T206 & Old Judge

[judsonhamlin]

Connie Mack had an Old Judge card as a player and was an active manager in 1940 Play Ball (53 years)
Dusty Baker’s rookie card was 1971 Topps and he had a 2024 Topps Heritage card (53 years).
Can’t think of anyone close to those two.

And for fun, Ted Williams was an active player in 1940 and an active manager in 1971, linking (almost) the entire history of baseball cards with three people.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Originally Posted by judsonhamlin

Connie Mack had an Old Judge card as a player and was an active manager in 1940 Play Ball (53 years)
Dusty Baker’s rookie card was 1971 Topps and he had a 2024 Topps Heritage card (53 years).
Can’t think of anyone close to those two.

And for fun, Ted Williams was an active player in 1940 and an active manager in 1971, linking (almost) the entire history of baseball cards with three people.

This has to be the best piece of baseball card information ever put forth. And Williams appeared in both the 1940 PB and 71 Topps issues. It's remarkable, isn't it?

[ValKehl]

The issue period for Clark Griffith's cards is almost the same as that for Connie Mack's cards, except that Griffith's Old Judge card was issued two years later than Mack's (1889 vs. 1887) and Griffith isn't in the 1951 Topps Connie Mack All-Stars set. Here are Griffith's 1889 Old Judge, 1948-50 Safe-T-Card, and 1950 Callahan:

[sreader3]

I believe Jimmie Reese has a 1925 Zeenut player card and a 1993 Carls Jr. coach card. That would be a 68 year span.

[BioCRN]

I don't own either, but Babe Pinelli has a 1917 Zee-Nut as a player and a 1955 Bowman as an umpire...just to toss a new branch on the discussion...

Ed Rommel, Jocko Conlan, and Lon Warneke are also umps in the 55 set with pre-war experience...might be missing someone, but Pinelli is the earliest player.

[egri]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

This has to be the best piece of baseball card information ever put forth. And Williams appeared in both the 1940 PB and 71 Topps issues. It's remarkable, isn't it?

You could stretch it a year further; Williams was in the 1939 Play Ball set as well.

If we're counting minor-league and special issues, Bobby Doerr was in the 1936 Goudey premiums, then was featured in the 2007 Topps Distinguished Service set.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by egri

You could stretch it a year further; Williams was in the 1939 Play Ball set as well.

If we're counting minor-league and special issues, Bobby Doerr was in the 1936 Goudey premiums, then was featured in the 2007 Topps Distinguished Service set.

The idea was to limit it to while the person was active in an on field capacity though.

[ASF123]

Originally Posted by judsonhamlin

Connie Mack had an Old Judge card as a player and was an active manager in 1940 Play Ball (53 years)
Dusty Baker’s rookie card was 1971 Topps and he had a 2024 Topps Heritage card (53 years).
Can’t think of anyone close to those two.

And for fun, Ted Williams was an active player in 1940 and an active manager in 1971, linking (almost) the entire history of baseball cards with three people.

Tony La Russa, 1964-2022. That’s 58 years, by my math.

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Reese and Griffith both came to my mind, but I was only thinking of MLB cards even though that wasn't specified as a parameter by anyone. Just how my mind was working, in spite of the fact that Eric already threw Casey's Old Mill into the conversation.

If minor league cards are to be taken into consideration, Reese should definitely be our winner! Talk about a long career, and just like Charlie Wagner, another great person.

On a related note, has it ever dawned on anyone else that these baseball lifers with ridiculously long careers seemed to be unusually nice people and beloved by so many? I was friends with a few men who fit the bill, and that could unfailingly be said about all of them, too.

[ASF123]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

Reese and Griffith both came to my mind, but I was only thinking of MLB cards even though that wasn't specified as a parameter by anyone. Just how my mind was working, in spite of the fact that Eric already threw Casey's Old Mill into the conversation.

If minor league cards are to be taken into consideration, Reese should definitely be our winner! Talk about a long career, and just like Charlie Wagner, another great person.

On a related note, has it ever dawned on anyone else that these baseball lifers with ridiculously long careers seemed to be unusually nice people and beloved by so many? I was friends with a few men who fit the bill, and that could unfailingly be said about all of them, too.

Self-selecting. If you’re a jerk, you can still have a long playing career if you’re a star. But teams aren’t going to keep you around as a coach for decades after that.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

...Eric already threw Casey's Old Mill into the conversation...

Candidly, I was just thinking about the "big three" sets. How cool would it be if someone was in T206, '33 Goudey, and '52 Topps? Casey Stengel was the closest I could come up with.

As an aside, I would have loved it if they'd made a T206 Casey Stengel.

[tulsaboy]

Just limiting it to Topps/Bowman, you've got Yogi Berra in 1948 Bowman and then in 1987 Topps on the Astros Leaders card. So 40 years worth of Topps cards. He's also in the 2025 Heritage set, but I hardly think that counts for these purposes. So 48-87. Not the longest, but a good stretch.
kevin

[tulsaboy]

If you limit it to Topps base, Yogi is in the 1951 Topps Red Backs set and then in the 1987 Topps set. That's a good run as well. Billy Martin got 1952 and then his last base card in 1986.
kevin

[z28jd]

Bill Hart is in the OJ set and the T206. He had over 300 wins in pro ball, though due to some missing stats, his BR page currently has him at 294. That's missing a few seasons of pro ball. I believe the actual number is 317, but that might be missing wins too.

[sreader3]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

Reese and Griffith both came to my mind, but I was only thinking of MLB cards even though that wasn't specified as a parameter by anyone. Just how my mind was working, in spite of the fact that Eric already threw Casey's Old Mill into the conversation.

If minor league cards are to be taken into consideration, Reese should definitely be our winner! Talk about a long career, and just like Charlie Wagner, another great person.

On a related note, has it ever dawned on anyone else that these baseball lifers with ridiculously long careers seemed to be unusually nice people and beloved by so many? I was friends with a few men who fit the bill, and that could unfailingly be said about all of them, too.

Not from a “major” set, but Reese has a 1931 Exhibit from his MLB career—so a 62-year span for his MLB issues.

(Cards shown are not mine).

[puckpaul]

i am not a collector of recent modern sets, when did they stop making manager and coaches cards? I know they still made them in the 70’s Topps sets, last ones that i actively have collected. Did they stop or have they beeen included recently again? Team cards?

[Eric72]

Were there any recent Bob Uecker cards? He had a ‘62 Topps card as player. A 202X Topps Now card (or something similar) would constitute a ~60 year span.

Being the team’s broadcaster counts, in my opinion.

[BioCRN]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Were there any recent Bob Uecker cards? He had a ‘62 Topps card as player. A 202X Topps Now card (or something similar) would constitute a ~60 year span.

Being the team’s broadcaster counts, in my opinion.

He had some Topps Archives cards that were nothing more than glossy reprints of his playing day cards...technically counts, but realistically, meh...

Kinda amazing Topps never got him to do some of their autograph inserts or similar. I have a decent amount of Cubs announcer autos on licensed cards, and I'm happy to have them.

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Were there any recent Bob Uecker cards? He had a ‘62 Topps card as player. A 202X Topps Now card (or something similar) would constitute a ~60 year span.

Being the team’s broadcaster counts, in my opinion.

My criteria was "on field" but hard not to make an exception for Ueck.