1978 Philadelphia Phillies Photo Cards

Number of Cards:  35
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  As was the case with all Phillies photo cards issued throughout the 1970s, these cards feature a black and white photo with the players' name below.  The backs of the photo cards are blank and there's no indication on the cards themselves that they're from 1978.  Some of the cards contain blue facsimile autographs, as noted on the checklist below.  Tug McGraw's card features a rare horizontal format to fit his post wind-up photo.

How Distributed:  The photo cards were handed out to fans individually and supplied to the players in order to reply to fan mail or honor autograph requests.  I could be wrong, but I don't believe the cards were ever available in complete set form.  The set's checklist is comprised of the manager, five coaches, the entire 25-man opening day roster and two players acquired via trades in mid-June - Rawly Eastwick and Dick Ruthven.  As fellow collector Rick pointed out in a comment to this set's original post, there are action and portrait variations for the Tim McCarver and McGraw cards.  I'm not sure which versions are more prevalent, so I've included both in the standard checklist below.

Complete Standard Checklist (Unnumbered, presented here alphabetically): 

1. Carroll Beringer CO         2. Bob Boone (action, auto) 3. Larry Bowa (auto) 4. Warren Brusstar (action) 5. Jose Cardenal (auto) 6. Steve Carlton (action, auto)       7. Larry Christenson 8. Billy DeMars CO 9. Rawly Eastwick (action) 10. Barry Foote (action) 11. Gene Garber (action) 12. Bud Harrelson (action)

13. Richie Hebner (auto) 14. Dave Johnson (auto) 15. Jay Johnstone (action, auto) 16. Jim Kaat (auto) 17. Randy Lerch (action) 18. Jim Lonborg (action) 19. Greg Luzinski (auto) 20. Garry Maddox (action, auto) 21. Jerry Martin (action) 22. Bake McBride (action, auto)       23. Tim McCarver (portrait)         24. Tim McCarver (action)

25. Tug McGraw (portrait) 26. Tug McGraw (action) 27. Jim Morrison 28. Danny Ozark MG (auto) 29. Ron Reed (action) 30. Ray Rippelmeyer CO 31. Dick Ruthven (action) 32. Mike Schmidt 33. Ted Sizemore (action, auto) 34. Tony Taylor CO (auto) 35. Bobby Wine CO (auto)

One and Only Phillies Baseball Card (0)

First Appearance in Phillies Team Issued Set (4):  Cardenal, Eastwick, Harrelson, Morrison
Returning Players in Phillies Team Issued Set (25):  Boone, Bowa, Brusstar, Carlton, Christenson, Foote, Garber, Hebner, Johnson, Johnstone, Kaat, Lerch, Lonborg, Luzinski, Maddox, Martin, McBride, McCarver (2), McGraw (2), Reed, Ruthven, Schmidt, Sizemore

Manager (1):  Ozark
Coach (5):  Beringer, DeMars, Rippelmeyer, Taylor, Wine

Surprises:  The Phillies made two fairly significant trades on back-to-back days on June 14th and June 15th.  First, Jay Johnstone and Bobby Brown were traded to the Yankees for Eastwick.  A day later, Gene Garber was sent to the Braves for Ruthven.  Both Eastwick and Ruthven are featured in action photos for their cards, meaning these update cards were issued as early as late June.

Bob Boone's card uses the same photo as his 1977 photo card, but with a slightly different autograph placement.

Omissions:  The Phillies teams of the late 1970s were mostly very good teams, which correlates to little to no roster turnover.  There were 10 players who appeared with the 1978 Phillies who did not appear in this photo card set, and all with good reason.  Of the 10, only Orlando Gonzalez made his season debut before September and he only appeared in 26 games.  Pete Mackanin, Horacio Pina and Dan Larson all joined the organization in September.  Three September call-ups saw action early that month - Lonnie  Smith, Todd Cruz and Kerry Dineen - while three other prospects made their season debuts on the final day of the season, October 1st - Keith Moreland, Kevin Saucier and Dan Boitano.

Variations/Rarities:  Rick also confirmed the existence of a Mike Schmidt variation, with a blue facsimile autograph.

Signature Variation 1. Mike Schmidt (auto)

Harrison/Erickson 1. Phillie Phanatic

And while not part of the team issued set, there is a 1978 color postcard of the Phillie Phanatic issued by the Phanatic's creators Harrison/Erickson.  Perhaps this could be considered the Phanatic's rookie card?  Finally, I added a photo card of coach Carroll Beringer to my collection over the past few years that is slightly larger than the standard 3 1/4" x 5 1/2" photo cards.  I don't know what year this would have been issued, but I've included it below for reference.  Beringer was the team's bullpen coach between 1973 and 1978.

Also See:  1978 Phillies Spring Training and 1978 SSPC Baseball the Phillies Way - Part One and Part Two.

Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Phillies collectors Steve F. and Rick G.

This set was originally featured in a post back in January 2015, and I'm going to slowly go through these team-issued set posts and update them with new information learned (if any) over the past six years.

 

1977 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards / 1979 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards

1970-1979 Phillies Team-Issued Photo Cards Want List / Phillies Team Issued Sets Index Page

Series Preview - Nationals at Phillies: September 10th to September 12th

1978 Topps #449

1978 Topps #513

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05
Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA

Nationals 71-72, 3rd place in the N.L. East, 8 games behind the Braves
Phillies 74-68, 2nd place in the N.L. East, 4 1/2 games behind the Braves

Nationals Probables:  Tanner Roark (8-15, 4.23), Stephen Strasburg (7-7, 4.04), Joe Ross (0-0, 0.00)
Phillies Probables:  Jake Arrieta (10-9, 3.61), Nick Pivetta (7-11, 4.66), Aaron Nola (16-4, 2.29)

At the Ballpark:  It's odd to have a three-game series this late in the season without any promotions or giveaways, but here we are.

Nationals Leaders
Average:  Anthony Rendon - .298
Runs:  Bryce Harper - 92
Home Runs:  Bryce Harper - 32
RBIs:  Bryce Harper - 91
Stolen Bases:  Trea Turner - 37

Wins:  Max Scherzer - 17
ERA:  Max Scherzer - 2.31
Strikeouts:  Max Scherzer - 271
Saves:  Sean Doolittle - 22

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Maikel Franco - .266
Runs:  Cesar Hernandez - 82
Home Runs:  Rhys Hoskins - 30
RBIs:  Rhys Hoskins - 88
Stolen Bases:  Cesar Hernandez - 18

Wins:  Aaron Nola - 16
ERA:  Aaron Nola - 2.29
Strikeouts:  Aaron Nola - 196
Saves:  Seranthony Dominguez - 14

1982 Topps - Phillies Cards

1982 Topps #720

1982 Topps Traded #69T

1982 Topps #438

1982 Topps Traded #52T

Each year I sincerely enjoy planning out my Chachi set of custom cards, and I have fun spending the entire year with the design and cards from a vintage Topps set.  I spent a lot of time with the 1982 Topps set and design in 2017, and get ready to see a whole bunch of 1978 Topps cards in 2018.  Before closing the book on the 1982 Topps set, I wanted to tally the number of Phillies and Phillies-related cards in the set, as I've done in prior years with other Topps sets - see below.

By my very unofficial count, there are a whopping 172 cards in the 1982 Topps and 1982 Topps Traded sets featuring players, coaches or managers who at one point suited up for the club.  I attribute the high count to the massive number of trades the Phillies pulled off in the late 1970s/early 1980s.  Here's the complete list and some cards that weren't previously featured this year in series preview or game summary posts.

National League East (63 - 17 without Phillies)
Atlanta Braves (6) - #32 Gene Garber, #296 Bob Walk, #502 Steve Bedrosian FS, #668 Dale Murphy, #733 Larry McWilliams, #4T Steve Bedrosian
Miami Marlins (0)
New York Mets (3) - #399 Pat Zachry, #743 John Stearns, #783 Greg Harris
Philadelphia Phillies (46)
Washington Nationals (Montreal Expos) (8) - #118 Terry Francona/Brad Mills FS, #131 Stan Bahnsen, #292 Dave Palmer, #779 Grant Jackson, #788 Woodie Fryman, #7T Tim Blackwell, #83T Al Oliver, #104T Dan Schatzeder

National League Central (34)
Chicago Cubs (14) - #23 Willie Hernandez, #89 Steve Henderson, #117 Rawley Eastwick, #215 Mike Krukow, #273 Doug Bird, #374 Tim Blackwell, #484 Ivan DeJesus, #10T Larry Bowa, #16T Bill Campbell, #49T Fergie Jenkins, #52T Jay Johnstone, #76T Keith Moreland, #82T Dickie Noles, #92T Mike Proly
Cincinnati Reds (3) - #763 Tom Hume, #41T Greg Harris, #56T Jim Kern
Milwaukee Brewers (4) - #93 Larry Hisle, #466 Randy Lerch, #487 Bob McClure, #709 Don Money
Pittsburgh Pirates (7) - #235 Mike Easler, #332 Don Robinson, #458 Willie Montanez, #485 Kent Tekulve, #543 Bill Robinson, #24T Dick Davis, #77T Jim Morrison
St. Louis Cardinals (6) - #27 Tom Herr, #86 Dane Iorg, #262 Doug Bair, #367 Jim Kaat, #727 Sixto Lezcano, #108T Lonnie Smith

1982 Topps #669

1982 Topps Traded #42T

1982 Topps #629

1982 Topps #27

National League West (19)
Arizona Diamondbacks (0)
Colorado Rockies (0)
Los Angeles Dodgers (11) - #6 Fernando Valenzuela LL, #166 Fernando Valenzuela LL, #213 Dave Stewart, #338 Dave Lopes AS, #345 Fernando Valenzuela AS, #348 Derrel Thomas, #510 Fernando Valenzuela, #681 Ron Roenicke, #740 Dave Lopes, #741 Dave Lopes IA, #774 Jay Johnstone
San Diego Padres (3) - #330 Rick Wise, #434 Joe Lefebvre, #63T Sixto Lezcano
San Francisco Giants (5) - #406 Al Holland, #722 Jerry Martin, #754 Joe Morgan, #755 Joe Morgan IA, #66T Renie Martin

American League East (8)
Baltimore Orioles (0)
Boston Red Sox (3) - #255 Tony Perez, #256 Tony Perez IA, #619 Bill Campbell
New York Yankees (5) - #472 Oscar Gamble, #669 Larry Milbourne, #694 Dave Wehrmeister, #706 Barry Foote, #95T Shane Rawley
Tampa Bay Rays (0)
Toronto Blue Jays (0)

American League Central (29)
Chicago White Sox (9) - #269 Jim Essian, #328 Ed Farmer, #363 Bob Molinaro, #521 Billy Almon, #599 Jay Loviglio FS, #654 Jim Morrison, #714 Jerry Koosman, #720 Greg Luzinski, #721 Greg Luzinski IA
Cleveland Indians (8) - #141 Von Hayes FS, #258 Bo Diaz, #287 Allan Bannister, #601 Sid Monge, #773 John Denny, #42T Von Hayes, #69T Bake McBride, #71T Larry Milbourne
Detroit Tigers (6) - #238 Kevin Saucier, #261 Dave Rucker FS, #535 Lance Parrish, #603 Rich Hebner, #629 Johnny Wockenfuss, #691 Dan Schatzeder
Kansas City Royals (5) - #397 Ken Brett, #594 Renie Martin, #625 Hal McRae, #46T Grant Jackson, #65T Jerry Martin
Minnesota Twins (1) - #438 Pete Mackanin

1982 Topps #706

1982 Topps #238

1982 Topps #603

1982 Topps #258

American League West (19)
Houston Astros (5) - #218 Dave Roberts, #377 Kiko Garcia, #404 Dickie Thon, #539 Vern Ruhle, #698 Tony Scott
Los Angeles Angels (California Angels) (1) - #9T Bob Boone
Oakland Athletics (4) - #29 Dwayne Murphy, #392 Rick Bosetti, #757 Tom Underwood, #64T Dave Lopes
Seattle Mariners (3) - #52 Larry Andersen, #197 Shane Rawley, #31T Jim Essian
Texas Rangers (6) - #16 Steve Comer, #36 Al Oliver TL, #463 Jim Kern, #590 Al Oliver, #591 Al Oliver IA, #624 Fergie Jenkins

Memory Lane

1970 Topps - 114 cards with Phillies connections
1973 Topps - 107 cards with Phillies connections
1979 Topps - 111 cards with Phillies connections, plus one more
1982 Topps - 172 cards with Phillies connections
1985 Topps - 153 cards with Phillies connections
1988 Topps - 154 cards with Phillies connections

1978 Phillies Photocards

I updated this post here in November 2020 and this original post is now outdated.

 

Number of Cards:  33
Card Size:  3 1/4" x 5 1/2"
Description:  As was the case with all Phillies photocards issued throughout the 1970s, these cards feature a black and white photo with the players' name below.  The backs of the cards are blank and there's no indication on the cards themselves that they're from 1978.  Some of the cards contain blue facsimile autographs, as noted on the checklist below.  Tug McGraw's card features a rare horizontal format to fit his post wind-up photo.

How Distributed:  The cards were handed out to fans individually and supplied to the players in order to reply to fan mail or honor autograph requests.  I could be wrong, but I don't believe the cards were ever available in complete set form.

Complete Standard Checklist:  The cards are unnumbered, but I've presented them below ordered by uniform number.

Carroll Beringer CO Bob Boone (auto) Larry Bowa (auto) Warren Brusstar Jose Cardenal (auto) Steve Carlton (auto) Larry Christenson Billy DeMars CO Rawly Eastwick Barry Foote Gene Garber Bud Harrelson Richie Hebner (auto) Dave Johnson (auto) Jay Johnstone (auto) Jim Kaat (auto) Randy Lerch

Jim Lonborg Greg Luzinski (auto) Garry Maddox (auto) Jerry Martin Bake McBride (auto) Tim McCarver (portrait) Tug McGraw (horizontal action) Jim Morrison Danny Ozark MG (auto) Ron Reed Ray Rippelmeyer CO Dick Ruthven Mike Schmidt Ted Sizemore (auto) Tony Taylor CO (auto) Bobby Wine CO (auto)

One and Done (0)
First Appearances (4):  Cardenal, Eastwick, Harrelson, Morrison
Returning Players (23):  Boone, Bowa, Brusstar, Carlton, Christenson, Foote, Garber, Hebner, Johnson, Johnstone, Kaat, Lerch, Lonborg, Luzinski, Maddox, Martin, McBride, McCarver, McGraw, Reed, Ruthven, Schmidt, Sizemore

I actually get disappointed now when there's not someone with a One and Done card in these sets.  The First Appearance designation is for players who have never before appeared within a Phillies team issued set.  These players may have already appeared on other Phillies baseball cards.

Manager (1):  Ozark
Coaches (5):  Beringer, DeMars, Rippelmeyer, Taylor, Wine
Phillie Phanatic (0)
Broadcasters (0)
Commemorative Cards (0)

Variations/Rarities:  As Rick points out in his comment below, there are three variations to be found within this set.  Note that these aren't necessarily rarities as I'm not sure which version of each player's card is more prevalent.

• Tim McCarver (action photo - swinging)
• Tug McGraw (portrait)
• Mike Schmidt (auto)

Finally, while not part of the team issued set per se, there is a 1978 color postcard of the Phillie Phanatic that was issued by Harrison/Ericsson.  I'm not including it as part of the main checklist above but it should be noted that the card does exist.  (The same note pertains to the 1980 and 1981 team issued sets.)

Also See:  1978 Phillies Spring Training and 1978 SSPC Baseball the Phillies Way - Part One and Part Two.
Trivia:  The Beckett database has no record of this set.  Bob Boone's card uses the same photo as his 1977 photocard, but with a slightly different autograph placement.
Resources:  The Trading Card Database; Phillies collectors Steve and Rick (@rickphils)

1978 SSPC Baseball the Phillies Way - Part One

During the first Gallery Week, I featured the Phillies team set from the quirky, yet lovable 1976 SSPC set.  I broke the gallery into two posts - part one and part two.  Today and tomorrow, I'll feature the Phillies cards from a set released by SSPC in 1978.  This set is either listed as "1978 SSPC Baseball the Phillies Way" or "1978 SSPC 270."  The latter name derives from the fact that these cards were included as an insert within a baseball magazine entitled, you guessed it, Baseball the Phillies Way.  The publication contained tips on how to play each position and how to better your hitting, pitching and fielding skills, among other things.  The back of the front cover even contained a letter to the reader from then-Phillies front office personnel Paul Owens and Dallas Green.

The 1978 SSPC 270 name derives from the fact that SSPC released 270 total cards that year, all spread out among a number of team publications.  For this reason, the Phillies cards are numbered "0028" to "0054" within their publication.  (I've dropped the "00" prefix in the galleries.)  The set has the feel of the 1976 SSPC set, but adds horizontal cards and more cards of coaches this time around.

Back in the early '80s, I bought two of these magazines at the Ocean City Baseball Card Show - one to keep in tact and one from which to skillfully cut the baseball cards from.

#28 Garry Maddox

#29 Steve Carlton

#30 Ron Reed

#31 Greg Luzinski

#32 Bobby Wine CO

#33 Bob Boone

#34 Carroll Beringer CO

#35 Richie Hebner

#36 Ray Rippelmeyer CO

#37 Terry Harmon

#38 Gene Garber

#39 Ted Sizemore

#40 Barry Foote

#41 Tony Taylor CO

Phillies at Nationals: May 4th to May 6th

Nationals Park - Washington, D.C.
Friday 7:05, Saturday 1:05, Sunday 8:05

Phillies 13-13, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Nationals
Nationals 15-9, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 1 game ahead of the Braves

Phillies Probables:  Kyle Kendrick (0-2, 6.59), Vance Worley (2-1, 1.97), Cole Hamels (3-1, 2.78)
Nationals Probables:  Stephen Strasburg (2-0, 1.13), Gio Gonzalez (2-1, 1.82), Jordan Zimmermann (1-2, 1.89)

At the Ballpark:  There are a lot of promotions listed on the Nationals' website for these games, but not much information is available.  Friday night's listing includes "Beltway Burger Pack" and "Miller Lite Party Night."  Saturday is also a "Miller Lite Party Night" and a "Harris Teeter Family Fun Pack."  Kids also get to run the bases following Saturday's game.  Sunday is listed as "Signature Sundays presented by New Era" and another "Harris Teeter Family Fun Pack."  Any Nationals fans care to shed some light on these things?

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Carlos Ruiz - .329

Runs:  Hunter Pence - 15

Home Runs:  Shane Victorino - 5

RBIs:  Carlos Ruiz - 17

Stolen Bases:  Shane Victorino - 8

Wins:  Joe Blanton, Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels - 3

ERA:  Vance Worley - 1.97

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 36

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 9

1979 Topps #161 and #43

1979 Topps Flashback:  Today's flashback features two former Phillies with ties to the Expos organization.  On June 15, 1977, the Phillies sent long-time Phillie Wayne Twitchell and catcher Tim Blackwell to the Expos in exchange for catcher Barry Foote and lefty Dan Warthen.

For some bizarre reason, known only to my six-year-old brain, I loved this Foote card as a kid.  Maybe it was his name, or maybe it was the awesome bright red catcher's gear, but for whatever reason this card was firmly in my favorites pile.  Foote appeared in only 57 games with the Phillies in 1977 and 1978 before being swapped to the Cubs in the massive eight-player trade that brought Greg Gross and Manny Trillo to the Phillies in February 1979.  This is one of three cards featuring him with the Phillies - the others being his 1978 Topps and 1978 SSPC cards.

The Twitch pitched in parts of seven seasons with the Phillies between 1971 and 1977, compiling a record of 33-43 with a 3.57 ERA.  He was the team's lone All-Star representative in 1973.  After he left Philly, Twitchell bounced around from the Expos to the Mets to the Mariners.  He first appeared in a Topps set in 1971, on a multi-player rookie card, and this card from the 1979 set would be his final Topps card.

1978 Topps #513 Barry Foote

I've been in a retro kind of mood lately, so let's go with another vintage Phillies card tonight. I'll explain the reason for the retro mood after a brief Barry Foote interlude.

In the summer of 1978, Barry Foote was third in the catching depth chart for the Phils behind Bob Boone and Tim McCarver. He started 11 games behind the plate, hitting .178 with just one very important home run. On September 2nd, with the score tied 1-1 in the 10th against the Giants, Foote hit a two-run home run off reliever Gary Lavelle. With a 3-1 lead, Larry Christenson pitched a scoreless bottom of the 10th for the complete game victory. The win put the Phillies 3 1/2 games ahead of the Pirates in the NL East, and Danny Ozark's team would eventually go on to win their third straight division title.

I was four (going on five) in the Summer of '78, and I couldn't have cared less that the Phillies jumped into 1st place on June 24th and never relinquished the top spot. In the Summer of '78, I discovered Star Wars, and it was all Star Wars, all the time. My Dad took me that summer to see the movie over a year after it had first been released. I remember being fascinated by the story, amazed at the incredible characters and terrified of Grand Moff Tarkin. I was fine with Darth Vader, but for some reason Peter Cushing just freaked me out.

In a recent visit to his grandmother's house, my 3-year-old son Doug was granted access to my old Star Wars action figures. He's hooked. He wants to know their names. He wants to know who the bad guys are and who the good guys are. He wants to know why Darth Vader is so mean. He wants to know why there's remnants of red shag carpet in the action figure carrying case. He wants a lightsaber. (Actually, I kind of want a lightsaber too.) We'll wait a few more years to show him the movie, but I've already started to tell him the story from a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.

Doug has told me that this Spring he wants to "play baseball and learn about Star Wars." It's going to be a wonderful, exciting Spring.