My Oldest Cards For Each Team: Part 2 – American League West

The thought behind this series is very simple: “What is the oldest cards for each team in my collection?”

This time I’ll be featuring the five teams in the American League West.

Philadelphia Athletics – 1952 Red Man Tobacco Ferris Fain
As it turns out, a lot of my various “oldest cards” come as a result of my being unable to resist affordable (well-loved and tab-free) Red Man Tobacco cards. You’ll be seeing Ferris Fain again under another team (and it’s largely the same painting with an updated uniform and a different background).

Kansas City Athletics – 1955 Topps Spook Jacobs
As nice as this KC cap logo is, it was never one that the KC A’s used… the cap logo was based on the logo for the Kansas City Blues, the American Association team which was displaced by the Athletics. Both before and after the move from Philadelphia to Kansas City the Athletics simply wore an “A” on their caps.

Oakland Athletics – 1968 Topps Sal Bando
No worries about cap logos with 1968 Topps cards of the newly-relocated Oakland A’s.

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“New” Washington Senators – 1961 Topps Gene Woodling
For those who aren’t aware, there have been two teams called the Washington Senators. The original one moved to Minneapolis/St. Paul and became the Minnesota Twins. That team was replaced by a 1961 expansion team also called the Senators, but they also got (unofficially) referred to as the “New Senators” to distinguish them from the originals. Gene Woodling was selected from the Orioles in the expansion draft and in 1962 he’d go from the proverbial frying pan to the fire when his contract was sold to the woeful New York Mets.

Texas Rangers – 1972 Topps Ted Kubiak
After the 1971 season the Senators moved to Dallas/Ft. Worth to become the Texas Rangers. There were several Rangers in the first series of 1972 Topps and I went with Ted Kubiak because his capless card looks a little less ridiculous than the solid red airbrushed caps that are part of the other cards.

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Los Angeles Angels – 1961 Topps Eddie Yost
The Los Angeles Angels were an expansion partner of the New Senators. Eddie Yost was a Mets coach when I was a kid but I’ve also become appreciative of his playing career and his high career on-base percentage which came from his renowned eye at the plate…He was called “The Walking Man” because of the high number of walks he drew.

This card showing Yost in an actual Angels uniform comes from the 5th series.

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Houston Colt .45s – 1963 Topps Bob Aspromonte
The Colt .45s came into the National League in 1962, but I don’t have any 1962 cards of the Colts. I have this card because I like the uniforms of the Colt .45s and I like collecting teams which no longer exist or which were rebranded.

Houston Astros – 1965 Topps Claude Raymond
The Houston franchise was renamed to the Astros for the 1965 season. Cards initially appeared in the first series as “HOUSTON” with a made-up Texas logo and the players shown with Colt .45s hats. This card of Claude Raymond is from the first series of 1965 Topps.

Later series would change the team name to “HOUSTON ASTROS” but with the players either shown without a cap or with a solid black airbrushed cap. This card of Rusty Staub is from the 4th series.

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Seattle Mariners – 1977 Topps Kurt Bevacqua
Since the 1977 Topps set wasn’t issued in series there’s no real discussion about which Mariners card from my complete set is oldest.  I used a scan I’d already had shared on the blog before.  Bevacqua didn’t make the Mariners squad, got cut at the end of spring training and hooked up with the Rangers.