Years ago, when Topps photographers took pictures of players, they would usually take a hatless shot. That picture could be used if a player got traded. Hatless pictures disappeared when Topps started doing more airbrushing.
For this tile, I just used Topps cards. By the time Fleer, Donruss, and the others came around, the hatless picture was done. In later years, one would occasionally pop up if Topps used a pregame picture. I've also got a few action shots in which the player's hat/helmet has fallen off.
The first hatless Cub showed up in the 1960 set. The last hatless pose was in 1972, so you can see that the hatless era was relatively short.
Most of the players are journeymen who made the Cubs one of their many career stops. There is one big name that went hatless. For some reason, the 1961 card of Ernie Banks shows him hatless. The guy was the NL MVP in 1958 and 1959, but by 1961 Topps showed him like some baseball hobo.
Of course, as far a Night Owl is concerned, the biggest name in the bunch is in the third to last row, though I'm not sure that he acknowledges this part of the Penguin's career.
I've again made the tile with only six cards across, so you can get a better look at all the flattops and crew cuts. Enjoy!
Wow, only 1 each in '70, '71, and '72.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know Bobby Locke was on the Cubs. Topps used that same 1962 photo 6 years later on Locke's 1968 card.