In Action Cards

The Topps 1972 baseball set included a set of In Action cards.  Prior to the beginning of the 70s, Topps had issued very few game action pictures in their cards sets.  Looking at sets issued by Topps now, the in game action photography is superior when compared with the sets from yesteryear.

 

In 1972, when Topps issued the In Action cards, the photographs that were used would likely not make the cut and would probably not be included in current day sets. 

 

The 1972 Topps Set

Here are a few of the In Action cards from the 1972 set.

1972 Topps Willie Mays Card #50

 

1972 Topps Johnny Bench Card #434

 

1972 Topps Juan Marichal Card #568 

 

These are some nice photographs, maybe like pictures you could take today with your cell phone while sitting in the stands if your seat was close to the field.  Each of these pictures appear to have been taken at Candlestick Park.  Note the astro turf in the shot behind Willie Mays is similar to the turf that was in Candlestick Park during the 1970s.  The Johnny Bench picture has him eying a foul ball with a Giant player in the background.  The Juan Marichal shot is also from Candlestick Park as the fence and seats pictured in left/centerfield are from there. 

 

Earlier Topps Sets
 

Photos used in the earlier Topps sets were mainly portrait head shots or posed batting, fielding, or throwing shots.  The current Heritage product does bring back memories of collecting the cards from those earlier Topps sets

 

Some examples of head shots:

1966 Topps Don Mossi Card #74

 

In the baseball book Ball Four, when Jim Bouton describes Mossi’s protruding ears, he says Mossi “looked like a cab going down the street with its doors open.”

 

1962 Topps Roger Craig Card #183

 

Posed batting stances:

 



1961 Topps Yogi Berra Card #425

1965 Topps Frank Robinson Card #120

 

 

Some posed fielding shots:

1957 Topps Roy Smalley Card #397

 

1966 Topps Clete Boyer Card #9

 

Posed throwing shots:

 

1968 Topps Rod Carew Card #80

 

1969 Topps Nolan Ryan Card #533

 

Hey Nolan, nice toss but isn't that a ball that still in your glove.

  

And as San Francisco Giant announcer Mike Krukow may say, here are cards of catchers "in the squaaat".  In early sets, Topps used many posed shots of catchers in the squat.

 

1967 Topps Jerry Grote Card #413

 

1970 Topps Russ Gibson Card #237

 

The Topps 1956 set

 

In the Topps 1956 set, some of the cards had game action shots.  These action pictures were used in the background of the cards which also included portraits of the players. 

 

Topps 1956 Jim Piersall Card #143

 

Topps 1956 Elston Howard #208

 

Prior to the 1956 issue, no Topps card had a photo of an in action shot. 

 

Other game action shots in early Topps Sets

 

After the 1956 set, Topps used limited game action shots.  In the 1959 set, Topps issued a set of "Baseball Thrills" cards.  These cards showed game action photos of the stars of the day including, Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks, and Al Kaline.

  

1959 Topps Hustler Banks Wins M.V.P. Award Card #469

 

World Series Cards

 

Beginning in 1960, Topps begin issuing World Series cards commemorating the World Series games from the previous year.  In the 1960 set, Topps issued cards from the 1959 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox.

 

1960 Topps Luis Swipes Base Card #389

 

In all sets beginning in 1960 and through the 1975 set, except for 1966, Topps issued World Series cards from each World Series game played.  These cards pictured action shots from those World Series games. 

1961 Topps Mantle Slams 2 Homers Card #307

 

1964 Topps Koufax Strikes Out 15 Card #136

 

1968 Topps Brock Socks 4-Hits in Opener Card #151

 

 Topps 1961 and 1962 Sets

 

The Topps 1961 set issued a subset of cards that celebrated some of the greatest feats in baseball history.  Some of these cards used game action photographs.  The cards commemorated Don Larsen perfect game in the 1956 World Series, Roger Hornsby batting .424 in 1924, and the May 1, 1920 game between Brooklyn and Boston which went 26 inning and ended in a 1 - 1 tie.  During that game, each team's starting pitcher, Leon Cadore, for the Brooklyn Robins,  and Joe Oeschger of the Boston Braves, who graduated from Ferndale (California) High School, pitched all 26 innings in what is the longest game in major-league history.

 

One of the cards in this subset was Babe Ruth hitting his 60th home run.  Who would have thought that the 1961 season would be the year that Ruth's record would be broken, as Roger Maris hit 61 home runs during this season.

1961 Topps Babe Ruth Hits 60th Homer Card #401

 

In the Topps 1962 set, cards were issued of action shots of players from the 1961 season.  The cards showed a series of photographs of these players.  Cards for Whitey Ford, Warren Spahn, Harmon Killebrew, and Stan Musial were included in the set.  Also there was a card showing Roger Maris hitting his 61st home run of that season.

         

1962 Topps Maris Blast 61st Card #313

 

Topps 1971 set 

 

With the 1971 set, Topps reintroduced use of action photos for player regular issue cards for the first time since the 1956 set.   These shots would be primitive compared to standard used for cards for today.

One of the classic from the set is the Thurman Munson card.  Here he is making a play at the plate in a game against the A's.

1971 Topps Thurman Munson Card #5

 

Another classic that I like is the Nolan Ryan card.  

 

1971 Topps Nolan Ryan Card #513

 

It appears that many of the game action shots in the 1971 set were taken in New York, at either Yankees Stadium or Shea Stadium.  The Nolan Ryan shot could have quite possibly been taken on May 30, 1970, when the Astros were visiting the Mets.  The Mets won the game 4 - 3.  Ryan started that game and pitched eight inning and was winning pitcher.

The Bud Harrelson card from the set shows him making a tag at second base.  This play could be from the 8th inning of that May 30 game, when Astro Jimmy Wynn stole second base.  Note that Nolan Ryan is in the foreground of this picture facing second base.  Wynn was safe on this play.

1971 Topps Bud Harrelson Card #355

 

 

The Thurman Munson shot could have been from games that the Yankees played against the A's in May of 1970.

 

Note the Joe Rudi card from the set.  Here Rudi is playing first base as a Yankee player is leading off the bag.  On July 16, 1970, the A's were visiting Yankees Stadium, to play the Yankees.  During the first game of a doubleheader on that day, Rudi was in the lineup playing first base.  The Yankees and A's played a four game series that July.  Rudi only appearance at first base during that series was in the first game of July 16 doubleheader.

 

1971 Topps Joe Rudi Card #407

 

The Yankees starting pitcher from that game was Fritz Peterson and the picture for his card from the 1970 set could have possibly been taken during that same game.

 

1971 Topps Fritz Peterson Card #460



 

 



As time went by, Topps started in included cards with more game action shots.  By the early 1980s, when Donruss and Fleer begun issuing cards, needing to keep up with the market's new competition, Topps include many more cards with game action shots.  In 1989, Upper Deck entered the baseball card market. So by the earlier 90s, all card makers started to issue more game action shots using outstanding photography.   The pictures on cards almost became works of art.  That still continues today, has Topps uses great photographs with their current baseball card products.

2015 Topps Cole Hamels Card #10

2015 Stadium Club Rougned Odor Card #126

Topps Stadium Club has provided some of the finest work with game action shots.  A couple of my favorite Stadium Club cards are from their 1999 set.

1999 Stadium Club Greg Maddux Card #100

1999 Stadium Club Jim Thome Card #120

 

 

These scans are not that great but check out Braves pitcher Greg Maddux sliding into second base breaking up a double play.  The Jim Thome card is cool because the picture is taken as he is just getting ready to make a catch a foul ball and the shadow of the ball is next to his right knee.

 

Probably one of my favorite cards is Shane Mack from the Topps 1991 set.  Mack appears all by himself as he is hanging on to third base, leaving a trail from his slide, as his helmet is bouncing away. 

1991 Topps Shane Mack Card #672

 

Can you share some of your favorite cards.