Dwight Evans was an outstanding all-around player who spent his entire 19-year career with the Boston Red Sox from 1972 to 1990. Known by the nickname “Dewey,” Evans established himself as one of the top defensive outfielders of his era while also providing consistent power at the plate. His impressive career made him a popular player to collect for baseball card enthusiasts.
Evans’ rookie cards came out in 1973 during his first full season in the majors. Topps issued his first card that year as part of their standard baseball card release. The 1973 Topps Dwight Evans card can be found by collectors in the middle of the set around the 500s range. The design of the 1973 Topps set featured a color team photo in the foreground with the player’s name and stats listed on a white background. Evans’ rookie card captured him in his Red Sox road uniform during his age 23 season.
In 1974, Topps continued to be the lone baseball card producer. Their 1974 set included Evans’ second major rookie card which showed him in a batting stance wearing his home white Boston uniform. Like most cards from the early 1970s, the 1974 Topps Dwight Evans rookie featured basic black and white photography on a colorful team-themed backdrop. It remains one of the more affordable rookie cards for collectors to acquire in graded form.
The mid-1970s saw the rise of competition against Topps as new companies like Fleer and Donruss entered the baseball card market. In 1975, Fleer issued their inaugural baseball card set which is especially notable for collectors as it included the first color photos on baseball cards. Evans’ 1975 Fleer card was the first in color to feature the emerging young outfielder. It shows him fielding a ball in the outfield wearing his classic Red Sox jersey.
In 1976, Topps continued their long run as the leading baseball card producer but Fleer and Donruss also remained in the yearly competition. Evans had cards in all three ’76 sets that year in the midst of a breakout season. His ’76 Topps and Donruss cards captured him at the plate while the ’76 Fleer card pictured Evans catching a fly ball. All provided the first color images of Evans as he established himself as a star for the Red Sox.
Evans’ breakout season came in 1977 when he was named an All-Star for the first time and finished third in AL MVP voting after batting .319 with a career-high 32 home runs and 105 RBI. Naturally, this performance led to some of his most notable and valuable baseball cards. The ’77 Topps, Fleer, and Donruss issues all highlight Evans’ stellar ’77 campaign in their imagery and stats listings on the back. Of the three, his ’77 Topps card remains one of the most iconic from that decade for collectors.
In the late 1970s, Evans continued producing at an All-Star caliber as one of the game’s premier outfielders and sluggers. His ’78, ’79, and ’80 Topps, Fleer, and Donruss cards maintained the same high-quality imagery and stats that collectors had come to expect based on Evans’ consistent production. A favorite among fans is his 1979 Topps card, which features one of the simpler yet iconic black-and-white photos from that era with Evans crouched down ready to field a ball.
The early 1980s saw Evans remain a defensive stalwart for the Red Sox franchise that was beginning to emerge from decades of disappointment. His cards from ’81 to ’83 Topps issues as well as the ’81 and ’82 Fleer sets maintained the familiar style collectors had grown accustomed to. The arrival of new brands like Score and Donruss’ spinoff brand, Star, in the early ’80s provided additional card options for Evans collectors beyond the ‘Big 3′ of Topps, Fleer, and Donruss.
In 1984, the baseball card market underwent massive changes with Topps losing its exclusive license and the arrival of mass produced sets from brands like Donruss, Fleer, and Score. Evans had cards in all the ’84 brands, making it one of the most prolific card years of his career in terms of variation. His ’84 Donruss and Fleer cards stand out for featuring vibrant color photos that highlighted Evans’ skills late in his career. The rise of oddball and regional sets in the mid-1980s also led to unique Evans cards outside the national brands.
Evans remained a valuable contributor for the Red Sox into his late 30s. His final baseball cards came from the 1988 to 1990 Topps and Donruss sets during his age 38-40 seasons. By this point, Evans had transitioned to being primarily a designated hitter and part-time outfielder. But his cards from his final three seasons still resonated with collectors who had followed Evans’ entire career. His ’89 Topps card stands out for its simple black-and-white photo capturing one of the game’s greats in his last major league at-bat.
In the years since his retirement, Evans’ cards have grown in demand from collectors appreciating his consistency, defense, and entire career spent with one franchise. Rookie cards and his standout ’77 season issues remain especially desirable for advanced collectors. But affordable options exist across his entire 19-year career in the form of common issues that provide a glimpse into each stage of Evans’ Hall of Fame caliber time in baseball. For many collectors and Red Sox fans, Evans’ cards serve as a reminder of one of the best all-around outfielders of his generation.
