Random Topps Card of the Day: 1955 Topps #170 Jim Pearce

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, March 14, 2010:

• Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1955 Topps #170.
• Player Name, position, team: Jim Pearce, pitcher, Cincinnati Redlegs.
• Major League Debut: September 8, 1949.
• Last Line of Statistics: 1954 stats (Chattanooga Lookouts AA): 32 G, 231 IP, 17-7, .708 PCT, 208 H, 96 R, 78 ER, 113 SO, 77 BB, 3.04 ERA.
• Any special information about player: Signed by Cubs as a Free Agent before 1944 season. Contract purchased by the Reds from the Senators 08/07/1954. Bats: right, Throws: right.
• Any special information about this specific card: Pearce's first (and only) regular Topps card. The 1955 Topps design is truly a classic. It combines many aspects of what makes for a good-looking card: team logo, player headshot, action shot on the side, colorful background. Player name, team, and position below the pictures (it's like he's standing on it), and the facsimile autograph. It was the first year that Topps used a horizontally designed set for all of the card fronts. Pearce's card is found in the third series of the set (161-210), and is unique in that although he had already spent time in the majors, the totals above his lifetime stats are his minor league statistics with the Reds Southern League team in Chattanooga. The card was double printed, meaning that there were more of his card (among others) printed on the same sheet. The back of the card has a great bio (to make up for the lack of statistics). "...Jim came to the Redlegs and hurled an impressive 4-hitter against the Braves in his only starting assignment...posted a good 2.38 ERA and won a trial with the Senators (in 1949). In '50 he appeared in 20 games for Washington and 4 in '53." (Which means in 1951-52, he was stuck in the minors). Pearce makes an appearance in the 2004 Topps Heritage set (the one that reproduces the 1955 Topps set) as an autograph subject (200 regular, 55 red-ink autos). Mr. Pearce passed away the following year. Finally, there is also a trivia cartoon which asks "When was the first extra inning game played?" The answer is "in 1870." No exact date was given.
• Lo-Hi Beckett value: $7.00-$15.00.
• How many cards of this player do I own?: 0 cards.

In case you're actually wondering, I don't own this card. And this time I was not able to get a crystal clean copy of the image from the Baseball Card Cyber Museum. However, thanks to Topps' new promotion, the Million Card Giveaway, and after figuring out how to find a card by it's numeric ID, I was able to snag the image you see above. For the record, the card in Topps' baseball card library is #1303.

Well, it's back to normal on Monday. Tomorrow's card will be: 1999 Topps Traded and Rookies #T58. Post will arrive at 1:00 PM CST. Come on back then to see what the Topps Card Randomizer gets us to look at then.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama