This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/12/2021
Moved to the outfield because of his erratic arm, DiMaggio hit .340 and set a PCL record by hitting in 61 straight games. In 1934, he hit .341, but a knee injury that sidelined him in August made major-league teams leery of signing him. The Yankees offered to buy his contract for $25,000 and five players, but with the contingency that he remains with the Seals in 1935 to prove he was healthy. DiMaggio made a convincing case by hitting .398, with 34 homers and 154 runs batted in. In 1936, only two years after the departure of Babe Ruth, the heralded rookie came to spring training facing big expectations. Writing in The Sporting News on March 26, Dan Daniel noted, “Yankee fans regard him as the Moses who is to lead their club out of the second-place wilderness. . ..”It didn’t take long for the rookie to make his mark. Halfway through the season, when he was hitting around .350 and had started in right field in the All-Star Game, his photo was on the cover of Time magazine. For the year he hit .323 with 29 homers and drove in 125 runs. Graded NM/MT 8 by PSA. The featured pasteboard offers up Joe D on his first appearance on a Play Ball release. Four stellar upper-end corners are the highlight of this exceptional card. The visual appearance is a precise presentation with a crisp pronouncement of contrast within the image. The surface is near perfection with no disturbances on either the front or the reverse of this exceptional card. The centering is shifted ever so slightly to the left which may be the one reason the card didn't warrant a higher assessment. A terrific example of this ever-popular card that should be in every serious vintage collection.