To make baseball card collecting even more fun in 1968, Topps slipped in a bonus for wax and cello pack breakers beginning in the third series. The Playing Cards insert subset, often referred to as 1968 Topps Game Cards, included 33 colorful star players, each with an offensive outcome that ranged from SINGLE to HOME RUN, STRIKE OUT to DOUBLE-PLAY. As more packs were purchased, a kid’s stack swelled enough to engage in a nine-inning trading card battle.
Topps loaded the deck with blockbusters like Henry Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays.
In all, over 40% of the set are current Hall of Famers. Not too shabby.
Topps promoted the inserts on the retail display box front panel, encouraging kids to “play baseball with these cards.”
In one case, though, the advertising didn’t quite match what actually came out of the packs. How many kids kept forking over nickels looking for that elusive Carl Yastrzemski HOME RUN card touted on the box, despite Topps only issuing a mere SINGLE on the reigning American League MVP’s card?
Speaking of the Boston superstar, the 3rd Series Check List card #192 bearing his photo on the front trumpets the special Playing Cards a couple ways on the back.
Looking closely at the mock SINGLE card on the backside, it appears to be Wally Moon, whose 12-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers ended in 1965, three years prior to this 1968 promo plug. The original artwork I own seems to support this claim.
Moon’s 1959 Topps card #530 appears to have served as model for the hand-drawn artwork used on his 1960 Topps Baseball Tattoo, which when reversed, also matches the imitation card on the 1968 checklist.
Wrapper messaging also advertised the extra insert, along with playing instructions.
It’s possible Topps again used another depiction from the 1960 Baseball Tattoo set, this time a reversed drawing of San Francisco pitcher John Antonelli, to create a knockoff HOME RUN card on the wrapper.
Topps served up a softball to fans by offering the entire 33 rounded card set in a “BATTER UP” retail box at different lowball price points.
Check out the 2017 article and 2019 article from Dave Hornish of the Topps Archives blog for more background.
Now, let’s review the nearly three dozen player cards and see where those images appeared elsewhere on Topps products. You’ll note that Topps did not type the player’s name on the card, but instead included the player’s facsimile autograph. In addition, there’s no team name present, so in some cases without enough uniform clues, we’re left to guess a player’s team.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #1 – MATEO ALOU
Pittsburgh Pirates’ speedster Mateo Alou, more commonly known to fans and collectors as Matty, kicks off the Playing Card set by reaching on an ERROR and moving runners along, assuming there were men on base when his card was drawn.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #2 – MICKEY MANTLE
Topps selected the photo of the Mick that was used on his 1962 base card for the 1968 Game Card, which also found its way onto the floating head peel-off sticker in 1963.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #3 – CARL YASTRZEMSKI
Here’s the 1968 Yaz SINGLE card, as well as that elusive, exclusive HOME RUN display box version (warning: it’s a fake created by yours truly).
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #4 – HENRY AARON
Thanks to his facsimile autograph, the Hammer was referred to as Henry on the 1968 Game Card rather than the more common Hank on a great majority of his numerous Topps offerings over Aaron’s 23-year MLB career.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #5 – HARMON KILLEBREW
The silhouetted, 4-color headshot is pleasing to the eye on 1968 Game Cards, but it’s also nice to see full background details, too, like this one on Killer’s cards.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #6 – ROBERTO CLEMENTE
Thankfully, the great Roberto Clemente avoided being called Bob on his 1968 Playing Card.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #7 – FRANK ROBINSON
Frank Robinson tied for third for most American League triples in 1967, so it made sense to assign him the 3-bagger in the 1968 set line-up.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #8 – WILLE MAYS
Fittingly, mega-star Willie Mays was given the lone, prized HOME RUN card (sorry Yaz).
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #9 – BROOKS ROBINSON
Yes, Topps reversed the Brooks Robinson Playing Card photo on his 1968 Tipps From The Topps panels.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #10 – TOMMY DAVIS
In 1968, Tommy Davis was on the New York Mets, so one would assume given his blue jacket collar that this shot represents that Big Apple team.
That 1968 hatless Game Card picture is actually Dodger blue, as the jacket collar and background match perfectly against his 1965 Los Angeles Dodgers Topps card #370.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #11 – BILL FREEHAN
Topps erased Bill Freehan’s lumber on the 1968 Playing Card.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #12 – CLAUDE OSTEEN
Claude Osteen induced a DOUBLE-PLAY (hyphen unnecessary) much to the chagrin of kid batters in 1968. No doubt the “LEAD RUNNER & BATTER OUT” instructions led to negotiated outcomes between game players. For example, if there are runners on first and third with no outs and the batter hits an imaginary fly out and the outfielder nailed the tagging runner at the plate, did the guy on first advance to second on the throw??
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #13 – GARY PETERS
Hurler Gary Peters was the first of five consecutive deadly STRIKE OUT cards featured on pitchers in the set. Topps wasn’t messin’ around.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #14 – JIM LONBORG
The 1967 American League Cy Young award winner continues to mow ‘em down.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #15 – STEVE HARGAN
I wonder if Steve Hargan ever found what he was looking for.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #16 – DEAN CHANCE
Like Tommy Davis, there’s a bit of confusion on which team Dean Chance is representing on his 1968 sans team Playing Card. Chance was on the Minnesota Twins starting in 1967, so one could safely assume he’s a Twinkie. But the collar piping he’s sporting on his jersey matches the Los Angeles or California Angels teams he played on prior to joining the Twins. Make your best guess.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #17 – MIKE McCORMICK
The last of the K squad is the 1967 National League Cy Young winner.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #18 – TIM McCARVER
Despite the FOUL OUT on his 1968 Topps Playing Card, St. Louis Cardinals catcher Tim McCarver had reason to smile after finishing second in the 1967 National League MVP voting. He lost out to teammate Orlando Cepeda.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #19 – RONALD SANTO
Hailing from Chicago and growing up a Cubs fan, I’ve never called our hot corner superstar Ronald Santo. It sounds awkward rolling off my tongue. Topps must have thought so too in 1967 when they axed the “ald” from the back half of Santo’s first name signature on file.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #20 – ANTONIO GONZALEZ
It’s been documented that Roberto Clemente wanted to be referred to his birth name instead of Bob or Bobby, yet Topps and certain media members chose otherwise. An autograph search on the internet finds Antonio Gonzalez signed his first name Tony while Matty Alou overwhelmingly signed Mateo. Makes me wonder why that was.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #21 – FRANK HOWARD
Looks like Topps liked this Hondo pic.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #22 – GEORGE SCOTT
George Scott joins Carl Yastrzemski and Jim Lonborg as the third Boston Red Sox featured in the set, tying the Minnesota Twins for the most American League team Playing Cards.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #23 – RICH ALLEN
Despite tough times on and off the field while with the Philadelphia Phillies organization, as documented by Rich D’Ambrosio’s fine bio article on SABR, slugger Richard Anthony “Dick” Allen produced the same winning smile on these four Topps products.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #24 – JIM WYNN
Houston’s Jim Wynn is the lone 1968 Playing Card that did not have this particular image recycled on other Topps products.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #25 – GENE ALLEY
Gene Alley joins Mateo Alou and Roberto Clemente as the third Pittsburgh Pirates Playing Card, tops of any National League team.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #26 – RICK MONDAY
Oakland Athletics outfielder Rick Monday’s 1968 Playing Card photograph is flipped, so don’t be fooled that he parts his hair on the right.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #27 – AL KALINE
Credit Al Kaline with a sac fly RBI (assuming there was a runner on third).
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #28 – RUSTY STAUB
Due to tighter margins on his 1968 Playing Card compared to his nondescript, blank canvas 1969 Topps Super Baseball card, Rusty Staub’s trademark loopy “y” in his first name signature got snipped.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #29 – RODNEY CAREW
Topps was smitten with Rod, I mean, Rodney Carew’s 1968 repetitive Playing Card image.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #30 – PETE ROSE
A GROUND OUT for the all-time hits leader.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #31 – JOSEPH TORRE
Now batting, Joseph Torre.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #32 – ORLANDO CEPEDA
The 1967 National League MVP doesn’t look too happy, perhaps because Topps had him GROUND OUT.
1968 TOPPS PLAYING CARD #33 – JAMES FREGOSI
We’re treated to James, aka “Jim”, Fregosi’s smiling headshot a whopping eight times! Note how his bat vanished from his 1968 Playing Card.
Even though these Playing Card images are seen on a host of other products, I can appreciate Topps’ resourcefulness. After all, it’s not all bad to get too much of a good thing.
They’re also inexpensive, with all but the biggest names typically available on eBay for a few bucks or less in ungraded form.
If you enjoyed this article, please check out my other Topps vintage articles.
