What's your favorite Topps Mets card?

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Working on a fun blog post and was curious about the thoughts of the dedicated folks here.

Topps is asking people to vote on the company's top 60 cards of all time. http://vote.topps.com/

It's a flawed vote because the company picks 100 cards to choose from, and only five of them are Mets, which means they got about 95 of the wrong cards on there. There's even a bunch of Yankees in there -- and Jeter cards, too! As if.

Naturally I'm correcting this oversight with a list of my own, picking the top 60 Mets cards of all time.

I've got my favorites, like the 1972 Seaver, the 1970 team card, the 1985 Mookie.

Which are your favorites? It has to be Topps, but I'm picking from any Topps set --a couple Heritage and Stadium Club cards are in there --and no inserts.

Thanks!!!

[Benjamin Grimm]

I just looked through my Mets cards (I only went as far as 1973; there's no way my favorite card would come from any year other than 1971, 1972, or 1973.) and the one that was most evocative for me, for whatever reason, was the 1971 Donn Clendenon. I also liked the 1971 Ken Singleton and the 1973 Willie Mays.

That assortment offered by Topps doesn't include much from those years (just one card!) but they came pretty close to featuring my all-time favorite card. I like the 1972 Roberto Clemente better than any card ever, and Topps included the 1973 Clemente card.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The poll is filled with a bunch of rookie cards --- fueling the market fever but not appreciation for the true beauty of the cards.

First one to pop to mind is this classick:

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

That Clemente card is beautiful. Almost sad, too, with his head down.

I like the Millan, too!

[Benjamin Grimm]

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

One thing all of those cards have in common?

All the photos taken at Shea!

[ashie62]

All 1967 Topps Mets. Brilliant coloring and design. The 1965's run a close second.

[Methead]

I really like the '71 Nolan Ryan but I'm not really sure why. I like the design of the 1971 set in general.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Seaver and Matlack 74s with the horizontal pictures. Also, all of the World Series highlight cards from that year. Each one is a great action shot!

Seaver's "75 record breaker" card where he's wearing the road uni facing the Phillies.

I'm fuzzy on this one, but was it the 76 or 77 Koosman with a tight action shot?

Ed Kranepool in Action! 1972

[Guest Edgy DC]

Ths set stunk with the generic cap logo and all, but there's something about the stinkiness that has always made this card stick with me. The small photos and the lighting just say, "Future stars... or future felons?"



Maybe there's just something about appearing on a "Future Stars" card that makes an athlete look suspect --- like even he's doubting the crediibility of the "star" claim.



I guess it could be that the shots are taken at a spring training camp where the player is in the midst of an uphill climb to even make the roster. Like the photographer is saying, "Raise your chin, like you're the best player out there." And you're thinking, "I don't even know if I belong out there. I'm not sure I belong in baseball."

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Randle '78.



Mitchell '87.



The sliding ones are just plain fun.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Good picks, guys!

Here's where I'm starting, with explanations on the blog. http://metsguyinmichigan.blogspot.com/2010/11/picking-topps-top-60-part-1.htmlAnd remember, we're staring at from the bottom.

No. 60, 1962 Ed Bouchee



No. 59, 1979 Nino Espinosa



No. 58, 2005 Mike Cameron



No. 57, 1965 Warren Spahn



No. 56, 1965 Yogi Berra



No. 55, 2005 Bazooka Matt Lindstrom



No. 54, 2007 Opening Day Orlando Hernandez



No. 53, 1999 Stadium Club Rey Ordonez



No. 52, 1966 Choo Choo Coleman



No. 51, 1988 Big Gary Carter

[G-Fafif]

1) Willie Mays, 1973, here.

1A) Tom Seaver, 1972, here, the search for which is recalled here.

There are a hundred others if left to think about, I suppose, but those two have loomed large in my consciousness for-almost-ever.

Honorable Mention: Team Card, 1970, because it's the first card I remember plucking from a pack of any size. And because it's the 1969 World Champions. For sale by somebody here.

Can't wait for your series to unfold!

[Willets Point]

Jose Oquendo of course. Or at least the people at Topps who slipped one of his cards into every waxpack I ever bought thought so.

[Guest Edgy DC]

I thought Bruce Berenyi was your hobgoblin.

We all had 'em. The card that made you say, "Yay, I have a Met! ... and he's the same sucky sucky Met I got last pack."

[Willets Point]

Edgy DC wrote: I thought Bruce Berenyi was your hobgoblin. We all had 'em. The card that made you say, "Yay, I have a Met! ... and he's the same sucky sucky Met I got last pack."

Damn you have a good memory. You're right. I think I got more Berenyis than Oquendos.

[RealityChuck]

This one, of course.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Not necessarily one of my all-time faves, but one of my faves from the recent crop -- Ramon Castro, 2008 Topps Heritage (1959 style Topps). A whimsical shot of one of the most whimsical Mets ... the apple red cheeks ... the ridiculous grip on his bat, only good for bashing Jerry Manuel over the head should he ever again call Cancel in from the bullpen to pinch-hit

[Frayed Knot]

Separated at the feeding trough?






The Warren Spahn one would look better without the bird crap on his head. Bad time to take off his hat.
You'd think the photographer would notice something like that and simply take a new one.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

me

Willets Point wrote: Edgy DC wrote: I thought Bruce Berenyi was your hobgoblin. We all had 'em. The card that made you say, "Yay, I have a Met! ... and he's the same sucky sucky Met I got last pack." Damn you have a good memory. You're right. I think I got more Berenyis than Oquendos.

Me? I got Sisked more than I cared to. Oh, did I get Sisked. (Also, Keith Millered, but that I didn't mind so much.)

A not-so-recent fave-- the '73 Duffy, in which the photographer seems to have caught him in mid-... um... bathroom-constitutional.

[Centerfield]

My favorite Mets card of all time is 1984 Darryl Strawberry.


In fact, during a period of my youth, it may not have just been my favorite card, but my favorite thing. Ever.

Other favorites:

Picked up this after I got somewhat serious about card collecting. Bad investment, cool card.


I liked it because it was his rookie card, but it's a pretty ugly picture. Much cooler Gooden cards:



Other Favorites:


This is one from my Dad:



In every pack I ever bought:

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I think I was blocking out Paciorek. Yeah, I must have had 12-13 Pacioreks and 10 Sisks in '87.

[HahnSolo]

Am I the only one thinks the guy on the left of the Carter card does not look like Gary?

[seawolf17]

Am I the only one thinks the guy on the left of the Carter card does not look like Gary?

Yeah, that's not him.

This year's Reyes:

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

The 1977 Seaver and the 10 Reyes are among those I've got pegged for the top 10!

As for the Spahn, that's less a matter of bird poop and more a problem with me being able to afford mint cards from the 1960s.....

Here's one I've forgotten about that I really like:



And this Thompson:



Topps, when it really wants to, can create some spectacular cards. But going through my binders, Upper Deck really kicked Topps' butt throughout the 1990s.

This is cardboard perfection:

[Guest Edgy DC]

If that's not Carter, who is it? He seems to have Sasser's jaw, but I don't think it's him either.

Faces can be tough at some angles. I think that card of Dykstra above looks more like Elster, but he's got Lenny's number.

Warming up a pitcher between innings without gear on and his hat pointed forward --- that would seem to indicate a third-string catcher (Sasser) or a backup infielder, and he looks to bulky to be the latter.

[HahnSolo]

Ronn Reynolds maybe? Longish, dark hair.

Both Kid and Reynolds wore Nike spikes in the photos I could find, so that doesn't offer any clues.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

He looks like a pitcher. Maybe it's Bruce Berenyi or something. The lack of catching gear suggests it's not Carter as much as anything.

[seawolf17]

I'm a sucker for anything to do with the 1983 set. This is one of my all-time favorite cards.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

While the card design's no great shakes, I like this Keith photo a little better... looks like he's taking aim.