Your favorite player's final card
Kid4hof03
Posts: 1,855 ✭✭✭✭✭
I'm a player collector so every card of my particular player matters to me. Rookie cards, understandably, get the most love and hold the most value, but what about the final card of a player's career? There are now a proliferation of cards made long after a player is retired, I'm talking about those cards from during the active career.
My favorite player is Roger Staubach. When he retired on March 31, 1980, I was sure that he'd have a card in the 1980 Topps set with his final stats on it. I was only 8 at the time and didn't realize that Topps typically didn't include players that announced their retirement before the new set was printed. I busted through packs looking for the last Staubach card. When I finally found the Passing Leaders card with him and Fouts I thought for sure that had to mean that Roger was in the set somewhere. As you know, I was wrong. At first, I hated the Passing Leaders card because it reminded me that Roger should have been in the set on his own. Over time the card has grown on me and it's become a favorite of mine. I've collected it as many ways as I could, would love to find the Topps Vault match print photo if its out there somewhere.
Here's my stash of 1980 Topps Passing Leaders, would love to see final cards from players you collect.
Comments
Very nice! I really like those progressive proof cards -- those are so cool.
Cool idea. I don't have just one favorite player. So here is a couple of cards.
I collect hall of fame rookie cards, https://www.instagram.com/stwainfan/
Cal Ripken Jr. Is my favorite player. Excellent work ethic. Retired in 2001. Probably
100+ last cards from the card companies. Or since 2001, the BOAT LOAD of inserts
including auto's, bat and jersey cards. Don't have any from 2001, quit collecting Cal
in 1998 thanks to TEK.
The Clemente. Always the Clemente.
George Brett.
1969...The Mick
Not my favorite players but a couple of cool last cards of a couple of hall of famers.
Love the Gibby Hostess! Is that also Freehan's last card?
I’m a set collector, not a player collector, but I do remember several “last cards” fondly from the first few years I collected. The most memorable to me is the 1973 Willie Mays card, because even as a kid it occurred to me how past his prime Willie looked on that card.
That Mays is incredible!
It used to be easy to get a player's final card - it was issued the year after retirement and was the only card to have complete career stats.
I really dislike how modern sets have regular numbered cards of retired players alongside current players on the checklist.
Very few players got that treatment. It was an exceptions of exception if they did. Pre-1985 it only occurred if a player retired (or did not make a roster or passed away) after the set was printed.
For example some MLB HOF's who never got a final card with Complete career stats; Mantle, Aaron, Mays, Frank Robinson, Koufax, Bob Gibson, Johnny Bench, Yaz...and the list goes on and on
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Speaking of the 1973 Mays, is that the latest player card issued of someone who appeared in the 1952 Topps set?
hey Kid4hof03...
Your All Time Favorite Player could be inside here...
As a 1980s fan, I have 5 players that I collected the full Topps basic set for….Henderson, Ripken, Bonds, Griffey and Thomas. Here are their last cards…
Ron Cey's last year card was 1987, and he was with the Oakland A's his final year.
It's too bad, but no Donruss card in '87 for the Penguin.
Fleer had a base and Glossy, still Cubs uniform.
Topps had base, Leaders card, and Box panel card recognizing 300 HRs, all Cubs uniforms. Plus Tiffany versions.
O-Pee-Chee had Cey on the A's, but still Cubs uni.
Then after Cey's retirement mid season, Topps Traded released Cey's only mainstream card with an A's uniform.
None of these cards have Cey's complete career stat totals, of course.
(If only Cey was able to stick around until 1988 to play in the World Series against his former Dodgers.)
Great Penguin collection!
Freehan had cards up to 1977 Topps.
Bench did get a final card with his career stats but not with Topps. Fleer captured that in 1984.
Me and my grandpa watched his 2131 game in 1995, which he insisted was making something out of nothing! I guess he figured just showing up to work every day wasn't that big a deal. I think he even half jokingly said they could just drag him out to the SS position and that would count!
D's: 54S,53P,50P,49S,45D+S,44S,43D,41S,40D+S,39D+S,38D+S,37D+S,36S,35D+S,all 16-34's
Q's: 52S,47S,46S,40S,39S,38S,37D+S,36D+S,35D,34D,32D+S
74T: 37,38,47,151,193,241,435,570,610,654,655 97 Finest silver: 115,135,139,145,310
73T:31,55,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,80,152,165,189,213,235,237,257,341,344,377,379,390,422,433,453,480,497,545,554,563,580,606,613,630
95 Ultra GM Sets: Golden Prospects,HR Kings,On-Base Leaders,Power Plus,RBI Kings,Rising Stars
Same with Yastrzemski in the 84 Fleer set.
Should have put Catcher on Bench since he had already retired. Remember loving that they included both he and Yaz with final stats. ‘84 Donruss had them on the Living Legends card together.
https://kennerstartinglineup.blogspot.com/
I love the final year cards with complete stats…. Here are Jr’s final cards with full stats.
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
Didn't Griffey play a few months into the 2010 season?
Matt
Think I blocked out that Griffey played for the White Sox - they get a lot of HOF players at the end of their careers - Seaver, Carlton, Santo, Thome, Roberto Alomar - am sure I am missing some.
Man, those last couple Santo cards in a ChiSox uniform were really bad. Terrible photos and he looked way over the hill.
I never thought about this before but you're right, the White Sox have been a place for great players to hang on at or near the end of their careers. I'm surprised Rickey Henderson never made a stop there.
Minnie Minoso as well…
Are those players still on the roster today…the White Sox are off to an awful start?
Yup, he played 33 forgettable games in 2010 until he hung it up. I don’t collect non-playing year cards and these are the best 2 with mostly full stat lines.
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
You aren’t the only one who blocks that out. It was toward the end of his career, only 41 games late in 2008. It was not very memorable.
Nic
Guides Authored - Graded Card Scanning Guide PDF | History of the PSA Label PDF
79 Munson. I always said that Topps should had put out a 1980 Munson tribute card with final stats.
This thread makes me sad.
I refuse to believe that Harmon card exists!
Mike Greenwell has three cards for his final year, 1997. He played only a few games for the Hanshin Tigers, retiring after a barrage of injuries.
1997 Japanese cards were generous, though, and so Greenwell was featured in the 1997 Takara Hanshin Tigers set.
He’s also in the 1997 BBM set twice. His base card:
And his special Hanshin Tigers Team Set card. Here’s a picture of the set opened and one that is still factory sealed numbered 0005/5000.
He does have some commemorative Japanese cards from years later, but the three above are his last cards from his playing days.
Andy
Topps missed the boat in a big way on the exclusion of certain end of career players for sure. maybe they didn't feel it in their sales each year, but the fans got cheated for sure.
Steve Garvey ended up his active playing career in May 1987, while the season was still getting started. He had Topps, Fleer and Donruss cards, as well as Sportlics issued in 1987. Oddly enough, in their inaugural issue, Scope gave Garvey his only card in 1988, after he had retired. It's not a great card, but it is his only final card and does have his full career stats.
Its also interesting to note that despite having already retired from baseball by the time this card was issued, there is no mention of it and the write up makes it sound like he could return still.
Was really excited when I got the OPC.
Bad Henry. Finishing up his career in Milwaukee, where it started in 1954:
