BY MARK A. LARSON
This is the tale of first baseman Bill Davis. It’s the story of a ballplayer Topps had ultimate faith in. A heck of a lot of faith.
In fact, the folks at Topps were so convinced that Davis would make the majors, he appeared on five consecutive multi-player “Rookie Stars” cards between 1965-69.
Yes, Davis did make the majors. His short-lived fame amounted to three brief visits to the big-time, in 1965 and 1966 with Cleveland and in 1969 with San Diego.
Davis never did appear on a Topps card alone, but he did get 105 big league at bats. However, he only managed 19 hits for a lifetime .181 average. His totals include a lone home run hit in 1966.
Even though Topps believed Davis was surely going to the top, it apparently didn’t stockpile many of his photos. His 1967 Topps card photo was repeated in 1968. And his 1966 photo was recycled in 1969 and included an infamous black Topps airbrush job.
So if the 1969 Topps set stands for nothing else, it will be remembered as the swan song of five-card “Rookie Star” Bill Davis. A star who never shined (or even twinkled).
• • • • • •
See related articles on BaseballCardFun.com entitled:
“BASEBALL HOBBY NEWS — 1969 Topps: Baseball Card Deja Vu” Click Link Here
“BASEBALL HOBBY NEWS – 1969 Topps Repeat Photos Checklist” Click Link Here
“BASEBALL HOBBY NEWS — 1969: Year Was Memorable, But Not Cards” Click Link Here
• Originally Published in Apr. 1989 “Baseball Hobby News” •
THIS ARTICLE FROM “BASEBALL HOBBY NEWS” MAGAZINE IS REPRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF BOTH THE EDITOR/PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR. IT HAS BEEN RETYPED, BUT NO CONTENT HAS BEEN CHANGED (EXCEPT FOR VERY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS, CORRECTIONS TO TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND CHANGES TO GRAPHICS). COMMENTS OR INFORMATION IN THE ARTICLE MAY BE OUT-OF-DATE.
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