In celebration of the 65th anniversary of Topps baseball cards, my collection is going to be the subject of this year-long series.
Shortly after starting my obsession in 1971, the goal was to have at least one Topps card from every year.
Although the 1952 set is considered to be the first released by Topps, the company issued two series that was a part of the game a year earlier.
A pair of rookies highlight my cards in the 1966 set.
While Jim Lefebvre of Los Angeles Dodgers was named the National League Rookie of the Year, Topps didn’t put him on its 10-player team in 1965.
Instead, Joe Morgan of the Houston Astros was picked as the second baseman.
Morgan’s future Cincinnati Reds teammate Tony Perez was also chosen. The duo would play together for the Reds from 1972 to 1976.
In 1966, Morgan would earn his first of 10 all-star selections as he improved his batting average from the previous season to .285 in 122 games.
Morgan was very productive during the 1965 season, which helped him get a trophy on his card a year later. He finished second in the Rookie of the Year balloting after leading the NL with 97 walks as he scored over 100 runs, while hitting 14 homers with 40 RBI with a .271 batting average.
After the 1971 season, Morgan was traded to Reds in a monumental eight-player deal that ignited the Big Red Machine. Morgan would become the NL Most Valuable Player in 1975 and 1976 as the Reds won back-to-back World Series titles.
During his 22-year career with the Astros, Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and Oakland A’s, Morgan won five Gold Gloves and he was also named the MVP of the 1972 All-Star Game. He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Perez was 18 years old when he joined the Reds organization in 1960. By 1964, he moved up in the ranks and was named the MVP of the Pacific Coast League with the San Diego Padres. A native of Cuba, he made his big league debut later that season appearing in 12 games.
In 1965, Perez played in 104 games as he hit 12 homers with 47 RBI. The following season he was in 99 games and hit just four homers with 39 RBI.
Rookie teammate Lee May would play a pivotal role for Perez in 1967. As May developed into a regular at first base, Perez was moved to third where he became an all-star from that year until 1970. His homer in the 15th inning of mid-summer classic proved to be the game-winner in 1967.
The best season for Perez during that stretch was in 1970 when the Reds won the NL pennant as he batted .317 and hit 40 homers and knocked in 129 runs.
In 1972, Perez moved back to first base after the Morgan deal. He would be an all-star again from 1974 to 1976 as he continued to produce. He had at least 90 RBI every season from 1967 to 1976.
Perez was the first of The Great Eight to be traded as he was shipped to the Montreal Expos prior to the 1977 season. After leaving the Reds, his best season was in 1980 when he joined the Boston Red Sox. At 38, he hit 25 homers and had 105 RBI.
Perez was reunited with Morgan and former teammate Pete Rose with the Phillies in 1983 as they won the NL pennant. He finished his career with the Reds in 1984-1986. He joined Morgan in the Hall of Fame in 2000.