This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
7/30/2010
There are a myriad of baseball immortals enshrined in Cooperstown including hallowed names such as Ruth, Cobb, Wagner, Johnson, Mathewson, etc. While their contributions to the game itself are un-paralleled, none could surpass the National popularity and admiration bestowed upon the legendary “Yankee Clipper”, Joe DiMaggio. Throughout his playing days and post-retirement years, “Joltin” Joe’s overall persona was perceived with magnificent awe and respect, as he represented the ultimate embodiment of a National hero. His 56 game hitting streak in 1941 just may be baseball’s greatest record, such to the point that a song was written about Joe that same season personifying everything he meant to the game. For these reasons, vintage collectors actively seek DiMaggio’s most valuable cardboard gems, and with that in mind, presented here is Joe DiMaggio’s TRUE Rookie card, the 1936 World Wide Gum that depicts his FIRST Yankee representation on a baseball card.
Graded an SGC 84/7, only a sole other copy exists at this tier on BOTH the SGC and PSA “pop” charts with NONE graded higher. Indeed, this card shares the spotlight as the finest Joe DiMaggio “true” rookie card on the planet. Furthermore, the excessive condition sensitivity of the 1936 World Wide Gum issue is substantiated by the combined PSA and SGC population figures. Consider that the TOTAL COMBINED graded cards for ALL SUBECTS totals over 2,000 cards, with a mere 2.2% achieving a near mint grade, and a microscopic 10 examples or 0.5% graded higher!
It should also be noted that the 1933 – ’36 DiMaggio Zeenuts has been, in some instances, erroneously referred to as the DiMaggio rookie card. This is absolutely misleading and NOT the case! While certainly “Joe D’s” first issue ever, a “TRUE” rookie card is the first issue of a player in a MAJOR LEAGUE uniform. The 1933 DiMaggio Zeenut depicts him in his San Francisco Seals minor league uniform, not the Yankee uniform portrayed on this magnificent SGC 84/7 near mint offering. Simply stated, a rookie card must present the player in his first major league uniform (we can use, as an analogy, Roger Clemens. His rookie card is, undoubtedly, the 1984 Fleer Update, not his previously issued Boston Red Sox Pawtucket minor league card). Joe D’s stoic black & white portrait image is virtually un-improvable, projecting perfect contrast and registration, and set against a blemish free background. Fortunately for the card’s new owner and atypical for World Wide Gum issues, the image is well centered (approximately 55/45 “top to bottom” and 60/40 “right to left”). The corners and edging are extremely sharp, no creasing is evident, and the reverse side jet black print is bold and vivid. Overall, this superior mid-grade rarity is ultra consistent with the technical assessment, and provides the enthusiast with the super eye appeal warranted for any high end rookie card Hall of Fame collection. Incredible as it may seem, only a slightly touched lower left corner may have inhibited this card from achieving even a higher grade.
In closing, while there are some hobbyists that steadfastly claim cards such as Babe Ruth’s 1914 Baltimore News, and DiMaggio’s 1933 Zeenut should be classified as their rookie cards. While everyone is surely entitled to an opinion, it makes perfect sense that a “true” rookie card designation should only apply to a player’s card associating them with a MAJOR LEAGUE team, NOT a minor league affiliate. Therefore, this stellar offering depicting Dimaggio as a New York Yankee certainly applies as ‘Joe D’s” rookie card. While we do need to point out there are a handful of other 1936 DiMaggio issues including “Wide” and “Fine” Pen postcard sized cards, these cards include DiMaggio with other players (McCarthy and Erickson, respectively), and most hobby purists prefer a standard size baseball card as opposed to its oversized piers.
DiMaggio’s exploits on a baseball diamond as well as his iconic “off the field” stature will echo for eternity, justifying why this seldom surfacing high grade rookie card that shares the spotlight with a single other specimen as the “best of the rest” merits an eternal resting place in any “World Class” collection!