My Favorite Bill Freehan Baseball Cards

I've wanted to do a post like this for a while, selecting my favorite baseball cards of my hero, former Detroit Tigers catcher Bill Freehan. 

I decided to finally do this post because of this awesome contest over at COLLECTING CUTCH blog.



While there's never a doubt about my favorite Bill Freehan baseball card  it was fun to try and figure out #2 through #10...hey, all my Freehan cards are special to me...how do I pick a top 10?


I don't own ever baseball card of Bill Freehan, but it's certainly something I'd love to achieve in my collecting lifetime.


I do own all of the cards in my Top 10...if I somehow come across a card I don't have, well, then my list might just change.


I finally decided on my Top 10, so here they are, my favorite baseball cards of my favorite baseball player, former Detroit Tigers All-Star catcher William Ashley Freehan.




⚾ #10  ... 1968 Topps Playing Cards #11 ⚾

Topps inserted 33 playing cards into packs of cards in 1968... check out this post on 1968 Topps Blog.

I really like this card...it would be rated higher but I never liked that Freehan got the Walk card.

●2017 Topps Heritage has inserted re-makes of these cards with current big league players.●





⚾ #9   ... 1970 Kelloggs 3-D  #57 of 78 ⚾

A 3-D baseball card...what's not for a 10 year old to love... How much cereal did I make my Mom buy until I finally got this card?





⚾ #8 ... 1972 Topps #120 ⚾

1972 is one of my favorite years of cards....I love the way T I G E R S comes right at you like a Hollywood Movie marquee...and...I never understood...why Bill is wearing that collared long sleeve thing under his home uniform?




⚾  #7 ... 2005 Upper Deck Trilo3y Generations Past Lumber #06/75

This card has a piece of one of Bill Freehan's bats in it...I want to find and trade for card #11 one day.




⚾ #6 ... 1970 Topps #335 ⚾

Love this card!

I always tried...no matter it be on the sandlots, in Little League, or playing softball in the Navy... to stand in the batters box like my hero...I'm not sure it ever worked.

Another cool thing about this card is that you can see the MLB Logo patch on Freehan's road left jersey sleeve...created for the 1969 big league baseball season in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Professional Baseball.




⚾ #5  2005 Upper Deck Autographed Bill Freeham AUTO FACTS/ FR #541/599 ⚾

I love everything about this card, from the beautiful Freehan signature, the awesome photo of Freehan, and the great Olde English D Tigers logo.

Again, if I could ever find card #11 I would be giddy!





⚾ #4 ... 2005 Upper Deck SPORTS Legendary Cut Bill Freehan  RELIC #11/25 ⚾

My favorite non-traditional Freehan card!

A pice of a road Freehan jersey....and that great Freehan autograph....and it's #11 of 25!

I'm not sure, but I think the part of the road jersey has to be from his name plate of the back of the jersey...and it's either from 1972-73-74-75-76, because the Tigers wore plain road grey uniforms on the road prior to the 1972 season.




⚾ #3 ... 1968 Topps The Sporting News '68 All-Star Selection #375 ⚾

The 1968 set is my favorite set of Topps Baseball Cards because the Tigers won the World Series that year, and this is my favorite card from '68.


Freehan was selected to play in 11 All-Star games, he's posing during Spring Training, wearing his home uniform, and has a wonderful smile on his face.

The American League players got red stars, the N.L. players got blue.



⚾ #2 ... 1973 Topps #460 ⚾

This is the only Topps card of Bill Freehan in action....I always wondered why Bill was trying to tag out the Yankees player with his glove...he's holding the baseball in his right hand...thats what makes this my 2nd favorite Freehan card.


The game was played at Yankee Stadium, in 1972...Freehan is wearing the new road multi colored road uniform the team started wearing in 1972... it's a play at the plate...you can see the fans in the background wondering if he'll score...it all makes for a magnificent baseball card.



And....now... My favorite Bill Freehan baseball card...

⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾  my 1963 Topps #466 Bill Freehan Rookie Card ⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾

Ive told this story many times...although I collected every Freehan baseball card as a kid, I never knew about this card until around 1977 or 1978...it took me about three years and moving to Florida to find the card.



It was very difficult back in the 1970s to find cards that you didn't get out of packs or traded for with friends.

There were no price guides around until the late 1970s, Baseball Card shows basically didn't exist...I went to my first card show around 1978 or 1979...and they didn't have the card, or know about it..it's a high numbered card... and it's from the same set as the Pete Rose rookie card.


I found the Freehan RC at my first Florida card show in 1981...well, the guy had one, but it was at his card shop, and I got it the following Monday...it cost me $10 then, and it was worth every penny!


I want to get the card graded one day, but I have a limited income, and spending  $75 fir that isn't easily done for me...and I'd like to start acquiring more 1966 Freehan RCs.



Well, there it is, my Top 10 Bill Freehan baseball cards...I had a great time doing this, weather I win the contest over at COLLECTING CUTCH or not.


I do look forward to reading all the posts the collectors will write....reading about fans love of baseball cards is one of my favorite things to do.


In closing... below is a picture of a 30 card wall display that I found sometime in the 1980s...the cards in it have been there the entire 30+ years...I know, I need to get them into separate holders, but they represent my youth...all the card packs I opened, all the cards I collected growing up.

Play Ball! ⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾