980s and 1990s.  Potential mislabeling aside, it was a decent-sized show with mostly modern stuff and slabbed Pokemon cards. 

I found the one dealer selling vintage cards, and cleaned him out of every 1969 Topps card I needed for our set, along with a few 1959 Topps cards for our next set build.  This Kessinger card was one of seven cards added to our 1969 Topps set.  Credit to Jenna for finding the show, and if it happens again, I'll gladly make the 10 minute drive over there.

The Card / Cubs Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

The photos for Kessinger's 1968 Topps card, this card, and his All-Star card (#422) appearing later in the set, were likely all taken at the same time.  His uniform #11 appears in the middle of the C on his helmet.  The back of the card rightfully highlights Kessinger's stellar defense and also mentions his double play partner, Beckert.

Accuracy Index:  Kessinger's card rates a solid +5 as collectors hadn't quite seen this photo before.

Inserts:  He's also included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set.

1969 Season
As mentioned above, this was a career year for Kessinger.  He started all but six of the Cubs' games at shortstop, yielding late in the season to Paul Popovich (#47) as it seemed Kessinger, along with most of the Cubs' regulars, were running out of gas.  He led the team in runs scored with 109 and doubles with 38, but the Cubs would finish eight games behind the Mets in the new East Division.

Kessinger was again the starting shortstop for the National League All-Stars, going 0 for 3 at the plate.

1966 Topps #24

1968 Topps #159

1972 Topps #145

1975 Topps #315

1979 Topps #467

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1966 Topps #24
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (14):  1966-1979
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Topps Archives Fan Favorites Autographs #FFA-DK
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  96 in the Beckett online database as of 5/5/24.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#224 Angels Rookie Stars / #226 Bruce Howard - Washington Senators