Tommy Davis had a relatively short yet productive MLB career that spanned from 1959-1967, playing his entire career for the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Despite only playing nine seasons, Davis put together some fantastic campaigns that resulted in decent baseball card representation over the years. Let’s take a deeper look at the Tommy Davis baseball cards that were produced during his playing days and after his retirement from the sport.
One of Davis’ earliest card appearances came in the 1961 Topps baseball card set (#’s 452-490). This was Davis’ true rookie card season as he had played sparingly in 1959 and 1960 after being called up from the minors. The ’61 Topps card features a solid close-up photo of Davis in a Dodgers road gray uniform. The design is one of Topps’ more basic early 1960s offerings without much color or illustration work. Still, it marked Davis’ rookie card debut and the beginnings of his baseball card collecting legacy. The ’61 Topps Davis in near mint condition can still attract a nice premium today for vintage rookie card collectors.
Davis truly broke out in 1962, leading the National League with 53 doubles and a .346 batting average en route to winning his first batting title. His performance that season earned him a prominent spot in the ’62 Topps set (#’s 518-555). The photo shows Davis from the side in a Dodgers home white uniform, bat on shoulders. Again it utilizes a basic early 1960s Topps design but Davis’ 162 stats are prominently displayed on the back. With his breakout season, the ’62 is considered one of the more important early Davis cards for collectors. Graded high copies in sought-after condition can demand $100+ today.
Davis followed up his ’62 campaign with an equally impressive ’63 season, leading the NL in hits with 230 and runs batted in with 153. Topps again featured Davis prominently in the 1963 set (#’s 536-573), this time showing him front-on in a batting stance wearing his home uniform. The stats on the back reflect his ’63 season highlights. Like the ’62 issue, the ’63 remains a highly significant Davis card that ranks among the most valuable of his early cards available in high grades. Mint examples will pull in well over $100.
The 1964 and 1965 seasons saw Davis continue raking for the Dodgers, though injuries began slowing him down a bit. Topps cards #574-611 from ’64 and #602-639 from ’65 captured Davis in full batting stances both years. While not showing his best seasons statistically, the ’64 and ’65 issues helped sustain interest in Davis as a star player and highlight his contributions to some great Dodgers teams of the era. In the ’60s, collectors paid closer attention to active players compared to nostalgia.
After leaving the Dodgers via trade, Davis enjoyed a solid rebound campaign for the New York Mets in 1966, batting .302 with 17 home runs. This performance was duly noted on his 1966 Topps card (#648-685), sporting a head-on action photo of Davis taking a big cut in a Mets uniform. It marked the first time Davis appeared without Dodgers colors on his baseball card. While with a new team, collectors were still following Davis and this transition issue remains a key card from his playing days.
Davis’ 1967 season with the Mets was slowed by injuries, leading to his retirement after the season at just 30 years old. His final “active” card was 1967 Topps (#672-709) showing a close-up of Davis from the side in a Mets Road Grays uniform. Statistics on the back reflect his shortened ’67 stats. The card commemorated Davis’ final MLB action and involvement with the game as a regular player. Even 50+ years later, it remains a well-regarded Davis issue for collectors.
In retirement, Davis continued to be featured in several vintage sets well after his playing days. He appeared in 1970 Topps (#639-676) as part of their “Cup O’ Coffee” subset highlighting guys with short careers. Pictures were inconsistent posed studio shots from Davis’ playing days. The 1972 Topps Giants reprint set and 1974 FOB commemorative issue also utilized 1960s Davis photos. And he popped up in various 1980s/90s tobacco retro sets like Fleer, Score, and Donruss. While not true “rookie cards”, these vintage reprints satisfied Davis collectors.
The 2000 Upper Deck Vintage reprint set paid tribute to many 1960s greats, including Davis in a vertical full body shot (#174). And he appeared again in the 2020 Topps Archives base set (#322) using one of his classic 1960s Dodgers action photos. While Davis’ MLB tenure was short, the longevity of his baseball card releases speaks to the impact he made statistically and his enduring fan interest decades later. Especially prized are his true 1960s rookie and active player issues.
In summary, Tommy Davis’ baseball career may have lasted only nine seasons but he packed a lot of prolific performances and accolades into that short timeframe. As a result, he received ample and continually growing representation in vintage cards from his rookie season through reprints decades later. Centering around his true 1960s Topps rookie and active player issues, the Tommy Davis card collecting landscape reveals one of the most complete and valuable collections for a player with such a brief MLB tenure. His cards embody the excitement of his batting title-winning seasons and capture Davis as an historically-important figure for the great Dodgers teams of that era.
