Joy of a team set, chapter 29 (Pilots! Part 2!)

 

This very fine card, acquired last week, met a pair of 1969 Topps "goals" for me, not that I officially established them as such.

 

First, Jack Aker was the last card numbered in the 600s that I needed (#612), so I now have every card from 600-664, which, as you know, are located in the high-number seventh series. This is great progress for a set that as recently as probably five years ago I had no plans to complete.

 

Second, Aker finishes off the Pilots team set. And since I wrapped up the 1970 Topps set last year, I now own all the Pilots cards that Topps created as far as flagship copies. I'm happy I have a blog to announce things like this!

 

I was quite proud of finishing the 1970 Pilots, and featured them back on JOTS, Chapter 23. The '70 Pilots set is a little more appealing to the eye as most of the Pilots shown are actually wearing Pilots uniforms. That's not the case in '69 as the team hadn't made its debut until the 1969 set had been released. The only Pilots In Pilots Uniforms appear late in the '69 set. As is the case for much of the set, there are a crazy number of head shots with the Pilots. But then you get to play "guess what team he's actually with in the picture?"

 

Here is what that team set looks like in all of its hairy glory:

 

 

 

Note that the Pilots hats don't show up until Jim Gosger (#482) and there are just six of them total.

 

Now let's go through the Joy of a Team Set rundown, using many of the same categories as the last Pilots post:

 

Favorite card runners-up: 5. Jim Gosger, 4. Joe Schultz, 3. Jack Aker, 2. Gus Gil

 

Favorite element on the back:

 

 I can't resist going with a 1969 manager card. I hope at age 13 he wasn't pounding Budweiser.

 

Famous error card: There are a couple of uncorrected error cards in the 1969 Pilots set. The most obvious one is the reverse image used for catcher Larry Haney, which shows him catching left-handed. Also, there's a spelling error on the back of the Johnny Morris card in which the write-up uses "drafter" instead of "drafted".

 

But there are even more variations in the team set with three yellow-name/white-name varieties. (I have the more-common yellow name versions in each case).

 

Team's claim to fame: One of four expansion teams announced for the 1969 season, leading to a whole bunch of cards featuring airbrushed players in the Topps set. Topps used brown for the name/position circle for the Pilots, pairing them up with another expansion team, the Padres. ... Also, everyone knows the Pilots are most famous for being featured in Jim Bouton's "Ball Four".

 

First card I owned: I know for certain that the first Pilots cards I had were Steve Barber and Jim Gosger. I'm fairly sure that I got the Barber card first. It may have been one of the first 1969 cards I ever saw.

 

Players I've talked to: None.

 

Former or future Dodgers: Mike Marshall, Tommy Davis, John Kennedy.

 

Guys who never played for the Pilots: Chico Salmon (traded to the Orioles before '69 season), Lou Piniella (traded to the Royals before the '69 season), Marv Staehle (not sure where he was for most of '69 but in September of that year he was traded to the Expos), Roland Sheldon (his last major league season was 1966!)

 

Worst-conditioned card: Rich Rollins has some tape damage on the bottom, it's on my upgrade list.

 

Best card in the set:

 

  I can't resist a reverse image, and one of a catcher is twice as good.