This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/4/2020
In 1941, Gum Inc. released the final set of their Play Ball trilogy, similar to their black-and-white photographed predecessor but with the fronts printed in color, often just using colorized versions of the player’s 1940 card. Trimmed down from 240 issued cards in the 1940 set, the ’41 Play Ball version contains just 72 cards and can occasionally be found in their original 12-card sheets. While small in size, the 1941 Play Ball set was big in star power, with popular issues of Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx, Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, and the rookie card of Pee Wee Reese, among others. For Greenberg, Williams, and DiMaggio, this would be their last largely manufactured issue before temporarily leaving baseball to serve the United States in the war effort. The offered 1941 Play Ball complete set ranks #15 on the PSA Set Registry, boasting a rating of 6.05 with each card graded PSA 6 except for #1 Miller, 32, 41, and 66, which are graded PSA 7, and #21 and 33, graded PSA 6.5. A tremendous mid to upper-grade assemblage of the last mainstream production prior to World War II.