1941 Play Ball

Description

1941 Play Ball (ACC: R336) is a 72-card set measuring approximately 2 1/2" by 3 1/8". Many of the cards in the 1941 Play Ball series are simply color versions of pictures appearing in the 1940 Play Ball set. This was the third, and final, year Gum, Inc. released their Play Ball set, and 1941 was the only one in color. After World War II, Gum, Inc. would be rebranded as "Bowman Gum" and would re-enter the baseball card market by the end of the decade.

The set was released in two series of 48 and 24 cards. It is believed that those final 24 cards were not issued until 1942. The first 48 cards were also reissued in 1942, but without a copyright date.

The set is anchored by cards of Joe DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg, and Ted Williams, as well as Bill Dickey, Lefty Gomez, Carl Hubbell, Chuck Klein and Mel Ott, with the rookie card of Pee Wee Reese. The set is also noted for the single, simultaneous appearance of all three DiMaggio brothers in the same trading card production as Dom and Vince joined brother Joe. The Chicago Cubs, who were owned by the competing Wrigley family, are not represented in the set.

Distribution

Two cards plus one stick of gum per pack. (MSRP: $0.01)

Checklist

Base Set

1941 Series

• 1 Eddie Miller
• 2 Max West
• 3 Bucky Walters
• 4 Paul Derringer (Duke)
• 5 Frank McCormick (Buck)
• 6 Carl Hubbell
• 7 Harry Danning (The Horse)
• 8 Mel Ott
• 9 Pinky May
• 10 Arky Vaughan UER (Vaughn)
• 11 Debs Garms
• 12 Jimmy Brown
• 13 Jimmie Foxx
• 14 Ted Williams
• 15 Joe Cronin
• 16 Hal Trosky
• 17 Roy Weatherly (Storm)
• 18 Hank Greenberg
• 19 Charley Gehringer
• 20 Red Ruffing
• 21 Charlie Keller
• 22 Bob Johnson (Indian)
• 23 George McQuinn (Mac)
• 24 Dutch Leonard
• 25 Gene Moore
• 26 Harry Gumpert (Gunboat)
• 27 Babe Young
• 28 Joe Marty
• 29 Jack Wilson
• 30 Lou Finney
• 31 Joe Kuhel
• 32 Taffy Wright (Taft)
• 33 Al Milnar (Happy)
• 34 Rollie Hemsley
• 35 Pinky Higgins
• 36 Barney McCosky
• 37 Bruce Campbell (Soupy)
• 38 Atley Donald
• 39 Tommy Henrich
• 40 John Babich
• 41 Frank Hayes (Blimp)
• 42 Wally Moses
• 43 Al Brancato (Albert)
• 44 Sam Chapman
• 45 Eldon Auker
• 46 Sid Hudson
• 47 Buddy Lewis
• 48 Cecil Travis

1942 Series

• 49 Babe Dahlgren
• 50 Johnny Cooney
• 51 Dolph Camilli
• 52 Kirby Higbe
• 53 Luke Hamlin (Hot Potato)
• 54 Pee Wee Reese
• 55 Whit Wyatt
• 56 Johnny Vander Meer (Vandy)
• 57 Morrie Arnovich (Moe)
• 58 Frank Demaree
• 59 Bill Jurges
• 60 Chuck Klein
• 61 Vince DiMaggio
• 62 Elbie Fletcher
• 63 Dom DiMaggio
• 64 Bobby Doerr
• 65 Tommy Bridges
• 66 Harlond Clift UER (Harland)
• 67 Wally Judnich (Walt)
• 68 John Knott
• 69 George Case
• 70 Bill Dickey
• 71 Joe DiMaggio
• 72 Lefty Gomez

Variations

No Copyright

All 48 cards from the "1941" series exist with or without a 1941 copyright date in the lower-left corner of the reverse side. It is believed that those cards without the 1941 copyright date were issued in 1942 along with the 24 cards in the 1942 Series.

Thin Stock

The entire 72-card set was also printed on a thin paper-like stock without a cardboard backing; these are generally encountered in sheets or strips.