In the spring and summer of 1941, life was simple. The war that would turn the nation upside down for the next four years was still months away. For a penny, you could get a piece of gum and two baseball cards at the local drug store. The 1941 Play Ball set is remembered fondly as the last major issue until World War II had been over for nearly three years. When the war started, American business was told to conserve everything—including paper to fight the Axis powers. This week we’re offering 16 nice graded cards from this very popular issue. Ranging in grade from 5 to 7, these represent more than 1/5 of the set. We have a Hank Greenberg, Jimmie Fox and Lefty Gomez as well as a few of the slightly more difficult high numbers that were issued with this 72-card set.
Unlike the company’s 1939 and ’40 issues, the ’41 Play Ball set featured color pictures, with a pastel-type look that brought the players to life. Some of the photos in the set are the same ones used in the black and white 1940 set. A clean and simple design evokes memories of a different era and there are many great portraits of the players of the day, several of whom are represented in our listings. The card backs have an extensive biography of the player pictured on the front. Despite the fact that several Hall of Famers are in the set, including Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams, the set’s relatively small size makes it an attractive goal for set collectors. After all, we wouldn’t see them again for quite awhile. Even if you don’t chase the entire set, the ’41 Play Ball issue is an important one in hobby history and owning at least one should be the goal of any collector.
