Tony, the Killer, and Carew

One of the more popular pieces of Twins memorabilia seems to be the annual yearbooks produced by the team and made avaiable to the public at the beginning of each year.  Collecting them can be a challenging…yet attainable pursuit. Yearbooks are great to collect and offer a unique insight into Twins history as it happened. Not only do they contain great photography, but also offer up informative articles, biographies and statistics of current and former players.

The Twins offered their first annual in 1961 but many people do not know that there were actually two versions of the yearbook in 1961 as well as 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 and finally in 1985. The second versions were “Revised Editions” that were printed later in the season with updated information. According to TwinsCards.com staff member and long-time Twins collector, Pat Bones, “The covers were the same, except they added a ‘revised’ tag and content differed depending on call-ups (from the minors), trades and some of the miscellaneous photo sections.” Copies of the 1969 editions are included above.

Hardcore Twins collectors often run into a road-block if they are trying to collect yearbooks from each year the Twins have been in existence. From time-to-time, I get an email from a collector asking where he might find yearbooks from 1983, 1984, 1993, 1995 and 1997…as they are not pictured in our publications section. Curiously enough, the Twins did not issue yearbooks in those years. Outside of contacting the Twins (which I may do), I cannot find any information as to why yearbooks weren’t produced for those years. Budget cuts? Environmental considerations? Cheapskates? Who knows! If you know why they weren’t produced, let us know.

For all the fun that collecting yearbooks brings, recent years have brought some pretty boring yearbooks. While they contain all the essential information any Twins fan would need. they lack the human touch that many of the past issues had. I sorely miss the “Family Section” where we got to see the players with their families. Here’s one with Ray Corbin and his wife showing off the latest fashion from 1974. I also miss the managerie of team and fan photos. Not only of the players but ones like “Nun’s Day” at the Met from the 1967  annual. Absolutely classic stuff!

Collecting should be fun and collecting yearbooks can bring a lot of enjoyment and nostalgia to anyone’s collection. Finding some of the older ones can be a little bit of a challenge, but not one that will break the bank. I’ve seen the earliest of Twins yearbooks on eBay for as little as $30-$50…you just have to find the right one at the right time. Later editions can be found for as little as $5. Good luck but remember that collecting doesn’t end once the yearbook makes it into your collection. Don’t be afraid to open them up and reminisce about a little Twins history!