Sunday, October 21, 2012

Random Topps Card of the Day: 1965 Topps #298 Jim Stewart

It's Retro Sunday!!! Thanks to the Topps Card Randomizer, introducing the Random Topps Card of the Day for Sunday, October 21, 2012:


  • Official Card Set Name and Card Number: 1965 Topps #298.
  • Player Name, position, team: Jim Stewart, shortstop-second baseman, Chicago Cubs.
  • Major League Debut: September 3, 1963.
  • Last Line of Statistics: 1964 stats (Cubs): 132 G, 415 AB, 59 R, 105 H, 17 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 33 RBI, .253 AVG.
  • Any special information about player: Signed by the Chicago Cubs as a Free Agent 06/02/1961. Bats: both. Throws: right.
  • Number of regular Topps Cards (includes regular and traded cards only): 8. This is his second card.
  • Blurb on the back: "The Cubs first were impressed by Jim during the winter of 1963 when he hit .312 in the Arizona Instructional League.  In his second season in the minors, Jim finished among the top three batters in the Northern League with his .307 average in 1962.  A daring baserunner, Jim stole 10 bases for the Cubs last season."
  • Commentary: The 1965 Topps set is a classic in its own right.  The team name in pennants is the key design element to the set, which fits nicely with the curved borders used to frame the picture.  Jim Stewart was primarily used as a backup for either Joey Amalfitano or Andre Rogers in 1964, starting at either second or shortstop when either man was given the day off.  Versatile was he that he sometimes was placed in the outfield as well.  This was the most productive season of his career.  Above the blurb and his statistics was a cartoon that noted that Jim "was a track star at college (Austin Peay State University). In 1965, he appeared in 116 games, starting games as either the left fielder or shortstop.  But while his most of his hitting numbers were down, he did steal three more bases.  He was later traded to the other team in Chicago (1967), and after a year off due to injury, found himself in Cincinnati thanks to the Rule 5 draft, contributing to the Reds' NL pennant.  Stewart was eventually traded to Houston in an eight-player deal that included future HOF Joe Morgan.  By 1973, he was out of baseball as a player.  He was named a special assignment scout for the Phillies in 1991.  
  • Lo-Hi Beckett value: $1.50-$4.00.
  • How many cards of this player do I own?: none.
In case you're actually wondering, I don't own this card, but was able to get a crystal clean copy of the image from the from the Baseball Card Cyber Museum. So thank you Joe McAnally and the folks at the BCCM.

Well, it's back to normal on Monday. Tomorrow's card will be: 1997 Topps #15. 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

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