Fence Busters, Belters, Maulers & other multi-player cards
 

Those multi-player cards like "Buc Belters," "Tribe Thumpers" and "Mets Maulers" that Topps issued between 1957 and 1969 might be my favorite cards. As I have completed old sets I've also started acquiring duplicates of the multi-player cards to keep in a group by themselves as a separate project. So far I've got 86 of the 107 cards, ranging from high-demand issues like the '58 Mantle-Aaron card to mundane ones like the '67 Dennis Menke-Tony Cloninger card (which does feature Hank Aaron in the background; Hank is also in the background of the 1962 Mays-Mantle "Manager's Dream" card).

Lots of great players on these cards, but I think my favorites are the oddly titled ones like "Bill's Got It" and "Power For Ernie" and "Lindy Shows Larry."

Would love to hear anyone else's thoughts...

I agree, I love the multi-player cards and pick up nice ones whenever I can. I especially like the "Bird Belters" and "Managers Dream" with Clemente. I think the '57 "Dodger's Sluggers" is one of the greatest cards ever in my opinion. Great player combinations on a lot of these issues. And, definitely cheaper than some of the single big names. Best of luck on finishing out that run.

Neat project Geo. As a set collector I have them all but never gave them a lot of thought.

Although I don't have many, I do enjoy these cards as well. (Net 54 link below in sig)

This card, Mays, Clemente and Aaron, I seen fetched big bucks in a PSA 9 recently at one of the A/H's.

Great cards that are often under appreciated in my opinion. I have shared in other threads that I love the 58 Mantle / Aaron ws batting heroes card. But many are a great chance to own a card with 2 or more HOFers at a fraction of the price a card of just one of them.

Like I wrote in my net54 link below, "One of my all time favorites"

I agree with your other statement as well. They are perfect for the budget minded collector, but prices seem to be rising on them all the time.

That Clemente-Aaron-Mays is one of my all-time favorite cards. It's the only Topps card with all three of them together.

I wasn't aware of that?

Especially glad now that I own a copy! :D

Agree completely on these cards, they are awesome.

The 59' Topps multi cards have always been my favorites by far. I also think Fleer did an incredible job with those type of cards in the early 80s.

I've always loved the '62 Managers' Dream and '57 Dodgers' Sluggers (not mine pictured). Both are hard to find with good registration.

Topps tried to get as much mileage as possible out of some of these photo sessions...

As Justin mentioned, Fleer did some cool things with multi-player cards in 1983…

Attachment 258806

I'd love to own a copy of the 57 Dodgers Sluggers some day. Here are my favorite 1964 Venezuelan multi player cards in my collection:

http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...Cov-Wagner.jpghttp://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...0Ven%20162.jpg
http://i1199.photobucket.com/albums/...0Ven%20268.jpg

One of my favorite cards is the 1967 Fence Busters card with Willie Mays and Willie McCovey - what a great photo!

I have several, but not all, of the multi-player cards in my collection. I consider any card with Mantle or Koufax included are Mantle or Koufax cards in my book.

That includes League Leader cards on which you can have as many as five Hall-of-Famers featured.

Not to turn this into a League Leader thread, but the '63 NL HR Leaders is I believe the only card with 5 HOFer's on it (Aaron, Mays, Banks, Robinson, Cepeda)!

Yup!

1966 Topps Power Plus
 

My favorite is from 1966 Topps #52 Power Plus, Phillies Wes Covington and Johnny Callison.

Interestingly Covington’s single card #484 has Wes in a Cubs uniform, two Covington cards two different teams same year.

Covington got traded to the Cubs in January, so I guess they'd already printed the 1st series card with him in the Phils uniform. Same thing with the 1963 "Buc Blasters" card, which features Dick Stuart in his Pirates uniform with Clemente, Burgess and Skinner. The back mentions Stuart was traded in the winter and "the fans in Forbes Field will miss his explosive power this summer."

I liked them when I was a kid, because, as noted several times, they're cheaper than the solo cards. The Ted Williams/Ted Klz combo is still my only Williams card.

I picked my copy up at the spring 2016 T.O. Card expo, along with some others, for a very good price.
When I seen the 5 HOF's on the one card and knowing I'd never be able to afford each player's true RC, I had to have it. :D

Amazing that Banks was able to hit 37 home runs that season despite missing a substantial portion of his right jaw

This thread might end up costing me money.
My favorite is Casey Teaches from 1964. As a Mets fan since 1973 it's perfect for me that it pairs the legend with a very young version of a player who I grew up watching.
Other favorites are the 1964 Tops in NL with Mays & Aaron (it would be a perfect card if it were 1957 when Willie was still in NY), 1957 Dodgers Sluggers, and 1966 Clemente, Aaron, and Mays (although it would have been nice if they had waited to snap Willie after he was done checking his phone).

Thanks for the thread.

"Casey Teaches" is a classic. 1964 was the peak year for the Old Guy Tutoring Young Player genre, with "Hitting Area" and "Bill's Got It" as well.

I love these as well. The '58 Mantle / Aaron card will always be one of my favorites. It was my first Mantle card, probably as an 11 year old or so back in the late 1980's.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I believe this is the original photo that was used to produce that card?

The 'floating heads' 1963 league leaders cards are some of my least favorite. Fortunately, they went to full shots in 1964............

This has always been my favorite.

When Fleer came out in 1981, I was thrilled to see the multi-player cards back out again. I thought they were the coolest thing ever!

Attachment 260146

--

Destruction Crew
 

Always loved the '59 Topps Destruction Crew card with Doby, Minoso, Colavito. Three of my favorite players, all while playing for my favorite team, and they look so happy together --

- Doby, the first to break the color barrier in the AL and under-appreciated HOFer
- Minoso, one of the best non HOFers, who sadly recently passed before getting elected (I'm confident he will)
- Colavito, my grandfather and mother's favorite player from the late 50s in Cleveland

Minnie Minoso stated, after he found out he wasn't elected on his last chance, that he better not be, after he passes.

I, at least hope the HOF honors that wish!!
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/page...uba-hof-slight

I hope he gets in.

He should already be in, but like he said here, he doesn't want in after he passes.

"Minoso: Don't tell me that maybe I'll get in after I pass away. I don't want it to happen after I pass. I want it while I'm here, because I want to enjoy it."

Unless it means a lot to his remaining family, I think the HOF should honor his wishes. It's the least they could do

I believe the 1953 Bowman set (in the modern era) was the first to issue multi-players cards.

Here's one of my favorites......

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...auerMantle.jpg


TED Z
.

My favorite card as a 10 year kid was the 1982 Fleer Steve & Carlton, Carlton & Fisk. I was a big fan of lefty and liked the play on words.

Update -- I have now acquired all 108 of the multi-player cards from 1957 to 1969. #CrazySideProjects

Very Nice

X2!

That's a great project to start and complete.

Bombers Best
 

The 63 Topps Bombers Best is a sentimental favorite of mine. In the late 80's when I was getting into baseball cards, my Dad would take me to the flea market to shop with the dealers there. My first big purchase was the Bombers Best and I still have it somewhere(movers suck).

I absolutely love those multi player cards from that era.

Minoso should be in. The Veterans' Committee is honestky the worst. They did the same thing for Santo and I hope they can elect Dick Allen before he goes.

A very beat-up version of Bombers' Best was one of the first multi-player cards I ever acquired as a kid back in the 1970s. Because of that card, I used to think that Tom Tresh was one of the Yankee immortals along with Mantle, Berra, Ruth, DiMaggio, etc.

The 1967 set was kind of the pinnacle of multi-player cards, with 13 of them and very little chaff amidst the wheat. Mays-McCovey, Cash-Kaline, Brock-Flood, Stargell-Clendenon, Colavito-Wagner, all in wonderful posed shots, and leading off with the Robinson boys and Hank Bauer. It was the first set I collected, and those combo card helped form my sense of what a baseball card was supposed to look like.

And then we had my White Sox, represented by "Sox Sockers." Really? Pete Ward and Don Buford? Couldn't have gotten Gary Peters, Joe Horlen and Tommy John to team up for a picture? "South Side Slingers," maybe?

Whatever. I loved those cards, from all years, and have always enjoyed picking up the stray combo card from the off-condition commons bins at big card shows. Given some of the players on those cards, and the relatively low price tag on most of them, is there a better bargain in the hobby? (Well, maybe league leaders cards, but you get my point . . .)