Game 41 - Phils Fall Short on Mother's Day

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #38

Marlins 7, Phillies 6 (10 Innings)
Game 41 - Sunday Afternoon, May 12th in Miami
Record - 28-13, 1st Place, 2 games ahead of the Braves

One Sentence Summary:  Swinging pink bats in honor of Mother's Day, the Phillies battled back late to tie the game, but couldn't capitalize on a 10th inning opportunity as the Marlins walked it off against Gregory Soto, 7-6.

What It Means:  The team should have been celebrating another series sweep, but instead they'll settle for another series win.  Four games against the Mets are coming up next.

What Happened:  Zack Wheeler was off, and he labored through four innings, giving up six hits and six runs while walking three.  The bullpen kept the Phillies in the game, with the Marlins scoring the winning run in the 10th on a fluke ground ball off Soto that bounced into the outfield, allowing the zombie runner to score.

Nick Castellanos stayed hot with a three-run home run in the first inning.  The Phillies tied it up in the sixth on a two-run triple from Edmundo Sosa followed by a sacrifice fly from Brandon Marsh.  They loaded the bases in the top of the 10th, but pinch-hitter Kody Clemens popped up to end the threat.

Featured Card:  I admittedly spent way too much time looking for a recent Phillies baseball card in my collection showing a player decked out in pink or swinging a pink bat.  I'm almost positive I have such a card (or a few such cards) in my collection, but I came up empty.  Searching "pink" in my Phillies Collection spreadsheet, this card came up - a 1934-36 Batter-Up card for Jimmie Wilson, a pink tinted variety.

2024 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2024 Season Summary Index / 2024 Chachi Set Checklist

Grapefruit Game 9 -1934-36 Diamond Stars #92 Ethan Allen

Blue Jays 6, Phillies 5
Spring Training Game 9 - Saturday Afternoon, February 29th in Dunedin
Record - 6-2-1

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies bullpen couldn't keep the Blue Jays off the board in the late innings as they lost, 6-5.

What It Means:  Blake Parker and Ramon Rosso allowed three runs in the eighth and ninth innings to give the Blue Jays the win.

What Happened:  Nick Martini and Logan Forsythe homered for the Phils and Deivy Grullon had a two-run single in the sixth to give the team a temporary lead.  Austin Listi had a pair of hits and an RBI.  Zack Wheeler made his spring debut and gave up a two-run home run in his two innings of work.

Featured Card:  Doug and I attended the Valley Forge baseball card show on Saturday and I'll have a full post on our outing and our haul from the day posted soon.  I only added a few Phillies cards to my collection, including this Ethan Allen card from the 1934-36 Diamond Stars (R327) set.  I was thrilled to find this card at a reasonable price and I'm now just one card away from a complete seven-card team set from this mid-1930s release.

Most of my allowance money went towards purchasing cards for our 1965 Topps set, and you can follow along with our progress as we build that set at my other blog.

Camp Head Count:  70

Tax Day Spoils from My Favorite Client (and Happy Birthday Mom!)

1933 Goudey #28

1933 Goudey #136

1934 Goudey #91

My Mom's tax return isn't necessarily that complex or difficult to navigate, yet somehow I reap the biggest rewards from annually preparing it.  Her payment for tax return preparation services has traditionally come in the form of vintage Phillies baseball cards and this year she decided to check a few cards off my 1930s Phillies Want List.

I'm two cards closer to a complete 1933 Goudey Phillies team set with the addition of these cards of Dick Bartell and Flint Rhem.  The back of Bartell's card notes that he's a "mighty good shortstop and also a dangerous batter."  Bartell made his first All-Star team in 1933 and he was the regular shortstop for the four seasons (1931-1934) he played with the Phillies.

This is the first card in my collection for Rhem, a pitcher for the Phillies for parts of two seasons in 1932 and 1933.  The bulk of his 12-year career was spent with the Cardinals.

The Dolph Camilli card from the 1934 Goudey set gets me to the half-way point with that four-card Phillies team set.  I had to break this card out of its graded PSA slab, and it seems happy to be able to breath again.  Camilli began the 1934 season with the Cubs before a trade on June 11th sent him to the Phillies.

1936 National Chicle Fine Pens (R313) Camilli / Jurges

Finally, my Mom tracked down what may not at first appear to be a Phillies card.  This is from the 1936 National Chicle Fine Pen Premiums (R313) set featuring an action shot of Camilli applying a diving tag on Cubs shortstop Billy Jurges.

According to our crack research team and after spending some time navigating through Baseball Reference . . . the play appears to be from May 18, 1935 when the Cubs hosted the Phillies at Wrigley Field.  Camilli was playing first that day and in the fifth inning Jurges drew a walk against Phillies pitcher Bucky Walters.  The box score shows that catcher Jimmie Wilson made the throw to pick off Jurges, first base umpire Dolly Stark made the call and thus, "Camilli catches Jurges off first."

I'd also like to wish my Mom a very happy birthday as she just recently celebrated her big day surrounded by friends and family.  Happy birthday Mom!

1930-1939 Phillies Want List

1933 Goudey #210

1936 Goudey #5

1934-36 Diamond Stars #80

In April 2012, I published a 1930-1939 Phillies Have List, indicating that I had 12 Phillies cards from the 1930s and "if and when this list ever grows, I'll put together a proper want list."

Five and a half years later, the time for that proper want list has arrived, as I've now accumulated 36 Phillies baseball cards, postcards and matchbooks from the decade of the Great Depression.  Here's a listing of the Phillies cards from the 1930s already in my collection, and cards I hope to one day add.

1931 W517 - #10 Klein, #15 Alexander, #18 Williams, #33 O'Doul
1931-32 Exhibits Four-in-One (W463-2) - #11 Klein/Whitney/Benge/Arlett, #12 McCurdy/Friberg/Bartell/Hurst

1933 Butter Cream (R306) - Klein
1933 Delong (R333) - #22 Klein
1933 Exhibits Four-in-One (W463-3) - #6 Klein/Benge/Bartell/Hurst
1933 George C. Miller (R300) - #4 Bartell, #20 Klein

1933 Goudey
Have - #21 Collins, #28 Bartell, #38 Brickell, #115 Heathcote, #132 Elliott, #136 Rhem, #170 McGurdy, #178 Warner, #210 Davis
Need - #128 Klein

1933 Tattoo Orbit (R305) - Whitney
1933 U.S. Caramel - #21 Klein
1933 Uncle Jacks Candy - Klein
1933 World Wide Gum (V353) - #21 Collins, #28 Bartell, #38 Brickell

1934 Diamond Matchbooks (Silver Border)
Have - Bartell, Chiozza, Collins, Elliott, Fullis, Hendrick, Wilson
Need - Allen, Hansen, Oana, Schulmerich

1934 Exhibits Four-in-One (W463-4) - #6 Wilson/Schulmerich/Bartell/Hurst

1934 Goudey
Have Complete Set - #33 Hurst, #55 Holley, #87 Darrow, #91 Camilli

1934 Goudey World Wide Gum (V354) - #6 Elliott, #7 Lucas, #9 Heathcote, #80 Hurst

1934 Butterfinger Premiums (R310)
Have - #33 Holley, #65 Wilson
Need - #2 Bartell, #27 Grabowski

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318)
Have - #38 Wilson
Need - #4 Bartell, #74 Fullis, #76 Allen, #104 Haslin, #150 Camilli, #176 Vergez, #185 Klein

1934-36 Diamond Stars (R327)
Have - #15 Bartell, #22 Wilson, #40 Ryan, #41 Hendrick, #80 Chiozza, #92 Allen
Need - #21 Vergez (Phillies variation with green back)

1935 Diamond Matchbooks
Have - Klein, Wilson
Need - Allen, Chiozza

1935 Exhibits Four-in-One (W463-5) - #9 Wilson/Collins/Ryan/Watkins
1935 Goudey 4-in-1 (R321) - Have - Allen/Brickell/Jonnard/Wilson
1935-36 Diamond Matchbooks - Allen, Chiozza, Hansen, Kleinhans, Moore, Wilson
1935-37 George Burke Photo Stamps - Fletcher, Klein, Passeau
1936 Diamond Matchbooks - Klein
1936 Exhibits Four-in-One (W463-6) - #6 Wilson/Davis/Camilli/Moore
1936 Goudey - Have - #5 Camilli
1936 Goudey Wide Pen Premiums - #A1 Allen, #A13 Camilli, #A24 Davis, #A41 Grace, #A107 Walters
1936 National Chicle Pastels (R312) - Camilli

1936 National Chicle Fine Pen Premiums (R313)
Have - #20 Camilli, #21 Camilli/Jurges, #46 Gomez, #112 Whitney
Need - #84 Moore/Wilson

1936 S and S Game (WG8)
Have - Camilli
Need - Klein

1936 World Wide Gum (V355) - #61 Walters, #99 Wilson, #103 Grace
1937 Exhibits Four-in-One (W463-7) - #6 Whitney/Walters/Camilli/Moore
1938 Exhibits Four-in-One (W463-8) - #6 Whitney/Walters/Klein/Arnovich
1939 Father & Son Shoes - #1 Arnovich, #5 Davis, #8 Klein, #9 Martin, #10 May, #12 Mueller, #13 Mulcahy, #15 Passeau, #16 Scharein

1939 Play Ball
Have Complete Set - #12 Martin, #28 Johnson, #33 Young, #37 Davis, #45 May, #46 Arnovich, #63 Mueller, #98 Whitney, #127 Brack, #145 Mulcahy

1920-1929 Phillies Want List / 1940-1949 Phillies Want List

1934 and 1935 Diamond Matchbooks

At the recent Valley Forge baseball card show, I added nine different matchbooks to my collection, not exactly knowing what I was adding.  The matchbooks seemed extremely reasonably priced, and I hadn't seen anything like this before, so I was intrigued.  I went through the dealer's box labeled "1930s Matchbooks" and pulled out every Phillie I could find.  (As an aside, it was during my search that I finally met fellow collector Steve F. and his son Sam.)


It turns out the matchbooks I bought come from two different sets - a 200-matchbook set called the 1934 Diamond Matchbook - Silver Border set and a smaller 24-matchbook set called the 1935 Diamond Matchbook - Black Border set.  I found this listing in the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards, and I thought I'd list the description of the set verbatim here:

During much of the Great Depression, the hobby of matchbook collecting swept the country.  Generally selling at two for a penny, the matchbooks began to feature photos and artwork to attract buyers.  In the late 1930s, several series of sports subjects were issued by Diamond Match Co. of New York City.  The first issue was a set of 200 baseball players known to collectors as "silver border" for the color of the photo frame on the approximately 1 1/2" x 4 1/8" (open) matchbooks. 

Player portrait or posed photos are printed in sepia on front, and can be found bordered in either red, green, blue or orange (although it is unclear whether all players can actually be found in the red version), theoretically creating an 800-piece color variation set.  The player's name and team are printed on the "saddle" and there is a career summary on back, along with a design of glove, ball and bats.  Matchbooks are commonly collected with the matches removed and the striker at the back-bottom intact.  Pieces without the striker are valued at 50 percent of these listed prices.

Given that last part, my matchbooks would be valued less than those with the striker intact, but I'm still happy to have them in my collection.  It looks as if there are 11 Phillies matchbooks in the set, so I'm missing four of them for a complete team set.

From the 1935 Diamond Matchbooks set, I added the two shown here and I need two more to complete the team set.  Chuck Klein is shown wearing a Cubs uniform, and the online databases I checked list this as a Cubs card.  However, I'm classifying it as a Phillies card given that's the team listed.

3 More Allen & Ginter Cards Needed! (Valley Forge Report)

1933 Goudey #115

1934-36 Diamond Stars #15

1936 S and S Game

1940 Play Ball #216

My son Doug and I had a free Sunday afternoon, so we decided to head to Valley Forge for the September "Philly Show".  Doug's fall baseball schedule meant we couldn't get to the show on Saturday to meet Roy Halladay, and we only had a few hours on Sunday, but once again we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  We met up this time with Doug's friends Jacob and Josh and their Dad Chris, Doug's baseball coach.

The three younger collectors had a blast exploring the show floor and adding to their collections. Doug needs just three more cards to complete his 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter set (see below) thanks to All-Star Sports Cards (@Allstarsports09).  He spent the rest of his allowance money tracking down cool Phillies cards and adding to his growing Mike Trout collection.  We were there as the dealers were packing up, and one dealer unloaded three binders of complete Topps sets on the three boys. Doug came away with a 1988 Topps set and he hasn't stopped smiling about it yet.  It's the oldest complete set in his collection, and he'll be forever grateful to the dealer who gave it to him for free! (I believe Jacob and Josh came away with 1990 and 1992 Topps sets, respectively.)

As for me, I chipped away at my 1971 Topps set, adding the Robero Clemente and Don Baylor/Dusty Baker rookie card to my collection.  I also picked up a number of semi-stars and high numbers, getting the number of cards I need to complete the set down to 59.

1957 Topps #158

1970 Topps #403

1971 Topps #511

1975 Topps #399

I also made a small dent in my 1950s, 1960s and 1970s Phillies team set needs, creeping closer to my goal of owning a complete run of Topps Phillies cards.  Finally, I added a quartet of Phillies cards from the 1930s and 1940s, meaning I probably need to break down and change my 1930s Phillies have list post to an actual want list post.

We didn't get there in time to meet any of the autograph signers, but I overheard that Rhys Hoskins is expected to be one of the signers at the next Valley Forge show in December. We'll be there!

* * *

Here are the three 2017 Topps Allen & Ginter cards Doug needs to complete his set.  Please let me know if you can help out!

165 - Jayson Stark
301 - Trey Mancini
336 - Kenley Jansen

Memory Lane

Valley Forge 1 - September 2010 - Thinking of my Dad
Valley Forge 2 - October 2012 - Doug's first baseball card show
Valley Forge 3 - September 2014 - Meeting Darren Daulton
Valley Forge 4 - September 2016 - Phillies acquisitions and 4 Phillies Legends
Valley Forge 5 - December 2016 - Meeting Don Money
Valley Forge 6 - September 2017

1934-1936 Batter-Up #38 Jimmie Wilson

Nationals 4, Phillies 1
Game 46 - Sunday Afternoon, May 24th in Washington
Record - 19-27, 4th Place, 8 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies hung in until the seventh when the bullpen combo of Justin De Fratus and Jake Diekman allowed the Nationals to take a 4-1 lead.

What It Means:  The Phillies will open a three-game series in New York against the Mets starting tomorrow afternoon.

What Happened:  The offense was 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.  Jeff Francoeur knocked in the Phillies only run of the game with a single in the fourth.  Aaron Harang turned in another quality start, allowing two runs in his six innings of work.

Featured Card:  There wasn't really anything memorable from this game from a Phillies perspective, so let's turn the clock back to 80 years ago tonight.  On May 24, 1935, the Reds hosted the Phillies at Crosley Field in the first ever Major League baseball night game.  The Reds defeated the Phillies by a score of 2-1 in a game that lasted just one hour and 35 minutes.

Jimmie Wilson was the Phillies player-manager for the historic event and he inserted himself into the game at some point to pinch-hit for Phillies starting pitcher Joe Bowman.  This is Wilson's card from the 1934-1936 Batter-Up set, which was released in National Chicle candy and gum products over a three year period.

According to the Standard Catalog, the 192 cards in the Batter Up set can be found in either black and white or a variety of color tints.  The cards were perforated to allow collectors to fold the tops of the cards back to allow them to stand on their own.  At some point over the last 80 years, one of this card's previous owners separated the top part of the card from the pink-tinted bottom.

1930-1939 Phillies Have List

This post will no longer be updated as of January 1, 2018. An updated 1930-1939 Phillies Want List can be found here.

1934 Goudey #33

A few months ago, I put together my 1883-1929 Phillies Have List.  A want list for these years was a bit ridiculous I thought, since I couldn't imagine (a) needing to refer to the list on a regular basis or (b) readers browsing through a want list and deciding to send me a few T206 Phillies cards.

I'm using that same logic for my 1930-1939 Phillies Have List.  As of this initial writing, I have 12 cards from the Depression Era in my collection.

If and when this list ever grows, I'll put together a proper want list.  Only then will I try to figure out just how many Phillies cards are in the Exhibits 4-on-1 sets and I'll list out the Phillies featured in the 1939 Father & Sons Shoes set.

1930-1939 Phillies Have List
1933 Goudey #21 Phil Collins
1933 Goudey #33 Fred Brickell
1933 Goudey #115 Clif Heathcote
1933 Goudey #133 Jim Elliott
1933 Goudey #178 Jackie Warner
1933 Goudey #210 Virgil Davis

1934-36 Batter-Up #38 Jimmie Wilson
1934 Butterfinger Premiums (R310) Ed Holley
1934-36 Diamond Stars #15 Dick Bartell
1934-36 Diamond Stars #40 Blondy Ryan
1934-36 Diamond Stars #41 Harvey Hendrick
1934-36 Diamond Stars #80 Louis Chiozza
1934 Diamond Matchbooks - Silver Border - HAVE Bartell, Chiozza, Collins, Elliott, Fullis, Hendrick and Wilson
1934 Goudey #33 Don Hurst

1935 Diamond Matchbooks - Black Border - HAVE Klein and Wilson

1936 Goudey Dolf Camilli
1936 National Chicle Fine Pen (R313) Dolph Camilli
1936 National Chicle Fine Pen (R313) Jose Gomez
1936 S and S Game Dolph Camilli

1939 Play Ball #12 Hersh Martin
1939 Play Ball #28 Sylvester Johnson

1939 Play Ball #33 Del Young

1939 Play Ball #37 Spud Davis
1939 Play Ball #45 Pinky May

1939 Play Ball #46 Morris Arnovich

1939 Play Ball #63 Emmett Mueller

1939 Play Ball #98 Pinky Whitney
1939 Play Ball #127 Gil Brack
1939 Play Ball #145 Hugh Mulcahy

* * *

Franklin O'Donnell ("Don") Hurst was the primary first baseman for the Phillies between 1928 and 1933.  Along with sluggers Lefty O'Doul and Chuck Klein, Hurst provided most of the offense for the Phillies in those years.  He topped 100 RBIs in a season twice, with his best season coming in 1932 when he hit .339 with 24 home runs and 143 RBIs.

Hurst's production dropped sharply following the 1933 season, and by the time the baseball card featured here was released, he may have already been playing with the Cubs.  On June 11, 1934, the Phils traded Hurst to Chicago for Dolph Camilli, in one of the few trades with the Cubs franchise that actually worked out in the Phillies favor.

Hurst left us way too soon, passing away in 1952 at the age of 47.

1934-1936 Diamond Stars #40 "Blondy" Ryan

I've featured several cards from the new 2010 Topps National Chicle baseball card set in recent weeks, and I wanted to dedicate an entire post to the original Diamond Stars set to compare and contrast. In order to do that, I first had to obtain an original. I recently found this baseball card for a reasonable price on eBay, using the "Best Offer" feature. With its arrival, Blondy now usurps Chile as the oldest baseball card in my collection.

The Briefest Review of 2010 Topps National Chicle You'll Read: I like the new retro-themed set. Some folks have complained about the quality of a few of the paintings, and I agree some portraits leave a lot to be desired. However, this is a cool set overall and I've happily added the Phillies team set to my collection. If anyone reading this is horribly offended by their Topps National Chicle cards, please send them to me. I may just attempt to collect this set.

2010 Topps National Chicle #253 Ryne Sandberg

How Did Topps Do?: They done good. The colors, print and style of the original are accurately captured on the new Topps set. The Topps cards are larger than the originals, but that's OK. Topps mimics the backs of the originals very closely, down to the layout and brief biographical information at the bottom.

R327: The original Diamond Stars set was released between 1934 and 1936 by the National Chicle chewing gum company. Designated R327 in Jefferson Burdick's American Card Catalog, the set consisted of 108 cards and featured Art Deco-style paintings, all the rage in the '30s. The year of issue can be determined by the player's statistics on the back of the card, as well as the copyright designation. The card backs feature a brief biography of the player, along with his full name, some vital stats and select on-field statistics from the prior few years.

A near complete set of Diamond Stars cards (from Charlie Conlon's collection no less) recently sold for just over $7,000.

Some 40 years after their issuance, a blank-backed proof sheet of 12 additional cards were discovered that would have brought the set size to 120 cards. Sport Americana, Beckett's predecessor in the price guide world, issued these 12 cards as "1937 Diamond Stars" in the early '80s.

Phillies in the Set: There are 6 Phillies cards in the set. Shortstop Dick Bartell (1931-34), manager-catcher Jimmie Wilson (1923-28; 1934-38), this "Blondy" Ryan card, outfielder Harvey Hendrick (1934), second baseman Lou Chiozza (1934-36) and outfielder Ethan Allen (1934-36).

John Collins Ryan: Infielder "Blondy" Ryan played in just 39 games for the '35 Phils and was sold to the New York Yankees in August of that year. As was the team's practice throughout the decade of the '30s, good players were traded off or sold once they attained some value. In 6 seasons with the White Sox, New York Giants, Phillies and Yankees, Blondy hit .239 in 386 games, and he finished 9th in the AL MVP voting in 1933.

1935 Phillies: The '35 Phils were not very good. The team finished with a record of 64-89, second to last in the National League. First baseman Dolph Camilli led the offense with 25 home runs and 83 RBIs. The team contained such notables as Bubber Jonnard, Dino Chiozza (Lou's brother), Orville Jorgens and (my favorite) Pretzel Pezzullo. Tragically, the team's starting second baseman, Mickey Finn, died during the season while being treated for ulcers. The sole highlight probably came on May 24th when the Phillies participated in the first ever night game, played against the Reds at Crosley Field. The Phils lost that match, 2-1.

The Phillies uniform depicted on Blondy Ryan's baseball card, with the Old English "P", was last worn by the Phillies in 1933. Their 1935 uniforms are actually similar in style to the alternate day-game uniforms the team wears today.