As you’re taking a go by the 1966 Topps baseball card set, you will shortly choose up on a recurring theme:
There are many headshots and up-close poses and plenty of colour.
However some options of the set aren’t as apparent.
For instance, many collectors overlook that there are three Corridor-of-Fame rookies in Fergie Jenkins, Don Sutton and Jim Palmer.
Proper or improper, these three rookie playing cards usually fly underneath the radar in comparison with a number of others within the Sixties.
Collectors additionally generally underestimate the problem of finding the brief prints and high-number sequence playing cards in high situation.
Further quirks embrace the O-Pee-Chee and Venezuela Topps “parallels” printed in Canada and Venezuela, respectively, although their checklists are a lot smaller than their 1966 Topps counterparts.
General, this set has nearly the whole lot a classic collector may need.
And on this information, we’ll check out the 25 most useful.
Let’s bounce proper in!
1966 Topps #1 Willie Mays
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $3,250
A season faraway from a career-high 52 dwelling runs and a second NL MVP award, legendary San Francisco Giants heart fielder put a cap on an unreal 13-year prime.
In his age-35 season, Mays crushed 37 dwelling runs and tallied 103 RBIs.
Remarkably, these represented his lowest totals in each classes for the reason that flip of the last decade.
It additionally marked his eighth consecutive 100-RBI marketing campaign.
As soon as once more, the bridesmaid to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bride, the Giants fell two video games in need of an NL pennant for the second straight yr, and it took a six-game season-ending successful streak to get that shut.
Whatever the group’s runner-up woes, Mays was predictably electrical.
He slashed .288/.368/.556 with 29 doubles, 4 triples, 99 runs scored, and 70 walks (in opposition to simply 81 strikeouts) in 629 plate appearances.
And whereas he’d misplaced a step from his high-speed twenties, the 17-time All-Star was nonetheless the clear selection for a tenth consecutive Gold Glove.
Nobody made the routine performs simpler, and the spectacular performs extra breathtaking than the Say Hey Child.
Mays’ manufacturing would decline over his remaining seven seasons, making the 1966 season a ringing final hurrah of types.
1966 Topps #50 Mickey Mantle
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $3,000
1966 was a low level for a New York Yankees franchise simply two years faraway from the World Sequence stage.
A roster of getting older veterans and a tumultuous administration state of affairs doomed the Bronx Bombers to the underside of the American League standings, the franchise’s first last-place end since their final season because the New York Highlanders in 1912.
The Johnny Keane debacle ended 20 video games into the season after a 4-16 begin.
His substitute, Ralph Houk, fared higher, however not by a lot.
And to make issues worse, the face of the Yankees (identical to many others on the group) was on his final legs.
Mickey Mantle’s physique was a wreck in 1966, forcing him to overlook 56 video games with numerous accidents and illnesses.
From the highest of his head to the underside of his toes, the whole lot gave the impression to be troubling the 34-year-old famous person.
“Someway I would get myself up yet one more time, and nonetheless one other, pondering that by some miracle, it will all come again,” Mantle mentioned. “No extra hurting, no extra wobbly knees, no sore shoulders, no aches and pains anyplace. Silly, however that is the way it was.”
When Mantle performed, he was nonetheless nice.
A down-ballot MVP honorable point out, the Yankees heart fielder slashed .288/.389/.538 with 23 dwelling runs, 12 doubles, and 56 RBIs in 393 plate appearances (333 at-bats).
1966 Topps #500 Hank Aaron
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $1,400
By way of OPS+ (142), Hank Aaron’s 1966 season was his worst in eleven years.
Contemplating simply how good he was, it’s a exceptional testomony to his constant brilliance.
Ending eighth within the NL MVP race and gathering his sixteenth All-Star look, Aaron hit to a .279/.356/.539 slash line with an NL-best 44 dwelling runs, an MLB-best 127 RBIs, 23 doubles, 21 stolen bases, 76 walks, and 117 runs scored.
Sure, his .895 OPS marked his first marketing campaign underneath .900 since his rookie season (1954).
And sure, his .279 batting common was the worst of his profession so far.
Regardless of all this, Aaron nonetheless lifted the Braves to 85 wins and a decent fourth-place end of their inaugural season in Atlanta.
And he was nonetheless probably the most feared slugger within the Main Leagues, offering a sudden jolt of run-producing, home-run energy each time he stepped into the field.
That is who Aaron at all times was.
And it’s why he reached 400 dwelling runs within the relative youth of his age-32 season, a torrid tempo that made his chase-down of Babe Ruth’s hallowed homer mark doable.
1966 Topps #300 Roberto Clemente
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $1,250
After capturing his second consecutive batting title in 1965, you would be forgiven to assume there was nowhere to go however down for Pittsburgh Pirates proper fielder Roberto Clemente.
Assume once more.
Clemente put collectively one among his most interesting particular person seasons in 1966, a five-tool masterclass of clutch hitting, immaculate protection, and beneficial intangibles that stored the Pirates within the pennant dialog for many of the yr.
By the tip of August, Pittsburgh was in a lifeless warmth with the Giants for the NL lead.
Clemente was the catalyst.
His 2000th profession hit got here on his twenty third homer of the season; he had hit not more than 16 earlier than this and had eclipsed ten dwelling runs simply as soon as.
He ended the yr with 29.
Clemente was additionally the final word big-moment producer, setting a career-high with 119 RBIs.
He had touched 90 RBIs simply as soon as earlier than.
And whereas the 92-win Pirates ended up third behind the standard suspects of the Dodgers and Giants, Pittsburgh got here up simply three wins in need of an NL pennant tiebreaker.
It was largely because of Clemente.
Named NL MVP for the primary and solely time by a skinny margin of ten votes, Clemente slashed .317/.360/.536 with 202 hits, 31 doubles, 11 triples, and 105 runs scored.
1966 Topps #91 Bob Uecker (With out Commerce Assertion)
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $1,000
Years earlier than he’d change into one among baseball’s most beloved (and hilarious) voices, Bob Uecker was a light-hitting backup catcher with a depraved humorousness.
In his fifth MLB season and first with the Philadelphia Phillies, Uecker rode the pine and turned it into among the finest media bytes of the period.
“My managers did not need me within the recreation,” Uecker quipped. “Heck, they did not need me on the bench. Children ask which membership I performed for. No one, however I sat for lots.”
Uecker was additionally ticketed for public intoxication throughout his time in Philly, jokingly claiming that he was fined “$50 for being intoxicated and $400 for being on the Phillies.”
The Phillies completed fourth within the NL at 87-75 in ’66, and Uecker’s manufacturing peaked.
He performed in a brand new career-high 78 video games, smacked half of his fourteen profession dwelling runs, and drove in 30 of his 74 RBIs in a single season.
Altogether, Uecker hit to a forgettable .208/.279/.338 slash line with six doubles and 15 runs scored in 237 plate appearances (207 at-bats).
At simply 32 years of age, it was clear Uecker was working out of probabilities on the sphere.
Off the sphere, it might be a special story.
1966 Topps #303 Cleveland Indians (No Dot)
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $1,000
The 1965 Cleveland Indians had been an above-average ball membership, ending fifth within the American League at 87 – 75.
They boasted three All-Stars of their lineup in Rocky Colavito, Vic Davalillo and Max Alvis.
And their ace, Sam McDowell, additionally an All-Star, paced the American League in ERA (2.18) and strikeouts (325) whereas coming 4 wins shy of Minnesota’s Mudcat Grant’s AL-leading 21 victories.
Had a handful of McDowell’s 42 pitching appearances gone a bit in a different way, he may’ve secured sufficient wins for the pitching Triple Crown.
Up and down their roster, the Cleveland Indians had been fairly good.
But they completed 15 video games behind the 102-game-winning Minnesota Twins for the AL Pennant.
So, why is that this card value a lot?
Should not the Twins’ group card, and even the mighty Yankees (due to who they had been) be value extra?
Properly, all of it comes right down to a printing error.
Workforce playing cards within the 1966 Topps all confirmed their place the place they completed in 1965, adopted by a dot after which the American/Nationwide League designation alongside the underside.
Nevertheless, the Pirates, Braves and Indians group playing cards can all be present in one among two variations: the usual model containing the dot and the variation not.
All three “No Dot” variations could be value so much in high situation on account of their rarity, however the “No Dot” Indians group card is probably the most difficult.
1966 Topps #100 Sandy Koufax
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $900
And identical to that, Sandy Koufax’s unparalleled Corridor-of-Fame profession was over at simply 30 years of age.
Traumatic arthritis in his pitching elbow and bone spurs within the joint induced him ache each time he threw a pitch.
Someway, Koufax gutted by in ’66 to ship maybe the very best of his three Cy Younger seasons.
After securing the very best one-year wage in baseball within the offseason ($130,000), Koufax settled in and diced up the Nationwide League.
The unequalled lefty ended the yr with profession bests (and MLB bests) in ERA (1.73) and ERA+ (190).
He additionally topped the Majors in a number of different classes, together with wins (27), full video games (27), begins (41), shutouts (5), innings pitched (323.0), and strikeouts (317).
And when the reigning World Sequence champs wanted him most, he got here up big.
With the Giants nipping at their heels, Koufax delivered a complete-game victory in opposition to Philadelphia on two days relaxation to deliver dwelling the Dodgers’ third pennant in 4 seasons.
This time, although, the World Sequence was completely different.
After successful all of it in 1963 and 1965, the Dodgers had been rolled out of the Fall Basic in a four-game sweep by the hands of the Baltimore Orioles.
Koufax retired after the season, leaving a bitter October defeat as his final second on a Main League Baseball mound.
1966 Topps #215 N.L. Batting Leaders
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $800
Usually, chief playing cards aren’t among the many most useful in a given baseball card set.
Usually, they do not embrace Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.
So, it is simple to see what makes this card so particular.
Three of probably the most iconic hitters and superstars of all time sharing the identical cardboard actual property is a simple recipe for achievement.
Through the 1965 MLB season, Roberto Clemente paced the Nationwide League with a .329 batting common, adopted by Hank Aaron at .318 and Willie Mays proper behind him at .317.
Because it turned out, Clemente’s .329 common led all of baseball, securing him a third of 4 profession batting titles.
Had Chicago’s Billy Williams raised his .315 ever so barely, this card could by no means have existed.
But it surely does.
And it is one of the vital fascinating playing cards within the set.
1966 Topps #30 Pete Rose
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $750
After 5 consecutive successful seasons and an NL pennant in 1961, the Cincinnati Reds imploded in 1966.
Proprietor/GM Invoice DeWitt fired supervisor Dick Sisler for “psychological causes” earlier than the ‘66 marketing campaign.
In reality, he had been undermining Sisler for fairly a while.
The Sisler debacle was extremely questionable at finest.
Nevertheless, the commerce that despatched Frank Robinson to the Orioles for Milt Pappas was really unforgivable.
DeWitt gave up a Corridor-of-Famer in his prime for nothing in one of many worst offers of the fashionable period.
Robinson went on to win the AL MVP in his first yr with Baltimore.
The Reds tanked underneath new managers Don Heffner (fired midseason) and Dave Bristol, ending seventh within the NL at 76-84.
Whereas the franchise crumbled round him, Pete Rose put collectively one other high quality season.
The 25-year-old second baseman/third baseman completed tenth within the NL MVP race with a .313/.351/.460 slash line, 205 hits, 16 dwelling runs, 38 doubles, 5 triples, 97 runs scored, and 70 RBIs.
4 years in, Rose was effectively on his approach to greatness.
He’d make that ascent underneath new possession.
Invoice DeWitt ended a baffling yr by promoting the group in December, ushering in a brand new period of Cincy baseball that may quickly give rise to the Huge Crimson Machine.
1966 Topps #126 Jim Palmer Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $750
Nicknamed “Truffles” for his routine of wolfing down pancakes on the morning of his begins, 20-year-old Jim Palmer proved to be a candy funding for an Orioles franchise on the cusp.
Within the wake of two third-place finishes with 94 wins or extra, the O’s had the roster depth and expertise to lastly recover from the AL pennant hump.
Palmer pushed them excessive, main one among baseball’s finest beginning rotations with 15 wins.
The Arizona native pitched to a 3.46 ERA in 30 begins, tallying six full video games and simply 176 hits surrendered in 208.1 innings pitched.
Walks had been a difficulty (91) as they’re with many younger starters.
Nevertheless, Palmer had a knack for developing roses on the proper instances.
A main instance of that got here on September twenty second.
Only a win away from bringing dwelling the franchise’s first pennant since they had been the St. Louis Browns (1942), the O’s seemed to Palmer to ship.
He obliged, spinning a five-hitter in opposition to Kansas Metropolis to propel Baltimore to the Fall Basic.
It solely received higher from there.
Palmer outdueled the nice Sandy Koufax in Sport Two of the World Sequence, holding a potent Dodgers lineup to only 4 hits.
The Orioles swept their approach to the franchise’s first World Sequence title, making Palmer a champion in solely his second big-league yr.
1966 Topps #288 Don Sutton Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $450
Nicknamed “Little D” in a nod to “Huge D” Don Drysdale, Don Sutton was a rookie hurler with a veteran’s mastery of zone management.
Initially a Spring Coaching stopgap whereas Sandy Koufax and Drysdale held out in contract talks, Sutton earned his spot on the big-league membership with a pinpoint fastball and devastating, knee-buckling curveball.
Feted by friends and members of the media for his ageless composure and unwavering confidence at simply 21 years previous, Sutton went from upstart to an integral a part of the defending champions’ rotation inside weeks.
In 37 video games for the ’66 Dodgers, Sutton went 12-12 with an excellent 2.99 ERA.
He additionally walked simply 52 batters in 225.2 innings pitched, compiling a 1.081 WHIP.
He was the inheritor obvious to Koufax and Drysdale’s West Coast throne. Nevertheless, his October coronation can be delayed.
On September fifth, with Los Angeles combating for his or her pennant lives, Sutton pulled a muscle in his throwing forearm.
He pitched 4 extra instances, compiling simply 14.1 innings in his truncated begins.
Held out of the World Sequence, Sutton must wait eight years for his first style of Fall Basic competitors.
1966 Topps #110 Ernie Banks
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $400
1966 was a tipping level for Ernie Banks and the Chicago Cubs.
Over the venerable shortstop/first baseman’s first 13 years with the group (1953-65), the Cubs posted only one successful season and completed no increased than fifth within the Nationwide League standings.
Banks was uninterested in taking part in for the “lovable losers.”
He needed to win.
The hiring of “Leo the Lip” Durocher introduced Banks a measure of hope concerning the franchise’s future path.
However, because the losses piled up in ’66, that optimism shortly soured into acrimony between the 2.
“I can bear in mind Ernie and Leo had been always feuding,” Fergie Jenkins as soon as mentioned. “Leo was at all times giving Ernie Banks’ job away. Ernie knew that Leo didn’t like him.”
It was a doomed relationship from the beginning.
And it confirmed between the traces.
The Cubs misplaced 100 video games (103) for the primary time in franchise historical past, courting again to their first season because the Chicago White Stockings in 1876.
Banks was constant, if not underwhelming, for baseball’s worst group, slashing .272/.315/.432 with 15 dwelling runs, 23 doubles, seven triples, 52 runs scored, and 75 RBIs.
1966 Topps #254 Fergie Jenkins Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $400
The Chicago Cubs pulled the set off on a five-player deal early within the 1996 season that may have been a forgotten footnote if not for one Corridor-of-Fame inclusion.
Misplaced within the shuffle with the Philadelphia Phillies, rookie hurler Fergie Jenkins was instantly plugged right into a catch-all position for the Cubs.
He began, he relieved, and he stuffed any hole that supervisor Leo Durocher wanted to be stuffed.
There have been loads of gaps.
The 1966 Cubs had been a laughingstock.
Ending with an MLB-worst 59-103 report, Chicago was the one group in baseball to give up 5 runs per recreation.
The pitching employees was held collectively by baling wire and chewing gum.
Most of the time, it was Jenkins’ job to save lots of the day when video games received out of hand.
With that in thoughts, the 23-year-old righty’s stat line in ’66 reads a lot better.
Jenkins appeared in 60 video games (12 begins) for Chicago, pitching to a 3.31 ERA in 182.0 innings.
Compared, the Cubs’ employees pitched to an MLB-worst 4.33 ERA, over a complete run worse than Jenkins’ mark.
Jenkins gave up simply 147 hits with a robust 1.096 WHIP, consuming innings and mitigating each day disasters at Wrigley.
With out him in tow, the Cubs would have scraped beneath the underside of the barrel.
1966 Topps #555 Ron Perranoski
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $400
When individuals consider the nice Dodger pitchers of the Sixties, most will seemingly point out Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale and Johnny Podres.
However few could point out Ron Perranoski.
Whereas these three guys earned many of the glory as big-name starters, Perranoski did his magic out of the bullpen.
From 1961 by 1961, Perranoski constructed a popularity as among the best relievers within the recreation.
He was so good in 1963, going 16-3 with 21 saves and a 1.67 ERA, that he completed in fourth place within the MVP vote, simply barely behind Hank Aaron however removed from his MVP-winning teammate, Sandy Koufax.
That is what Perranoski was able to producing.
He additionally helped them to 2 World Sequence titles in 1963 and 1965 and one other look in 1966.
A number of of the opposite Dodgers pitchers loved the limelight, however Perranoski was persistently a key piece out of the bullpen.
After retiring, Perranoski joined the Dodgers as their pitching coach from 1981 to 1994, serving to guys like Fernando Valenzuela, Orel Hershiser, and Bobby Welch.
As a result of it is a brief print and comparatively powerful to search out in high situation, Perranoski’s card could shock you with its worth.
1966 Topps #591 N.L. Rookies
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $400
Bart Shirley made his MLB debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers late within the 1964 season earlier than bouncing round from the Minors, Mets, Dodgers and Japan from 1965 to 1972.
Sadly, he by no means may discover a good touchdown spot.
Curiously, Topps included Shirley on this Rookie Stars card in addition to a Mets Rookie Stars card of their 1967 flagship set.
Grant Jackson discovered extra stable footing within the Majors than Shirley did, spending 18 years as a reliever for the Phillies, Orioles, Yankees, Pirates, Expos and Royals.
He completed with an 86-75 report with 79 saves and a 3.46 ERA whereas making his solely All-Star look for the Phillies in 1969 and serving to the Pirates to a World Sequence title in 1979.
General, Jackson’s profession was objectively higher than Shirley’s however neither would grow to be a big-name star like among the different fellas on this checklist.
The worth of this card primarily comes from the truth that it is one of many harder brief prints to find in excessive grade.
1966 Topps #598 Gaylord Perry
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $375
The grasp of the spitball discovered himself at an early-career crossroads in 1966.
Getting into the ’66 marketing campaign, Gaylord Perry had a tenuous grasp on a roster spot with the San Francisco Giants.
It took a 5-0 stretch of Spring Coaching ball for him to even guarantee a lesser position with the membership.
Mixing his trademark work ethic with just a few different substances, Perry added a tough slider to his already deep repertoire of pitches.
When he was lastly given the nod for a begin on April twenty first, he made the very best of it, defeating the Astros 2-1 with a blinding four-hitter.
It simply stored going from there.
Regardless of lacking simply over two weeks with a jammed foot suffered on a slide, Perry earned an All-Star nod with a 12-1 report and a pair of.51 ERA on the break.
By August twentieth, he was 20-2 and a shortlist candidate for NL Cy Younger.
With Perry breaking out, the Giants appeared like a favourite to wrest the pennant away from the hated Dodgers.
Nevertheless, Perry faltered within the season’s remaining 5 weeks and misplaced six choices in a row.
The Giants couldn’t climate the Los Angeles storm and misplaced the pennant to the Dodgers by a recreation and a half.
1966 Topps #195 Joe Morgan
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $350
What Joe Morgan lacked in measurement, he made up for in pace and baseball savvy.
Even in his early twenties, Morgan performed effectively past his years, displaying instincts for situational hitting, base-running, and fielding that you just wouldn’t count on from such a younger participant.
Working example, Morgan’s second full yr with the Houston Astros in 1966 was a testomony to his all-around play.
A Sports activities Illustrated cowl topic alongside teammate Sonny Jackson, the 22-year-old developed into one of many league’s finest second basemen in 1966.
A primary-time All-Star, Morgan continued to grasp his flapping-arm batting quirk to hit .285 with 5 homers, 14 doubles, eight triples, 60 runs scored, 11 stolen bases, and 42 RBIs.
Ever the affected person hitter, Morgan adopted up his MLB-best 97 walks in ‘65 with 89 in ‘66.
The 72-win Astros struggled to capitalize on Morgan’s .410 on-base share, leaving the sophomore standout stranded time and again.
It doesn’t make his breakout 1966 marketing campaign any much less spectacular, although.
1966 Topps #320 Bob Gibson
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $350
After successful the 1964 World Sequence on the arm of Sequence MVP Bob Gibson, the St. Louis Cardinals received caught within the muck of mediocrity for the subsequent two seasons.
Gibson was sometimes incredible in these campaigns, successful 20 for the primary time in 1965 and following it up with 21 victories in 1966.
Nevertheless, the 30-year-old righty could not do it alone.
The Cardinals had been top-heavy and lacked clubhouse chemistry, following their first dropping season in 4 years with 83 wins and a sixth-place end in ’66.
You’ll be able to’t fault Gibson for the Cardinals’ underachieving methods.
A four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glover, the Omaha, Nebraska native rattled opposing hitters along with his top-tier pitch arsenal, grit, and pure aggression on the hill.
In 280.1 innings pitched, Gibson pitched to the very best ERA of his profession so far (2.44) with an MLB-best 5 shutouts, 20 full video games, and 225 strikeouts in 280.1 innings pitched.
His 1.027 WHIP was the second-best mark of his profession, solely bested by his otherworldly 1968 NL MVP season.
1966 Topps #544 Cardinals Rookies
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $325
Of the three 1966 Cardinal Rookie Stars showcased on this card, Joe Hoerner discovered probably the most taking part in success within the Huge Leagues.
George Kernek performed 10 video games for the Cardinals in 1965 and one other 20 in 1966 earlier than ending his profession within the Minors.
Jimy Williams (the spelling on his card is inaccurate) performed in 14 video games for the Cardinals between 1966 and 1967 earlier than discovering extra success as a head coach for Toronto, Boston and Houston from 1986 to 2004.
Hoerner spent 14 seasons within the Majors from 1963 to 1977, splitting time as a aid pitcher between the Houston Colts, Cardinals, Phillies, Braves, Royals, Rangers and Reds.
Hoerner was an All-Star for Philadelphia in 1970 and completed with a 39-34 report, 98 saves and a 2.99 ERA.
Like among the different brief prints on this set, discovering an instance of this card in high situation could be difficult.
And set builders can pay good cash for an instance in PSA 8 situation or higher.
1966 Topps #72 Tony Perez
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $300
In 1964, Tony Perez lit up Triple-A to deliver dwelling the Pacific Coast League’s MVP award.
The Cincinnati Reds prospect was on the high of his recreation and seemed destined for an extended, fruitful MLB profession.
Simply two years later, the Cuban native was struggling to regulate to life within the States with out his household whereas mired in a platoon at first base with Gordy Coleman.
Through the ’66 season, Perez seemed nothing just like the perennial All-Star and MVP candidate he’d blossom into only a yr later.
Whether or not it was rising pains or a little bit of homesickness, the reality was that his bat hadn’t fairly gotten as much as big-league pace.
The 24-year-old performed 99 video games for the Reds in 1966, slashing .265/.304/.381 with simply 4 dwelling runs in 257 at-bats.
That is one homer each 64.25 at-bats.
One yr later, Perez was moved from first to 3rd base and smacked a dinger each 23 at-bats or so.
1966 was a transitional level for a generational expertise.
Come 1967, he’d be a star.
1966 Topps #70 Carl Yastrzemski
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $275
Between his first top-ten MVP end in 1965 and an absolute banger of an AL MVP season in 1967, Boston Crimson Sox left fielder Carl Yastrzemski took a momentary step again in 1966, if solely a relative one.
Nonetheless an All-Star and down-ballot AL MVP candidate, Yastrzemski was among the many few highlights for an uninspiring 72-win Crimson Sox squad.
However he alternated scorching stretches on the plate with over-eager durations through which he rolled over into weak groundouts and double performs with regularity.
Posting an OPS underneath .800 for the primary time since his rookie season in 1961, Yastrzemski slashed .278/.368/.431 with 16 dwelling runs, an AL-best 39 doubles, two triples, eight stolen bases, 81 runs scored, and 80 RBIs.
He was additionally effectively revered by opposing managers in pitchers, receiving ten intentional walks for what can be the primary of three consecutive seasons.
In 1967, Yastrzemski went nuclear, main the league in practically each necessary offensive statistical class.
Looking back, maybe it was a direct response to the irritating inconsistencies of the 1966 season.
1966 Topps #125 Lou Brock
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $275
Moved to the lead-off spot within the St. Louis Cardinals order halfway by the 1965 season, Lou Brock took his first step in direction of changing into the very best one-hole hitter within the enterprise in 1966.
Studying to grasp his worry of the within pitch, the nook outfielder used his blazing pace and line-to-line hitting abilities to nice benefit.
Brock’s opening salvos helped the Playing cards shake off the cobwebs of their first dropping season in a half-decade, pushing 83-win St. Louis to their sixth successful report in seven years.
And whereas the group was a yr away from changing into a real World Sequence contender, Brock was already taking part in championship baseball for the NL’s sixth-place membership.
Main the Majors in stolen bases for the primary time with 74, the down-ballot NL MVP honorable point out slashed .285/.320/.429 with 15 dwelling runs, 24 doubles, 12 triples, 94 runs scored, and 46 RBIs in 678 plate appearances (643 at-bats).
1966 Topps #365 Roger Maris
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $250
The controversies that swirled round Roger Maris’ record-breaking season in 1961 transitioned right into a deafening refrain of “I advised you so” by the 1966 season.
Besieged by accidents and searching nothing just like the single-season dwelling run champ of 5 years in the past, Maris was barely a median participant in his remaining season with the Yankees.
Because the Bronx Bombers put collectively maybe probably the most embarrassing in group historical past, the critics doubled down on the distaste they held for Maris.
In spite of everything, right here was the man who unseated the untouchable Babe Ruth for the house run report.
And right here he was, failing to reside as much as the hype and heights of his 1959-1962 peak.
New York has at all times been a stress cooker for its baseball stars, and nothing compares to the spite directed at those that do not reside as much as the expectations of the followers and media.
Briefly, 1966 was depressing for Maris.
Beat up and disrespected regardless of taking part in harm as usually as doable, the 31-year-old proper fielder contemplated retirement.
He hit simply .233 in ’66 with a .689 OPS, 13 dwelling runs, 37 runs scored, and 43 RBIs in 119 video games performed, barely a shell of his manufacturing 5 years earlier than.
Earlier than Maris may grasp them up, he was dealt to St. Louis within the offseason.
1966 Topps #550 Willie McCovey
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $250
The complete-time return of Orlando Cepeda from an injury-plagued 1965 season left the San Francisco Giants in a pickle in ’66.
Willie McCovey’s dangerous toes and achy knees stored him out of the outfield and anchored him to first base.
Cepeda’s injured knees made him a legal responsibility within the outfield, making first base the one touchdown spot that made sense.
One thing needed to give.
And since McCovey had established himself as one of many recreation’s most fearsome hitters, Cepeda grew to become expendable.
The Giants dealt the longer term NL MVP to the St. Louis Cardinals on Could twenty eighth for pitcher Ray Sadecki, locking McCovey in at first for the subsequent eight years.
McCovey paid the second-place Giants again for his or her funding, parlaying a season-long energy surge into his second All-Star look.
The 28-year down-ballot MVP honorable point out batted cleanup within the Midsummer Basic, following a assassin’s row of Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Hank Aaron within the NL’s lineup.
Altogether, McCovey hit .295 with 36 dwelling runs, 26 doubles, six triples, 85 runs scored, 96 RBIs, and a 164 OPS+.
The Giants did not topple the Dodgers for his or her first NL pennant since 1962, however they would not have been there till the very finish with out McCovey’s fireworks.
1966 Topps #410 Al Kaline
Estimated PSA 8 NM-MT Worth: $225
In probably the most tragic season in Detroit Tigers historical past, Al Kaline did his finest to carry the spirits of the group and the fan base.
71-year-old supervisor Chuck Dressen suffered his second coronary heart assault in two years on Could sixteenth, passing away lower than three months later.
His quick substitute, third-base coach Bob Swift, was hospitalized in the course of the All-Star break for fast weight reduction.
What was initially anticipated to be meals poisoning was truly lung most cancers.
Swift handed away in October.
The distraction of an excellent Tigers season wasn’t a lot.
But, a minimum of third-place Detroit hung in there lengthy sufficient to stir some good emotions in an in any other case darkish marketing campaign.
Kaline performed the most important position in 88-win Detroit’s third consecutive successful season, slashing .288/.392/.534 with 29 dwelling runs, 29 doubles, 85 runs scored, 81 walks, and 88 RBIs.
The 31-year-old outfielder was exemplary from begin to end in ’66, capturing his fifteenth straight All-Star look and his fourth top-nine AL MVP end (seventh) in six years.
1966 Topps Baseball Playing cards In Assessment
If you happen to’re in search of an instance of how in style Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron and among the different big-name Corridor-of-Famers are, this set is a primary instance.
Regardless of that includes three Corridor-of-Fame rookies in Fergie Jenkins, Don Sutton and Jim Palmer, the large names talked about beforehand outshine them on this set.
Nonetheless, regardless of the place you wish to “rank” them, the entire Corridor-of-Famers on this set are extremely fascinating.
And Topps did a incredible job capturing most of them in a extra up-close and private means than common with the headshots and completely different poses.
Apart from the star playing cards, the brief print high-numbers (#523 – 598) and playing cards of various variations (Bob Uecker, Don Landrum, and so on.) additionally rank excessive on collector wishlists.
Throughout the set had been additionally a number of completely different subsets, together with:
- League Leaders (#215 – 226)
- Rookie Stars (all through guidelines)
- Topps All-Star Rookies (all through guidelines)
- Workforce Playing cards (all through guidelines)
- Checklists (all through guidelines)
Personally, I actually get pleasure from this set however would not rank it as my favourite of the Sixties.
Most classic collectors would agree that this set has loads of options to maintain the curiosity excessive for years to return.
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