1963 Topps Joe Christopher

Who is this? former New York Mets outfielder Joe Christopher
What is this? An autographed card from the 1963 Topps set
Where'd I get it? I bought it from a dealer at an autograph show last year.
How much did it cost? $10


Why is this so special?  Joe Christopher was  an outfielder for the Mets from 1962-1965.

When he made his Major League debut with the Pirates in 1959, Christopher became the first player born in the U.S. Virgin Islands to reach the big leagues. His debut came on May 26, 1959 — in Harvey Haddix’s nearly perfect game. 

In 1960, Christopher won a World Series ring with the Pirates. He appeared in three World Series games as a pinch hitter or pinch runner.

Christopher was the Mets’ fifth pick in the expansion draft, but he didn’t make the team out of spring training in 1962. He began the season with the Syracuse Chiefs, but was called up in June. Christopher hit .244 with six home runs and 32 RBI for the worst team in modern baseball history.

Christopher was a part-time player again in 1963, but he won a full-time job in 1964. He responded with his best season in the big leagues: a .300 batting average, 16 home runs and 76 RBI. Christopher could not maintain that form in 1965, so that off-season the Mets traded him to Boston for shortstop Ed Bressoud.

Christopher played briefly for the Red Sox in 1966, his final season in the majors. For more about Christopher, check out his bio at the Baseball Biography Project.

This is the second Joe Christopher autograph in my collection - I had forgotten that I already had a 1965 Topps card signed. I've resolved to print out a copy of my wantlist to take to future shows.

Christopher has a neat autograph, but the "C" in his last name is fairly unusual.