My Phavorite Phillies Cards: Top Ten List- #1

1. 1973 Topps- Mike Schmidt

Growing up, the Phillies were Mike Schmidt as far as I was concerned. He was quite possibly the greatest player of his generation, the greatest 3rd baseman who ever played the position, and unquestionably the greatest player to ever wear a Phillies uniform.

I got this Schmidt rookie card as a 1 year aniversary from my wonderful wife- I kind of cheated in that I got to pick it out, but still- this a stylish "paper" gift! - for those that don't know, every aniversary gift is supposed to be themed according to some crazy order- 1st aniversary- paper, 2nd aniversary- cotton , 10th aniversary- tin, 50th aniversary- gold- I'm not making this up :)

Anyway, even though this card might not hold the proper aesthetics usually reserved for "My Phavorite Phillies Card":

• Star player shares card with two lesser players- CHECK
• Schmidt not sporting his iconic stache- CHECK
• Card design essentially white border -it's a downright ugly card- CHECK

It still was a major target of my trading wishes as a kid collector- I was on clound nine when I was able to trade for one when I was 12, and even though my collecting jones was dormat when I was forced to sell it for college funds at age 17, it was a sad day when I had to part with it the first time around. This card, I'm glad to say, isn't going anywhere.

So there it is my favorite 11 cards in my current Phillies collection. I hope you enjoyed seeing them, and I'm hoping there will be a way to share this blog with more people- right now I'm afraid it's not too many. Regardless, there will be more posts to come- it's too much fun to stop just yet.

My Phavorite Phillies Cards: Top Ten List- #2

2. 1952 Topps- Richie Ashburn

This is a newer addition, and it shot up the ranks among my favorite cards!

1952 Topps is an iconic set- it was Topps first regular issued set, and everything about it- from the design, to it's star-studed checklist, and ultimately, the short printed Mickey Mantle card which is the most vauable post World War 2 issued card.

This particular Ashburn jumped out at me for it's razor sharp corners- not a common trait for a card that dates back to the early 50's. The shortcomings of the card are obvious- it's miscut, but I can get past that- it's a gorgeous piece of cardboard!

Ashburn, aside from being one of the all-time greatest Phillies players ever, will always hold a place in many a Phillies fan's heart due to his stellar commentating efforts of Phillies games for many years. "Whitey" was partnered with the great Harry Kalas, giving the Phillies arguably the best booth guys in all of baseball.

My favorite Ashburn story happens to be my favorite foul ball story. Legend has it that Ashburn hit a line drive into the stands at old Connie Mack Stadium. The ball struck an elderly woman in the stands, and the game was paused as the medical crew attended her, eventually placing the woman on a stretcher. After the pause, the game resumed and the next pitch resulted in a looping foul ball that managed to reach the moving stretcher, and struck the already insulted female patron again.

Ebay Purchase of the Day: George Anderson 1959 Topps

George Anderson- this guy ring a bell for anyone? Familiar looking face, but still can't place it? Look at the stats on the back, and it doesn't appear that you are looking Hall of Fame great's rookie card.


I'm not sure when George started going by "Sparky", but it's always cool to get Hall of Fame manager's rookie card when they were still playing- all the more awesome when that Hall of Fame manager spent his playing days as a Philadelphia Phillie!


This card fluctuates like crazy on ebay- I got my excellent condition card for the bargain basement price of $5.55! Not bad for a card that routinely goes anywhere between $20 - $150.


The key is how the seller advertises it. Mine was listed as "1959 Topps George Anderson EX cond.". I knew when I saw that listing, that it was going to slip through many people's radars. A "Sparky Anderson 1959 Topps rookie" wouldn't have been this cheap.


Anyway, this post actually has fueled my interest in another manager's rookie card- I have a feeling that I'll be able to get this one even cheaper than Sparky here, and yet it'll be a cool card to own:




And thanks to http://www.sportlots.com/, I was in fact able to purchase one of these Charlie "Chuck" Manuel rookie cards for $1.50 (postage included). For those other collectors out there, sportslots is a great resource, particularly if you are having a tough time finding specific commons from past baseball card sets.