What is the Oldest Set with a Living Player?

[OldOriole]

I got to wondering about this. What is the oldest baseball set that features a player still alive today?

[Casey2296]

51 Bowman? Or maybe some of the late 40's sets would be my guess.

[rsdill2]

Good question. Best I can tell is Curt Simmons in the '49 Bowman Set.

Oldest living MLBers here: https://www.baseball-almanac.com/pla...ll_Players.php

Several still alive from '50 Bowman, but best I can tell Curt Simmons is the only living player in the '49 set.

[chadeast]

What is Eddie Robinson's earliest card?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by chadeast

What is Eddie Robinson's earliest card?

'47 - '66 Exhibit

And a truly wonderful man with whom I have had the great pleasure of spending a little time with.

.

[OldOriole]

Originally Posted by rsdill2

Good question. Best I can tell is Curt Simmons in the '49 Bowman Set.

Oldest living MLBers here: https://www.baseball-almanac.com/pla...ll_Players.php

Several still alive from '50 Bowman, but best I can tell Curt Simmons is the only living player in the '49 set.

Robert, thank you for the link and I think you are correct. With a nod to Leon's mention of Eddie Robinson in the 1947-1966 Exhibits. It looks like Johnny Groth was also in that set.

Very interesting, only three of them left from the 1940's. Thanks much for the help.

[vansaad]

[OldOriole]

Aaron, nice post! It helps that Tommy Brown was playing in the majors around age 16. So, there is another one.

[chadeast]

Here's a similar thread on BO from a couple of years ago.

https://www.blowoutforums.com/showthread.php?p=14778378

"Curt Simmons, Bobby Brown, Wally Westlake, Gil Coan, Ed Fitzgerald, and Tommy Brown are all in 1949 Bowman and are still alive." - June 2019. We've lost a few since then.

Fun note there about Red Hoff. So cool that someone in T207 was alive in 1998!

[Orioles1954]

1947 Tip Top Bread Eddie Basinski

[packs]

Never heard of Tommy Brown before. What an odd career. A 9 year veteran who was out of the game by 25.

[egri]

Originally Posted by packs

Never heard of Tommy Brown before. What an odd career. A 9 year veteran who was out of the game by 25.

Carl Scheib was the same way; he came up at 16 and was out of baseball at 27.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by rsdill2

Good question. Best I can tell is Curt Simmons in the '49 Bowman Set.

Oldest living MLBers here: https://www.baseball-almanac.com/pla...ll_Players.php

Several still alive from '50 Bowman, but best I can tell Curt Simmons is the only living player in the '49 set.

Thanx for that link, and happy 80th birthday to #499 Bobby Cox.

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by doug.goodman

Thanx for that link, and happy 80th birthday to #499 Bobby Cox.

A look at that list shows Bobby the 499th oldest living former player.

That's gotta add a little to his step today, huh?



Leon - Is the '47-'66 Exhibit set given credit as a 1947 set?

I wonder how many were actually produced in 1947.
.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by chadeast

Fun note there about Red Hoff. So cool that someone in T207 was alive in 1998!

Maybe not quite as impressive, but I always thought it was cool that the Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr was still with us until 2017, and was in the 1937 R314 Goudey Wide Pens as well as the 1938 Goudey set.

Brian

[tedzan]

Eddie Robinson was first pictured in the 1950 BOWMAN set.




TED Z
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[FrankWakefield]

Reading through the baseball reference list (first time I'd seen that) gives a fan of 20th century baseball a somber, reflective pause... The first card I recall of Eddie Robinson would have been 1951 Bowman.

The names on the list bring back memories. I recall watching Curt Simmons pitch in St. Louis in 1964. He was left handed, same as me. I was fascinated with the way he moved his right leg folded back across his left leg as he pushed off to deliver a pitch; I tried to emulate that as a little kid. Roger Craig, Joe Pignatano, Charlie Maxwell... Roy Face, Art Ditmar, Mr. Erskine (he's an old school gentleman). Dick Groat (I feel he was underappreciated, he seemed to always have his head in the game, on top of situations; I recall seeing him at bat slightly turning his head as a runner at first broke with a pitch, not to see the runner, but to see which fielder was covering second, Groat could teach the hit and run to modern players if he was of a mind to, he was a master). Willie Mays, Bill Virdon, Bob Skinner (I liked seeing him pinch hit), Joey Amalfitano (I don't know that I saw him play, but it seems like I saw his name across many jerseys as a coach). Ray Washburn could throw hard at times, Mr. Koufax could throw very hard when he wanted to, and Bob Veale could make a catcher's mitt pop. Instead of going on forever I'll just note that #500 is Bill Wakefield... my first awareness of him was from a picture and paragraph of him in a Cardinal yearbook (probably 1964). He was a pitcher in Tulsa, expected to come up to the St. Louis club... But he didn't. He got traded to the Mets, the Cards got Roger Craig in return. He pitched one year in the major leagues. I wrote him, asking a few questions and sending a SASE asking for an autograph in the mid 90s, he signed and kindly answered.

I hope all of those guys stay well.

[tedzan]

Hi Frank

I recall as a kid getting an Eddie Robinson in a 1950 BOWMAN wax-pack. I will scan it when I find it.

"Red" Hoff had a very short career (3 years with the Highlanders, and one with the St Louis Americans). His career ERA was pretty good, only 2.49
He was a little guy (like me), and a Southpaw like you.

He recalled the highlight of his career was when he first faced Ty Cobb, and struck him out on 3 straight pitches (he was a 20-year old rookie then).


.



I acquired his autograph in the early 1990's.




TED Z

T206 Reference
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[tedzan]

Originally Posted by Orioles1954

1947 Tip Top Bread Eddie Basinski

"What is the Oldest Set with a Living Player ?"

Then, I would say Orioles1954 has the correct answer....Eddie Basinski, who is 98 years old and is featured in the 1947 TIP TOP Bread set.

Now let's slightly modify this...."What is the Oldest Set with the Oldest Living Player ?"

Then, of course we know Eddie Robinson is currently the oldest at 100 years old.

I believe the correct answer to this one is the 1950 BOWMAN set.

As an avid Yankees fan when I was a young dude, I really looked forward to seeing Eddie Robinson come to bat, for he was a great clutch-hitter.
But, Eddie was in the 3rd slot as 1st Baseman with Joe Collins and Moose Skowron on the Yankees roster. In 1955, Eddie had more runs batted
in (42) than hits (36) and slugged an amazing 16 home runs in only 173 at bats to set a HR-to-AB ratio record that still stands.








TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[Casey2296]

Originally Posted by FrankWakefield

Reading through the baseball reference list (first time I'd seen that) gives a fan of 20th century baseball a somber, reflective pause... The first card I recall of Eddie Robinson would have been 1951 Bowman.

The names on the list bring back memories. I recall watching Curt Simmons pitch in St. Louis in 1964. He was left handed, same as me. I was fascinated with the way he moved his right leg folded back across his left leg as he pushed off to deliver a pitch; I tried to emulate that as a little kid. Roger Craig, Joe Pignatano, Charlie Maxwell... Roy Face, Art Ditmar, Mr. Erskine (he's an old school gentleman). Dick Groat (I feel he was underappreciated, he seemed to always have his head in the game, on top of situations; I recall seeing him at bat slightly turning his head as a runner at first broke with a pitch, not to see the runner, but to see which fielder was covering second, Groat could teach the hit and run to modern players if he was of a mind to, he was a master). Willie Mays, Bill Virdon, Bob Skinner (I liked seeing him pinch hit), Joey Amalfitano (I don't know that I saw him play, but it seems like I saw his name across many jerseys as a coach). Ray Washburn could throw hard at times, Mr. Koufax could throw very hard when he wanted to, and Bob Veale could make a catcher's mitt pop. Instead of going on forever I'll just note that #500 is Bill Wakefield... my first awareness of him was from a picture and paragraph of him in a Cardinal yearbook (probably 1964). He was a pitcher in Tulsa, expected to come up to the St. Louis club... But he didn't. He got traded to the Mets, the Cards got Roger Craig in return. He pitched one year in the major leagues. I wrote him, asking a few questions and sending a SASE asking for an autograph in the mid 90s, he signed and kindly answered.

I hope all of those guys stay well.

Nice memories Frank, thanks for posting.

-Joey Amalfitano-

Amalfitano was in a Giants uniform (in the Polo Grounds bullpen) the day Willie Mays made his famous catch in the 1954 World Series and in a Dodgers uniform (as the third-base coach) the day Kirk Gibson hit his homer off Dennis Eckersley in the 1988 World Series.

Amalfitano broke into the majors with the 1954 Giants and played 10 big-league seasons, two with the Giants after they moved West. When Mays felt ill and was going to sit out a game in Milwaukee, Amalfitano lent him his lighter bat, and Mays felt so good with it in batting practice that he played in the game and hit four home runs (conversely Amalfitano had 9 lifetime homers).

Amalfitano, a lifelong baseball man, retired earlier this year from the Giants organization at age 86. So many comments about how considerate he is, such a great storyteller, and incredible baseball knowledge.

They don't make em' like that anymore.

[egri]

Slightly OT, but I remember seeing, either on here or another forum, a list of the last living player from several sets, from T206 to 1949 Leaf. The ones I can remember off the top of my head are:

T206--Rube Marquand

1933 Goudey--Gus Suhr

1934 Goudey--Lonny Frey

1938 Goudey, 1939-41 Play Ball, 1941 Double Play, 1949 Leaf--Bobby Doerr

1948 Bowman--Red Schoendienst

There were a few other sets as well, like Cracker Jack, but that's what I can recall without having access to the original list (I'm pretty sure it's behind a paywall at SCN).

[FrankWakefield]

Thanks, Ted, for those great memories...

I'm unsure when I first bought ball cards... may have been a pack or two of 1963 Topps.

That's a nice Robinson card, and a great wrapper.

Chester Hoff... I can imagine a young Hoff with the 'quick breaking curve' throwing that left handed breaking crap up there to Ty Cobb, who had no mental book about what to expect... Maybe he was sitting on fastball and never saw it.

People need to talk with those players still living, record them, and preserve that for generations to come.

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by FrankWakefield

Thanks, Ted, for those great memories...

I'm unsure when I first bought ball cards... may have been a pack or two of 1963 Topps.

That's a nice Robinson card, and a great wrapper.

Chester Hoff... I can imagine a young Hoff with the 'quick breaking curve' throwing that left handed breaking crap up there to Ty Cobb, who had no mental book about what to expect... Maybe he was sitting on fastball and never saw it.

People need to talk with those players still living, record them, and preserve that for generations to come.

Frank

I have been very, very fortunate to have lengthy (and short) conversations with players that we grew up with. Namely, Ted Williams, Don Larsen, Johnny Mize, Billy Martin,
Denny McLain, Bill White, Yogi Berra, Tommy Henrich, and Phil Rizzuto (my long ago neighbor in Hillside, NJ). Those were my lengthy ones (30 minutes to several hours).
Shorter conversations with Joe DiMaggio, Duke Snider, Jim Bunning, Sparky Lyle, Goose Gossage, Roy White, and many more.

My recollection of these conversations amazes me in that I can recite most of them. Although after these conversations, I did record them by writing them in my tablet.

As for "recording" them live, I am ambivalent about doing so, simply because I get the feeling that most of these guys just want to have a normal one-on-one conversation.
Anyway, your suggestion is a good one.

Postscript...... the most memorable ones were with TW, the Scooter, Mr. Perfect, Johnny Mize, and Bill White.
After a very pleasant conversation with Bill White in the early 1990's, I was set-up at the HOF weekend BB card Show in Cooperstown Two teenage gals came to my table
asking for Bill White cards. I showed them 8 cards. They said...."we will take all of them". Then they smiled and told me Bill White was their Dad. They were so charming,
telling me some interesting stories about their Dad.


TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[whiteymet]

Originally Posted by rsdill2

Good question. Best I can tell is Curt Simmons in the '49 Bowman Set.

Oldest living MLBers here: https://www.baseball-almanac.com/pla...ll_Players.php

Several still alive from '50 Bowman, but best I can tell Curt Simmons is the only living player in the '49 set.

There is an earlier set than 1949 Bowman that Curt Simmons is in. It is the 1948 Philadelphia Bulletin Stand Ups. These are listed in the SCD Standard Catalog.

My set is packed away so I can't send a photo of the Simmons but you can see another example here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/20314123720...8AAOSwGypeyI0B