#tbt: Better Than a Dick

If that isn't an attention grabbing blog title, I don't know what is.

I have done Heritage Comparisons for a few years where I look at an Andrew McCutchen card on a vintage design and compare it to who was the original card number.

2018 Topps Archives gave Cutch TWO cards on a 1959 Topps design.  I previously showed off the Bashers of the Bay card that featured Cutch with Buster Posey.

His main card however, is card #5.

The same card numbering belonged to Dick Donovan in 1959.

Dick Donovan, who also wore the number 22 during his career, was a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox.

(Screenshot taken from eBay)

Donovan like McCutchen was a 5 time All-Star.  He pitched for the White Sox, Tigers, Indians, and two defunct teams (Washington Senators and Boston Braves).  He finished his career with 880 strikeouts  and a 3.67 ERA while amassing 122 victories in his big league career.  He served the Navy after World War 2.

Topps did a nice job with this year's Archives set by creating some more unique parallels that we haven't seen in prior Archives releases.  There was a sky blue, purple, silver, and gold parallel.  The gold is by far the rarest of the bunch.

I purchased the gold foil border numbered 1/1 to help complete my rainbow when eBay was running a 15% off cart purchase during the holiday season.

I will show off some other parallels in the future from the 2018 release.  One of them I am really excited to show off and have selected a date in April.

Cardboard Insider: Who The Heck is Curt Barclay?

Whenever I get an Andrew McCutchen card on a vintage Topps design I like to research the original card numbering who shares the numbering on Cutch's card.

Andrew McCutchen appeared twice in the 2018 Topps Archives product as a member of the San Francisco Giants.  He received his own card (which I will discuss in a future post come April) and on a team card featuring Buster Posey titled BASHERS BY THE BAY.

The image used for the card of these BASHERS is ....well....let's just say it looks like they are competing for Dancing With The Stars.

The card features the 1959 Topps design and is numbered 307 on the back.

Coincidentally the 1959 Topps set had another San Francisco Giant appear as card number 307.  However it didn't feature any bashers by the bay.

Instead it features a gent named Barclay.

Not much is known of Curt Barclay.  Even his Wikipedia page doesn't provide much information of the former Giants pitcher.

Barclay excelled at both baseball and basketball at the University Of Oregon.  The Chicago native signed with the Giants in 1952 and made his MLB debut in 1957, starting in 28 games for the Giants.

He had two shutouts that year as a rookie (his only career shutouts) and would go on to post a 9-9 record that year, his only full season in the majors.

Shuffling between the majors and minors in 1958 and 1959, Barclay officially retired following the 1959 season.  His career stats over the three calendar year seasons were 73 strikeouts in 199 1/3 innings with a 10-9 record and 3.48 ERA.

Barclay died from cancer in his Montana home at the age of 53 years old.

***The Barclay card images used for this post were taken from the internet.  I do NOT own the 1959 Topps Curt Barclay card***