[nolemmings]

Originally Posted by jgannon

I imagine there may have been some disappointment about the coaches as any kid might feel getting any number of cards they might not covet for any reason, from the card not being a favorite player, or one that they had too many of, etc. I haven't seen those threads that you mention. But I suppose kids really may not have wanted the coaches as they may not have wanted league presidents and/or umpires in other sets in later years, I guess. When I was collecting as a kid, it never bothered me to get a Leo Durocher or a Herman Franks, or an Alvin Dark when they were managing. But everyone going to have a different reaction to everything. Obviously, the '54 set wasn't as complete as other sets. If there were more cards to the set, having all those coaches might not have been, or be, seen as a detriment, but just a nice addition.

As far as not valuing having coaches in the 1954 the set now, I say we were lucky they included them. What great lore and history to have on a baseball card of that year the great Earle Combs (whose birth date on the back is 1899!), as well as other great players and baseball men such as Heinie Manush, Augie Galan, and Johnny Hopp.

As far as not having enough Indians in the set, you can't fault Topps for not having a crystal ball to not only a) not be able to predict who was going to win the A.L. pennant that year, but also b) not be able to predict the memorabilia industry, nor what would be deemed important or desirable by future collectors!

Apart from all this, one thing I feel the 1954 Topps set has that makes it special and different, is the very alive quality it has about it. There is a rawness and a boldness about the set. They are big cards, and the close-up photos of the players just jump off the cards.

I'll grant you the design from Topps 1954 set is beautiful. But when more than one out of ten cards in a set is a coach or a manager, I have to believe the youngsters were unhappy. Can you imagine 60-80 managers and coaches in the Topps sets from the 1960's and 1970's? Even then, you'd still have 500+ other cards to enjoy, rather than the 224 that Topps issued in 1954.

As for the Tribe, maybe no one could predict 111 wins and a pennant, but how do you not include any of their four future HOF pitchers--Feller, Wynn, Lemon and Newhouser? Kids are opening Topps packs during that baseball season in anticipation (no checklists) and the sole Cleveland pitcher they see is Dave Hoskins? Yes, that Dave Hoskins. Not Dave Hollins or Clem Haskins, but Dave Hoskins. No offense to Mr. Hoskins, but yuck. Great design or not, as a kid I want to see and read the cardbacks of the guys making the newspapers and radio every day, not a bunch of grandpas and sometimes players.