Topps All-Star Misses: 1969 NL Outfield

 The 1969 Topps All Star outfield for the National League has some glaring omissions.  Notably Hank Aaron, whose card I had already used on this blog after his passing earlier this year.  I had also included that card in my second "pack" of physical cards.  Based on the simple criteria that the players either be starting All Star from the previous year (1968) or the current year (1969) Sporting News All Star selections, here are four players that could've been included in this subset.

Hank Aaron:

• 1968 MLB All Star game starter.
• 1969 MLB All Star game starter.
• 1969 Sporting News All Star selection.
• 12th in NL MVP voting 1968.
• 3rd in NL MVP voting 1969.
• Led NL in slugging and on-base percentage in 1969.
  

Willie Mays:

• 1968 MLB All Star game starter.
• Gold Glove Outfielder in 1968
• 13th in NL MVP voting 1968.

Cleon Jones:

• 1969 MLB All Star game starter.
• 1969 Sporting News All Star selection.
• 7th in NL MVP voting 1969.

Matty Alou:

• 1968 MLB All Star game reserve.
• 1969 MLB All Star game starter.
• 1969 Sporting News All Star selection.
• 11th in NL MVP voting 1968.
• 23rd in NL MVP voting 1969.

Who probably didn't merit inclusion in the 1970 Topps All-Star set, but was in it anyway?

Lou Brock:

Brock was not even an All Star reserve in 1968 or 1969.  He wasn't on the Sporting News All Star team either year. He was 6th in NL MVP voting in 1968, leading the NL in doubles, triples and of course stolen bases. In '69 he was the stolen base king again.  Without a doubt, he was a popular player and a future Hall of Famer.  But I still wonder why he got a cards while others didn't.

Honorable Mention, Pete Rose:

Another player who wasn't a 1968 Starter nor on the 1969 Sporting News All Star team. At least Rose was a reserve in the 1968 and '69 ASGs.  He was also on the Sporting News AS team in 1968.  His inclusion doesn't quite meet the criteria, but makes a bit more sense.  Nonetheless I have other issues with his card. First is that even him in the background? His head is obscured by the brim of his cap.  There are no discernable markings on his uniform. And is that guy in the stands behind him wearing a half black/half white suit?

Series 2 Packs - Sold Out!!!

Here is the second pack of physical cards from this blog.  I am selling these through this site for $10.00 per pack plus $4.50 shipping. Please use the link:

Sold Out

I was hoping to have these done by opening day.  I just barely made it. This group is split between my "Barrier-Breakers" series and some of the baseball legends we lost this past year.  You can also buy them individually on eBay. My seller's name there is ctnwblog_8.

So, what's in each pack?

12 Cards That Never Were plus a special insert.

The insert card is a 1969 Joe Morgan Deckle.

All cards are professionally printed.

Front and Back.

The backs are formatted in a style consistent with their year.

The front of the cards are glossy.

The backs are not.

These are similar in look and feel to the Topps Archives cards.

This pack is made up of cards from my "Barrier-Breaker" series, featuring the first Black player on each team.

It also includes some legendary players that we lost this past year.

For those that wish to buy the cards individually,

They are currently available on eBay. 

My user name on eBay is ctnwblog_8.

Don't forget to comment on my give-away post for a chance to win a 1968 Gibson, or Seaver or BOTH!

Lou Brock

1939-2020

Depending on whether you were from St. Louis or Chicago, Lou Brock is remembered as the greatest trade of all time or the worst.  But he was honored and respected universally. He passed away yesterday at the age of 81. The same season that Hank Aaron set the all time homerun record, Brock set the single season stolen base record.  That was the year I really began collecting and these were my favorite (non-hometown) players.

I'm in the midst of creating an Alt-Topps series for 1973 and this card fits in nicely.  I've also created a number of cards featuring Lou Brock over the years.  Many were stolen base leader cards which Topps didn't include until 1973.  Here they are again:

1984 Topps Stadium Statues: 2019 NLDS - Cardinals vs Braves Edition

I did this a few years back. Statues outside stadiums have been a booming business. It seem like there a few more every season. The 1984 design is just best suited to capture these statues and a photo of the player.  

Neither of these players played in the present day stadiums.  In fact Spahn never played in Atlanta. He played for the Braves in Boston and Milwaukee.  Brock played in the first two Busch Stadiums. The original AKA Sportsman's Park and the second which was an astroturfed multipurpose monstrosity in the fashion of the late 60s and early 70s.

Even More 1968 Alt-Topps

World Series, All Star and Leaders Cards

As I finish out the 1968 sub-sets, I think Topps missed the boat by not making this into a real set. The stars design adapts well to multiple sub-sets. For the World Series cards I swapped the oval out for a Shield (borrowed from 1978 Topps All-Stars).

For the All-Stars, I went horizontal. Same as the real 1968 set but I borrowed the B/W action background from the 1969 Topps All-Stars.

I used a couple of my favorite outfielders from that ERA. Sweet-swinging Billy Williams and Hondo.

Unlike the real 1968 Topps, this set used a variation of the much-used vertical format for the leaders cards.

I couldn't have 1968 leader cards without Yaz, who won the triple-crown in 1967.

Well, It Was Fun While It Lasted

I came across these a few days back. 

Those are from Topps 582 Montgomery Club Collection.  Here is a description of that sold-out, $199.99 club collection:

Topps.com is excited to announce the launch of 582 Montgomery, an exclusive membership program that offers products inspired by our company's early days in Brooklyn. Members will receive exclusive benefits that are not available to the general public, including trading card products featuring recently discovered lost designs from our Brooklyn facility. There will be new products sent to members six times per year, and the exclusive opportunity to purchase the highest-end trading card release ever offered on Topps.com - The Brooklyn Collection.

The "recently discovered lost designs" they are talking about are the same mock-ups that I have been using to create the Alt-Topps sets for the last few months.

Here is that vintage mock-up that Topps used as a basis for the above set.

How about this design? Look familiar?  It's part of Topps' Brooklyn Collection, available exclusively to 582 Montgomery Club members. It's a set of limited edition, foiled-up, autographed cards once again based on "recently recovered, lost Topps designs".

Here is another Brooklyn Collection card that is based on this vintage design:

By sheer coincidence, this is the design that I had just completed a set based upon.  (I will still be posting it in the next few days.)

Topps has 25 cards in the 582 Montgomery base set (top). And another 105 of the gold-foiled autographed versions of the 2 lower designs as part of the Brooklyn Collection.

After hanging out on the sidelines because I felt the Cards That Never Were thing had kinda been played out, I thought I had something (semi) unique to contribute. Even so, I sat on this idea for over a year before jumping back in.  

I am somewhat torn. I am glad that Topps is doing something with these designs.  (Although dropping $200 for a 25 card base set and the "privilege" of buying even higher-dollar, exclusive cards is not my cup of tea.)  I am also disappointed from a wholly selfish point of view that, once again, what I am doing is lacking uniqueness.

In case you are wondering, the base 582 Montgomery cards are currently selling on eBay (buy it now price) for $4.95 per card and up to $2000 for an autographed Ohtani.  The Brooklyn Collection cards start at $139.99 and rise to $1995.00 for a Jeter card limited to 5 prints.  Need I remind you that this blog is free?

Happy New Year to All!