Though Archie Wilson would only go to the plate 150 times in his major league career, he is portrayed with the third MLB team of his career on his rookie card. Wilson was acquired by the Boston Red Sox from the Washington Senators in June 1952. The Senators had traded away Jackie Jensen to the Yankees as part of a multiplayer deal a month earlier to pick up Wilson. He had shown promise after winning the International League’s MVP award the previous year. Limited offensive production and a minor leg injury presaged a return to the minors by the end of the season. Wilson would never again play at the game’s top level but continued in the minors through the end of 1961. He moved into managerial and coaching roles for a few years, including a stint with a Class A team in my hometown. After he wrapped up his coaching duties Wilson had a long career working at trucking equipment manufacturer Fruehauf.
My First High Number!
High numbers from the 1952 set are particularly difficult to find. This one was found as a part of a lot of low grade examples on eBay. Collectors have long speculated that a large portion of the high series print run ended up in Canada. This one arrived in the mail from up north and I presume the missing portions are still up there somewhere. The card is emblematic of much of the high number series. Wilson was one of wide assortment of rookies comprising the issue. The late season release of the cards allowed Topps to stay on top which team he represented and write up his 1952 movements in the biographical text on the reverse.
