Dick Allen Baseball Card Project: 1964

In the cabinets of my office, I have boxes and boxes of my old cards from the 1960s, 70s and 80s. I don't buy cards very often any more, but I still cherish and adore the ones I have saved.

One of my most prized possessions is the Dick Allen rookie card. I never had one as a kid and my wife bought it for me one birthday while we were dating. On that card, DA shares time with John Herrnstein. Like me, Herrnstein is a Michigan grad. Unlike me, he played parts of 5 seasons in the majors, mostly with the Phils. He had a .220 career average, accumulated 99 hits, 8 home runs, and 34 RBIs. He struck out four times as much as he walked (115:29). Finally, he was part of the infamous Fergie Jenkins to the Cubs trade in 1966, the same year his playing career ended with 18 plate appearances in Atlanta. That winter he was dealt to the Boston Red Sox and never heard from again.

No disrespect to John Herrnstein, but he has become the third wheel in this relationship. In my opinion, Dick Allen deserves his very own rookie card. As such I have decided to redesign almost every one of Dick Allen's baseball cards, starting with his rookie card of 1964. I have named this new venture the DICK ALLEN BASEBALL CARD PROJECT. Over the next couple of days I will share what I have come up with. Enjoy.