1976 Coke Phoenix Giants Premiums Jack Clark a Giant Pre-Rookie Card

You remember the Jack Clark rookie card, right?

It was one of those four-player deals in the 1977 Topps set, featuring Clark in the leadoff spot, followed by Ruppert Jones, Lee Mazzilli, and Dan Thomas. Lots of airbrushing, lots of dudes.

Clark had his next solo card the next year, in the 1978 Topps set. Well, his first solo Big League card, anyway.

Because TCMA brought us Clark’s actual first solo card, featuring a black-and-white image of the slugger with the Lafayette Drillers, back in 1975. The reverse of that card looks like something I would have typed up on my word processor appliance in the late 1980s.

Ah, but after an eight-game cup of coffee with San Francisco in 1975, Clark moved up from Double-A (Lafayette) to the Triple-A Phoenix Giants in 1976.

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And in the that Bicentennial summer, San Fran’s top farm club enjoyed a fine season in the sun, going 75-67 to finish (a distant) second to the Salt Lake City Gulls in the East Division of the Pacific Coast League.

Luckily, select moments from that season were captured for all time and pushed out into the world thanks to the promotional efforts of … Coca-Cola.

The set consisted of 24 cards and offered up nifty full-color photos, with backs that showed full minor league statistics, plus some biographical information.

For young Jack Clark, that meant an uppercut shot in the sunshine, with GIANTS emblazoned across his chest and just a hint of his soon-to-be trademark monobrow peaking at us from under his bill.

It’s a bright and colorful card that’s sure to put a smile on just about any collector’s face (unless you’re, like, a Dodgers fan).

Hobby Holiday Hots

With the holidays bearing down on us, it’s time to start thinking about what we’ll buy for the collectors on our lists … or what we’ll put on our own wish lists!

This eBay lot ought to get your hobby holiday juices flowing …