1970 40 Dick Allen
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| Dick Allen |
Allen played for the 1964 Phillies that barely missed the World Series. That alone would be a claim to fame, but Allen would have many others in his career.
Allen played for the Cardinals in 1970, but they used an old photo (probably air-brushed) from his time with the Phillies. The trade happened in October 1969.
The trade is now famous because it included Curt Flood who refused to report to the Phillies and challenged the reserve system with failed litigation. Free agency was about six years away at this point. Tim McCarver and Cookie Rojas (and others) were also part of this trade. The Cardinals later sent Willie Montanez (and another player) as compensation for the loss of Flood.
Allen would be traded or released many times in his career due to problems that are now glossed over by those with an agenda to get him into the HOF. A brief look at Allen's stats makes one wonder why so many teams would release him or trade him in the 1970s - including the Cardinals and Dodgers. This card would be Allen's last card with the Cardinals. They traded him to the Dodgers in October 1970 (after a very good year with HR and RBI, but a career low BA). In fact, he would never appear on a card wearing an actual Cardinals' uniform. One wonders if Topps ever actually photographed him as a Cardinal.
If the 1970 card looks familiar to 1972 collectors, it should:
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| 1972 Topps Dick Allen |
It is fortunate for Topps that so many of the teams that traded Dick Allen wore red caps. Topps never let a good air-brush job go to waste. Maybe these recycled, airbrushed photos are part of the reason that it is hard to remember who Allen played for and when.
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