1950 Bowman Reprints

19 Phillies cards from this 1950 Bowman Reprint set were given to me by a friend a few years ago. I believe they were published in 1986 by the Card Collector's Company (C.C.C.). The cards only copyright information is the 1950 Bowman mark. They are clearly not actual 1950 Bowman cards because they sport a glossy front, and the word "Reprint" appears in tiny type. The originals are untouchable, but even the lesser known players are going for $8 and up on eBay right now, so I'm happy to have these. I'm not going to show all 19, just the one's I like the best.

Eddie Waitkus #30

1 am familiar with some of the players on the 1950 club since they played with the Phillies for years, and their fame as the "Whiz Kids" lives on. Eddie Waitkus was one name I didn't know. He was with the Phillies from 1949 to 1955. His career formed part of the basis for the book The Natural at least the part where he gets shot. The back of the card says "Eddie had appeared in 54 games last season and was hitting at a .306 clip when he was shot and seriously wounded by a demented girl fan". You can read about it on Wikipedia here.

Del Ennis #31

Ennis played 11 years in Philadelphia. He was born in Philly and lived the rest of his life in the area. He was a very popular player.

Robin Roberts #32

Roberts was one of the best pitchers in Phillies history. His Phillies record is 234-119. He led the NL in wins from 1952 through 1955 and is 26th on the all-time win list. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1976. He remained a popular figure in Philadelphia up until is death in 2010.

Curt Simmons #68

Another good pitcher. He was 115-110 in 13 seasons with the Phillies, pitching from 1947 to 1960.  He is one of the few Whiz Kids who is still alive.

Richie Ashburn #84

 Ashburn played 15 years for the Phillies, hitting .308 and stealing 234 bases. He was one of the best center fielders of his era. He played the last few years of his career for the Cubs and the infamous 1962 Mets. When he retired, he returned to Philadelphia to work as a Phillies announcer on radio and television. To many people of my generation, he is the embodiment of Phillies baseball. He was elected to the Hall of Fame with Mike Schmidt in 1995. Richie died in his hotel room on the road with the Phillies in 1997. The event still makes me sad.

Andy Seminick #121

Seminick caught 985 games for the Phillies in 12 seasons. He was an All-Star in 1949.

Granville "Granny" Hamner #204

Played shortstop for the Phillies for 16 years, hitting .263. He was a 3-time All-Star.

Eddie Sawyer #225

Sawyer took over a perennial cellar dweller in 1948 and led them to the World Series in 1950.

Jim Konstanty #226

In 1950, Konstanty appeared in 74 games for the Phillies, all in relief. He compiled a 16-7 record with 22 saves, and an ERA of 2.66. He was appeared in the All-Star game, was named the National League MVP and won The Sporting News Pitcher of the Year Award.