i sort of tried this before (almost six years ago), but had misplaced my dodger postcards and associated information when i went to write that post. now, after picking up a few more dodger postcards last year and locating the other ones i already had, i decided to put everything i know about them in one place.
before we get to all that, one of the postcards i added last year was this pedro guerrero beauty:
this is a 1982 postcard, pretty easily dated thanks to the photo being from the 1981 world series. i would love for this photo to be from guererro's 8th inning, game 6 home run off of rudy may that put the dodgers ahead 9-2, but it doesn't quite match up with the video, and pedro looks like he's tracking a foul ball, not the laser he hit over the left field fence.
ok - back to the task at hand. i have found checklists and other information from various sources for dodger postcards from most years starting with 1959 through 1983. i know there were others after that (some co-branded by coca-cola, for example), but i am going to limit this exercise to the years stated previously.
much of the basic information i started with came from my copy of the 2009 standard catalog of baseball cards, a google groups comment linked in the post referenced above, and a comment from matthew glidden on his number 5 type collection blog. some of the dates i have listed are based on the players featured - especially those that were one and done with the dodgers. this is not going to be a comprehensive list or completely accurate, either. it's just a resource. here goes.
info about the first two checklists here come from the aforementioned standard catalog. i don't own any of these postcards:
1959 dodger postcards
year: 1959
numbered on back: la-d-9xx
credits: mirro krome/crocker
la-d-901 duke snider
la-d-902 gil hodges
la-d-903 johnny podres
la-d-904 carl furillo
la-d-905 don drysdale
la-d-906 sandy koufax
la-d-907 jim gilliam
la-d-908 don zimmer
la-d-909 charlie neal
la-d-910 norm larker (photo actually joe pignatano)
la-d-911 clem labine (photo actually stan williams)
la-d-912 john roseboro
1960 dodger postcards
year: 1960
numbered on back: none
credits: none/made in japan and copyright los angeles dodgers
listed here numerically in alphabetical order
1 walt alston mg
2 roger craig
3 don drysdale
4 carl furillo sp
5 gil hodges
6 sandy koufax
7 wally moon
8 charlie neal
9 johnny podres
10 johnny roseboro
11 larry sherry
12 duke snider
the furillo card was pulled early in the season after he retired, and is therefore shown as a short print. these postcards (at least the couple that i have seen) feature photos taken in the dodgers' temporary home, the los angeles coliseum.
the catalog doesn't list any other dodger postcard sets, unfortunately, so i am going to skip to what i believe are 1962 issues.
1962 dodger postcards
year: 1962c
numbered on back: p503xx
credits: plastichrome/mitock/color by emil cuhel
p49776 dodger stadium
p49777 dodger stadium club
p49780 dodger team
p50315 willie davis
p50316 larry sherry
p50317 ron perranoski
p50318 sandy koufax
p50319 frank howard
p50320 tommy davis
p50321 don drysdale
p50322 john roseboro
p50323 ron fairly
p50324 maury wills
these feature shots in dodger stadium. the ones i own feature two different back designs. the sherry and perranoski backs include a light sketch of dodger stadium in red, along with some red text,
while the drysdale and wills lack the sketch and all of the text is in blue. i assume this holds for the entire checklist. i added the team, dodger stadium, and stadium club postcards to the list even though the numbering is a bit different. i've seen versions of the stadium and stadium club cards that have the same back as the sherry and perranoski cards, so it seems like they are from the same issue.
1966 dodger postcards
year: 1966c
numbered on back: p6xxxx
credits: plastichrome/mitock
p67392 sandy koufax
p69766 wes parker
p69767 jeff torborg
p69768 jim lefebvre
p69769 lou johnson
p69770 don sutton
p69771 claude osteen
bob miller
phil regan
jim gilliam
joe moeller
jim brewer
john roseboro
john kennedy
dodger team
nate oliver
al ferrara
maury wills
the names featured without numbers were part of an unnumbered checklist i found somewhere. i assigned numbers to the ones i could verify, mostly through auctions. of these, i only own the parker, torborg, lefebvre, sutton, and osteen. there is also a postcard featuring photos of don drysdale/dean chance and sandy koufax/willie mays with the text "baseball greats" that is numbered p62008. it would make sense to be from 1966 at the latest.
1967 dodger postcards
year: 1967
numbered on back: p7484x
credits: plastichrome/mitock
p74846 gene michael
p74847 ron hunt
these two are easy to date, since both michael and hunt were only with the dodgers in 1967. i own them both, and i've not seen any other checklist or numbering to match these, so i think it is a safe bet that the dodgers reprinted previous years' postcards for returning players rather than print up a whole new batch each year as night owl suggested in that comment thread linked above. however, i could have an incomplete checklist.
1968 dodger postcards
year: 1968
numbered on back: p7750x
credits: plastichrome/mitock
p77501 jim grant
p77502 zoilo versalles
p77503 bill singer
p77504 tom haller
p77505 alan foster
p77506 al ferrara
this group is also easy to date thanks to mudcat grant, whose only season as a dodger was the 1968 campaign. again, this checklist may be incomplete as it is largely based on what i own (i have all of these listed). there is a dodger stadium postcard numbered p77832 which is likely from this same time frame.
1969 dodger postcards
year: 1969/1970c
numbered on back: p86xxx
credits: plastichrome/mitock
p86213 bill sudakis
p86214 ted sizemore
p86215 bill grabarkewitz
p86216 willie crawford
p86497 bill russell
p86707 walt alston
it is entirely possible that these are from 1969, or perhaps all but the russell and alston were 1969 issues, and his was 1970 which might explain the gap in numbering. there is no difference in the back designs, however. again, this checklist may be incomplete. i have all six of these and i've also seen a psa graded alston that is identified as 1969, so that may be the final word.
1971 dodger postcards
year: 1971
numbered on back: 7480x-c
credits: dexter/mitock
74802-c steve garvey
74803-c duke sims
74804-c bob valentine
74805-c rich allen
74806-c jim brewer
rich allen's presence allows me to identify this as the 1971 set. again, this checklist may be incomplete. i have all of these, although the garvey is in my player collection.
1972 dodger postcards
year: 1972
numbered on back: 8615x-c
credits: dexter/mitock
86153-c tommy john
86154-c frank robinson
86155-c al downing
86156-c bill buckner
86157-c hoyt wilhelm
86158-c pete richert
frank robinson and hoyt wilhelm give me confidence that this is the 1972 set. again, this checklist may be incomplete as these are only ones that i've been able to verify. i have four of the six - missing john and downing.
1973 dodger postcards
year: 1973
numbered on back: kv5251
credits: kolor view press/mitock
all cards are numbered kv5251, so the players are listed numerically alphabetically
1 bill buckner
2 ron cey
3 willie davis
4 joe ferguson
5 tommy john
6 lee lacy
7 tom lasorda co
8 dave lopes
9 andy messersmith
10 manny mota
11 claude osteen
12 tom paciorek
13 bill russell
14 don sutton
15 steve yeager
this is where matthew glidden's comment starts to come in to play, and i will just stand on his shoulders. it's interesting that lasorda got a postcard as the third base coach. makes me think that there are postcards for alston's other coaches - red adams, monty basgall, and jim gilliam. i have some of these, but am missing a great ron cey postcard, plus davis, lacy, osteen, and sutton.
1974 dodger postcards
year: 1974c
numbered on back: no - blank back
credits: none
jim wynn
not sure about this one since there is no number or other marks on the back (except for some pencil on my copy), but based on the photo, i'd say it is early in his dodger tenure which would make it 1974. he has a different postcard in the 1975 set, so it makes sense to me, however....
year: 1974c
numbered on back: kv64xxx
credits: kolor view press/mitock
kv6412 mike marshall
kv6413 charlie hough
kv6414 jim wynn
kv6415 doug rau
kv6416
kv6417
kv6418
kv6419
kv6420
kv6421
kv6422
kv6423
kv6424
kv6425
kv6426
kv6427 steve garvey
6427 steve garvey
kv6428 willie crawford
the front design of mike marshall's card is different
from the others i own, but the back and numbering checks out (fyi i have a cleaner version of the marshall without the tape, but i had already scanned this older one). wynn is listed here, but i don't own this postcard so i don't know if it is the same as the blank back version that i do own. i am assuming that the numbering is consecutive, but again, this checklist may be incomplete. of these, i only have the marshall, hough, and garvey. there are different versions of the garvey, and i have both (although they are both in my garvey collection so i need them for the team collection). one is numbered kv6427 as noted above, and the other is numbered 6427 (in the stamp box) and notes on the back that he was the 1974 national league most valuable player,
which indicates it was printed after the season ended.
1975 dodger postcards
year: 1975
numbered on back: kv7813-x
credits: none
kv7813-1 bill buckner
kv7813-2 jim wynn
kv7813-3 henry cruz
kv7813-4 rick auerbach
kv7813-5 bill russell
kv7813-6 tom paciorek
kv7813-7 steve yeager
kv7813-8 don sutton
kv7813-9 mike marshall
kv7813-10 ron cey
kv7813-11 rick rhoden
kv7813-13 joe ferguson
kv7813-15 davey lopes
kv7813-31 doug rau
kv7813-57 willie crawford
weird numbering for rau and crawford, although rau wore number 31. crawford was number 27, though - not 57. still, since ferguson wore number 13 and lopes 15, i am not sure whether or not cards number kv7813-12 or kv7813-14 exist. therefore, this checklist may be incomplete. i am missing the marshall and cey from my collection.
1976 dodger postcards
year: 1976
numbered on back: kv8861-x
credits: none
kv8861-1 walt alston
kv8861-2 ron cey
kv8861-3 tommy john
kv8861-4 davey lopes
kv8861-5 charlie hough
kv8861-6 steve garvey
kv8861-7 mike marshall
kv8861-8 joe ferguson
kv8861-9 dusty baker
kv8861-10 burt hooton
dusty baker joins the club, and it's alston's last season, so 1976 is confirmed. say it with me now: this checklist may be incomplete. i actually own all ten of these - possible complete set!
1977 dodger postcards
year: 1977
numbered on back: kvb98xx
credits: mitock
kvb9869 - reggie smith
kvb9870 - manny mota
kvb9871 - rick monday
kvb9872 - johnny oates
kvb9873 - ron cey
kvb9874 - doug rau
kvb9875 - steve garvey
kvb9876 - tom lasorda
i know that the numbering is consecutive but i am not sure that it begins and ends with smith and lasorda. so, this checklist is likely incomplete in more ways than one. i have all of these listed cards in my collection.
1978 dodger postcards
year: 1978
numbered on back: b10975
credits: mitock/kolor view press
b10975 - terry forster
i only own the forster (which i purchased recently), and i haven't seen any others online. matthew indicated in his comment that he has seen this number attributed to dodger postcards from '78, and sure enough, there is a copyright 1978 date right there on the back! i think i might start looking a little bit harder for some others from this set, if they exist. obviously, this checklist is very likely incomplete.
1979 dodger postcards
year: 1979
numbered on back: kvb1195x-x
credits: mitock
2 charlie hough
kvb11955-1 bob welch
kvb11955-3 joe ferguson
kvb11955-4 derrel thomas
kvb11955-5 andy messersmith
kvb11955-6 gary thomasson
kvb11956-2 terry forster
more of the same - i found a checklist online and was able to verify the numbers except for a possible charlie hough postcard. with messersmith back in the fold, this is certainly a 1979 set. the checklist is likely incomplete. i have all of those listed above except the hough, and i also have another 1979 postcard
year: 1979
credits: mike roberts/coral-lee
2 davey lopes
this one is not a dodger issue, but since i own the postcard, i've included it here.
1980 dodger postcards
year: 1980
numbered on back: kvb129xx-x, baker kvb130xx-x
credits: none
kvb12953-1 derrel thomas
kvb12953-2 jerry reuss
kvb12953-3 dave goltz
kvb12953-4 rudy law
kvb12953-5 jay johnstone
kvb12953-6 rick sutcliffe
kvb12953-7 don stanhouse
kvb130xx-x dusty baker
i own all of these except for the baker. the checklist is likely incomplete.
1981 dodger postcards
year: 1981
numbered on back: d-x
credits: crocker
d-1 steve garvey
d-2 davey lopes
d-3 mike scioscia
d-4 steve yeager
d-5 dusty baker
d-6 steve howe
d-7 pedro guerrero
d-8 bob welch
d-9 ken landreaux
d-10 fernando valenzuela
d-11 jerry reuss
such simple numbering! the reuss postcard, by the way, is glorious.
i think i had a school picture like this around the same time. the back of the postcard is different than the others
but since it is numbered d-11, i've lumped it in with this release. i have all of these, and i have some confidence in this checklist, but it may yet be incomplete.
1982 dodger postcards
year: 1982
numbered on back: c345xx, m-x
credits: mike roberts
c34507 m-1 jerry reuss
c34508 m-2 burt hooton
c34509 m-3 steve garvey
c34510 m-4 steve howe
c34511 m-5 pedro guerrero
c34512 m-6 fernando valenzuela
c34513 m-7 bob welch
c34514 m-8 derrel thomas
c34515 m-9 bill russell
c34516 m-10 tom niedenfuer
c34517 m-11 steve sax
c34518 m-12 ron cey
c34519 m-13
c34520 m-14 rick monday
c34521 m-15 tom lasorda
c34521 m-16 mike scioscia
these cards are numbered twice, with the m-x in the lower corner and the other number in the stamp box. i have all of these, except m-13 if it even exists. i found a smaller checklist online for a 1982 set that included terry forster, so perhaps he is the missing one. it is possible that only 15 cards were issued, so who knows.
1983 dodger postcards
year: 1983c
numbered on back: c355xx
credits: mike roberts
c35508 dusty baker
c35509 burt hooton
c35510 steve howe
c35511 dave stewart
c35512 mike marshall
c35513 bob welch
c35514 bill russell
c35515 fernando valenzuela
c35516 mike scioscia
c35517 steve sax
c35518 steve yeager
c35519 greg brock
3 pedro guerrero
6 ken landreaux
7 tommy lasorda mg
9 rick monday
10 manny mota co
11 tom neidenfuer
12 jerry reuss
17 derrel thomas
the cards at the top of this checklist were ones that i have seen and verified the numbering, and i own six of them (marshall, welch, russell, sax, yeager, and brock). the others are from a more generic checklist assigned to 1983 that i found elsewhere online. still, this may be incomplete.
keep in mind that these checklists may be, and likely are, incomplete, with some being obviously so.
so, there you have it. you now know what i know, or at least what i think i know about these team issued cards. while i'm here, here is one last 1982 postcard
that's garvey's last postcard as a dodger, although he does appear in the background of welch's 1983 postcard. i am missing a couple of garvey postcards from my team sets, but i do have all of his dodger issued postcards in my garvey collection. i think i do, anyway, especially since i recently added this beauty to my collection:
i had been looking for this postcard for a couple of years before being able to grab one. i believe it is a 1981 postcard from the old dodger spring training home in vero beach. i say 1981 because the person who bought the postcard from the dodgertown gift shop stapled their ticket stub to the back:
the postcard came with a friend, with another stub from that same spring game attached
this one is a more generic dodgertown postcard, however
not nearly as exciting as a postcard with steve garvey leaving the batters' box and what might be carlton fisk reacting behind the plate.
