Play Ball!

I went above what I usually pay per vintage card for this lot, but I think I did pretty good. 20 cards from the 1941 Play Ball set for about $37 shipped, so less than $2 a card. I did a little research and it seems pretty unusual to get a lot for that little per card. The set is only 72 cards, so this is over a quarter of the set, giving me a nice representative selection from one of the more iconic pre-Topps sets. These cards and this style have been reprinted a lot over the years. Even though nobody in this lot is a Hall of Famer, the small number of players in the set means just about everyone was a star at the time, coming off an All-Star appearance or an otherwise strong season. The cards look great in person, a little faded and of course some writing, but I don't find it detracts from the card. This was another instance where I took a flyer on a minimum bid and ended up having the only one.

One of the quirky things about this set is that anytime the player was known by anything but their first name, it went in quotes. That ranged from simple name abbreviations to more colorful nicknames. "Bill Jurges" usually went by Billy. The Giants SS was coming off his third all-star appearance. Pirates 1B Elbie Fletcher led the NL in OBP three straight seasons. Play Ball misspelled Harlond Clift's first name but thankfully did not use his nickname. The Browns 3B led the AL in walks in 1939. Senators OF George Case led the AL in steals six times, including five straight years from 1939-1943.

Al Brancato was a highly-touted rookie SS for the A's who was a defensive whiz but hit only .191. He didn't hit for much more before or after WW2, with only a 282-game big league career. Dodgers 1B Dolph Camilli was a big-time slugger, with eight straight seasons of 20+ HR; the year of this card, 1941, he was the NL MVP. Luke Hamlin would juggle the ball between pitches, hence the nickname "Hot Potato". He won 20 games in 1939. Arnovich was usually known as Morrie, not Moe. The OF was an All-Star with the A's in 1939, was sold to the Giants after the 1940 season and lost much of his career to WW2.

Like many Campbells, Detroit OF Bruce Campbell was known as Soupy. I have an Upper Deck reprint of this card, so it was cool to get the original. He had his best season in 1941, hitting .275 with 15 HR and 93 RBI. Atley Donald went 8-3 with a .303 ERA in 1940; he went 65-33 in eight seasons with the Yankees.  A journeyman minor league pitcher, Johnny Babich came out of nowhere to win 14 games for the A's in 1940. A's outfielder Wally Moses was a two-time All Star, with 435 career doubles.

From 1934 to 1940 Hal Trosky was one of the most feared sluggers in the game. In seven of those eight seasons he hit 25 HR, and he topped 100 RBI each year, including a league-leading 162 in 1936. OF Bob Johnson was a quarter Cherokee, hence the nickname. Maybe it's the color scheme on the card but in person it's much brighter than the others. In a 13-year career, mostly with the hapless A's, he hit .296 with 288 HR, and some believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame. Browns 1B George McQuinn was a 6-time All Star, including both his seasons with the Yankees, with whom he won a World Series in 1947. Yes, the White Sox 1B's name was pronounced "Joe Cool". He played eighteen seasons in the majors for the Senators and White Sox.

Braves outfielder Max West was a budding star, with MVP votes in 1939, 1940, and 1942. He lost the heart of his career to WW2 and played very little after the war. Reds pitcher Bucky Walters is another one who many believe deserves Hall of Fame consideration. He won 20 games three times, twice leading the NL. He was the MVP in 1939, leading the NL with 27 wins, a 2.29 ERA and 137 strikeouts. Harry Danning got his nickname from a character in Guys and Dolls. The Giants catcher was a top-20 finisher in the MVP voting for four straight seasons - 1937 to 1940. He was considered the best defensive catcher and pitch handler in baseball. Phillies 3B Pinky May had one of the shortest careers of this group but was coming off his only All-Star appearance in 1940.