Ted Williams Stars in Near Perfect Baseball Card Set
In the 150+ years that baseball cards have been around, I'm not quite ready to declare any set perfect. However, there are definitely some that come awfully close. Among "pre-war" collectors, top honors nearly always go to T206, affectionately known as "The Monster," and for good reason. Fast forwarding nearly a century, modern collectors may point to the groundbreaking debut offering of Upper Deck in 1989. And don't worry, Topps! A good number of your sets as definitely in the mix as well.
The set I'll feature here, however, is one I doubt you'll find near the top of most collectors' rankings. It has zero rookie cards, nothing the Hobby regards as iconic, and only one card worth more than $100 in PSA 4 or so. Though the set is now 65 years old, you will have no trouble at all picking up a Hall of Famer in VG-EX for under $10. If you haven't yet figured it out, I'm describing the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams set, a collection of 80 cards focused entirely on the Splendid Splinter's life and legacy.
So just what is it that leads me to place what may seem like an "oddball" or even "throwaway" set to some so high on my personal list? I thought you'd never ask!
The World Needs Sets Like These!
For many collectors, sets aren't simply checklists to chase but stories to enjoy and learn from. When I first started out, the 1978 set at once told me me the story of the 1977 season through its record breakers, postseason cards, and league leaders while also previewing the season to come through its broader checklist, airbrushed team updates, and featured rookies. Today, we might look to Topps NOW as storytelling on steroids.
But what sets, really, have their been to tell the stories of the game's greatest legends? Sure, Topps offered us "The Babe Ruth Special" subset in 1962, but at only ten cards it barely scratched the surface of the Bambino's greatness. A checklist of that size might (and I said MIGHT) work for Hack Wilson or George Sisler, but for players like Ruth, Williams, and Jackie Robinson, these mini-sets necessarily leave out far more than they put in. They offer us a Tweet where biography is needed.
Not so with 1959 Fleer! These cards give us Ted as a young boy, Ted the outdoorsman, fighter pilot Ted, healthy Ted, hurt Ted, girl dad Ted, and pretty much everything in between.
Superstar Specials
Though Fleer didn't use the lingo until the early 1980s, we also get "Superstar Specials" featuring a who's who of other greats from Ted's life.
Quality Backs
Can we talk about the backs?! Edward Mifflin, who devised the set for Fleer and supplied the text, most definitely didn't "mail it in" on these cards. A professional journalist with "The Sporting News," Mifflin was also a friend and fan of Ted Williams. These mini-bios weren't simply an assignment to Mifflin but a labor of love. Ask yourself the last time that phrase could be applied to a set.
Magic
I have a confession to make. The first time I ever fell madly in love was not with a person. It was not with a sport. It was not even with my beloved Dodgers. It was with the 1959 Fleer "How Ted Hit .400" card. From the moment I saw the card it haunted me day and night in all the best ways. It was not just a gorgeous card but its caption seemed to offer up all the secrets of baseball greatness.
It was years before I saw the back and learned there were no secrets at all, only the story of the Red Sox slugger's 6 for 8 performance on the final day of the 1941 season!
Innovation
When Fleer produced the Ted Williams set, Topps had a virtual monopoly over the baseball card space. Though Leaf would test the waters unsuccessfully in 1960 as would Fleer itself in 1963, Topps was the only company to produce major trading card sets of active major leaguers between 1956 and 1980. Though Fleer was able to sign only a single player for the 1959 season, that player (Ted Williams!) was a good one, as was the idea to parlay a single contract into 80 different cards.
Affordability!
Not all collectors have deep pockets, but I'm a believer that all collectors, even kids (check that, especially kids!), should be able to afford awesome vintage cards of Hall of Famers. With most of its checklist costing you single digits in decent shape, the Ted Williams set hits a home run.
Mystique
There is only one card, "Ted Signs for 1959," that costs real money, and many collectors have simply declared this card optional in their set building. Still, even if you choose not to include card 68 in your chase, the presence of an ultra-short print only adds to the allure of the set. (For more information on this card, feel free to check out my article for the Society of American Baseball Research.)
I'm not going to lie. If the idea of an 80-card set featuring only a single player isn't your thing, then this is not the set for you. But if you're a believer, like I am, that our game's greatest players deserve to have their stories told in cardboard, it's hard to imagine doing any better than this one.
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.