1961 Topps #41 - National League 1960 Batting Leaders - Clemente had finished fourth in the batting race. Groat won the MVP award for the season and as Clemente finished 8th in the voting, it most likely lot a fire under this ultra-competitive personality and allowed him to mature and succeed like never before. It should be noted that this is the first set that Topps included league leaders. After 1964, they usually only included the top three in each category, unless there was a tie. If they had only included three in this set, Roberto would have been snubbed again. Had Topps included league leaders as soon as 1957, Clemente had finished third in batting in 1956 and would have been featured.
1962 Topps #52 - 1961 National League Batting Leaders - Clemente finished first in batting, and I think his prowess can be traced from the MVP voting snub from the year before. This card is off-center and has some gum residue on the front, but otherwise is a great card.
1964 Topps #7 - 1963 National League Batting Leaders - After finishing 8th the year before , Clemente was back on track, finishing 2nd by a slim 6 point margin. He is reunited with Dick Groat, although now he is ahead of him.
1965 Topps #2 - 1964 National League Batting Leaders - Clemente wins his second batting title. Hank Aaron makes his second appearance on the same card. It's always a positive to have another hall of famer sharing a card. This card has gum residue and dinged corners. I wouldn't mind upgrading it.
1966 Topps #215 - 1965 National League Batting Leaders - The big three, with Clemente in the lead. They always seemed to be best of buddies in their photos together, and they all played winter ball in Puerto Rico. This card is in great shape. I have another copy where I didn't notice some punctures from a staple at the top. This card carries a premium because all three are very collectible and hall of famers.
1967 Topps #242 - National League 1966 RBI Leaders - This year, Clemente won the MVP, yet he only finished 5th in batting. Aaron is also the RBI leader. I always felt they gave him the MVP this year because they wished he had received it the year before. Actually, 1967 was his best year statistically.
1968 Topps #1 - National League 1967 Batting Leaders - The first card in the set usually carries a premium as kids always stacked their cards and the top card is #1, and is susceptible to rubber band marks and any other number of indicators of damage. This card escaped from those problems. Clemente obliterated the league in batting this year. He was a full 18 points ahead of his next rival at .357. I actually added up the spread on the four years he won, and it came out to 46 points ahead. He was only behind the leader in four other years by a combined 37 point deficit. A very interesting factoid. The image used for this card appears to be the same as was used for the 1965 leaders card and the 1964 base card.
1968 Topps #3 - National League 1967 RBI Leaders - Clemente actually finished third in MVP balloting for 1967. If he hadn't won the previous year, I would think he would have won it this year. It becomes more of a factor of politics and if your team did well, and Clemente wasn't a huge fan of the press and he played for a smaller market team. If he had the supporting cast as Mantle, he would have won many more awards. Three hall of famers on this card.
1970 Topps #61 - 1969 National League Batting Leaders - Pete Rose won for his second year in a row, but by only 3 points determined in the final game of the season. Cleon Jones would help lead the Mets to a miraculous World Series title. Another unique photo of Clemente and those are always welcome to my collection.
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