Missing Card Question

[ALR-bishop]

Yes. When I first started looking into whether Topps blocked the further production of Fleer's 1963 set, I looked for court cases but found none. But I did find several FTC complaints filed against Topps by Fleer. Some had interesting production figures for certain years for Topps and Fleer. It is my belief poor sales due to inability to package their cards with gum rather than Topps legal moves shut down their 1963 effort . I do think their original plans were to issue further series and that they did have other players under contract to do so. The 59 set could be distributed with gum because Williams was exclusive to Fleer that year, but in 1963 several of Fleer's cards involved players also under contract to Topps, whose contracts were exclusive to distribution of such player cards with gum or candy.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Jeff Alcorn]

Hi Guys,

Missing cards has been an area that I have always been intersted in. The Maury Wills story has long been known in the hobby- about his anger at Topps for not signing him in training camp because they did not think he was much of a prospect and his subsequent refusal to sign with Topps until 1967. However, there are other players that have no cards or are missing years. Off the top of my head-

Marshall Bridges - no cards
Tony Horton - no cards
Diomedes Olivo - no cards
Eddie Kasko - missing in 65 & 66
Bob Lillis - missing in 65, 66, 67
Al Worthington - missing in 69
Doug Clemens - missing his whole career except 67
Arnold Earley - same as Clemens, nothing until 67
Rusty Staub - had a personal services contract with the Mets from 72-74
Jim Gilliam - missing in 65 & 66
Ron Brand - missing in 67
Julio Gotay - missing after 68
Sandy Valdespino - missing after 68
Ron Kline - missing in 70
Juan Pizarro - missing in 70
Jim Grant -missing in 70
Reggie Jackson - missing in 67 & 68
Al Downing - missing in 77
Jim Bouton - missing in 69 & 70
Steve Bailey - no cards
Clyde Wright - missing in 67 & 68
Rickey Clark - missing until 70
Jerry Grote - missing in 77 since he had threatened retirement - there is a prototype in existence, though.

The list could go on & on. In listing missing players, I tried to use only those that were established Major Leaguers or that had played a significant number of games the year before. If I got out the Baseball Encyclopedia I could probably list 100 more that should have been in sets but were not, and these are just the mid-1960s until the mid-1970s. If it had been me, I would print every player, coach, and manager for every season, and with every team they were with, however, only with current photos - not with old photos on the wrong team.

However, since Topps never asked me as a kid back then it is still just a wish of mine that these cards had existed to collect. I am sure that the minute I post this I will think of some more.

Jeff

[ALR-bishop]

Great list Jeff. Starting in the later 60s my understanding is that individual contracts gave way to Marvin Miller and the Players Association contract. I wonder if being missing could in some cases have been a matter of individual preference and in others just Topps miscues.

[Rich Klein]

There are plenty more: Here are a couple I remember

Chris Short has no cards until 1967

Rich Reichardt missed cards in 1972 and 73

Bouton is an interesting case as no one knew he would make the Pilots in 69 and then was a middle reliever for the Astros going into 1970. Belileve it or not, Ball 4 had nothng to do with his not having a card to end his career.

Rich

[Bob Lemke]

I've got a nice image of Marshall Bridges and some nice later Bouton photos (all original Topps shots) that should eventually find their way onto my custom Topps-style cards.

[savedfrommyspokes]

Since it seems that Topps goal each issue (year) was to include and preview players on each team for the upcoming season (whenever possible), it is interesting that some years players were posthumously included in a new set. Some that come to mind are:
1964-Ken Hubbs
1964-Jim Umbricht
1973-Roberto Clemente
1975-Don Wilson
1977-Mike Miley
1977-Danny Frisella
1980-Thurman Munson (Yankee team card)

Several of these players passed away either in Dec or Jan (the year of their last card), so it was likely too late to pull the card as the issue was well into the production stages

[brewing]

I believe these missing cards are one portion that could make Topps Archives releases hot items.

The 1953 and 1954 Archives produced during the junk wax era are worth little today. Lacking the funds for the actual sets, i treasure my 1952, 53, and 54 reprints/Archives. I feel they really missed the mark on the "missing cards" in those sets. Black and white photos for the 1953's look horrible.

They could correct those and other errors in a future Archives release.

My idea is for a 1955 release along with some of the missing cards done properly (era correct photos, the card should look like it belonged in the set), and they could include proper solo rookie cards. A 1967 Tom Seaver should look like other solo releases from that set, not the bastardized version they have put out in previous Archives sets. The missing cards could be inserts along with numbered autographed rarities. The high numbered 1955 cards could be short prints.

There are several bloggers that make great versions of missing cards. Bob Lemke as he previously mentioned (also sells copies of his creations, thanks to him I own a 1967 Koufax). The blogs "Cards That Never Were" and "Uncle Doc's Closet" make incredible versions of missing cards.