1941 Play Ball

1941 Play Ball Paper Sheet

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Christie’s offered this extremely scarce 1941 Play Ball paper sheet of twelve cards in their October 1993 catalog. It was expected to sell for $750-$1,000.

With cardboard being a critical commodity leading up to the US involvement in World War II, Play Ball issued a 24-card paper version of their 1941 baseball set. The “cards” were issued in two 12-card sheets. A scarce test issue to begin with, these cards were more fragile than their cardboard counterparts, which has made them increasingly difficult to find. 

In the lot’s description, Christie’s wrote that in 1941, Gum Inc. produced two paper proof sheets. The lot pictured above had twelve cards, numbered 1 to 12, printed on thin paper stock. This one was described as being in near-mint condition.

Heritage Auctions sold another copy of the same paper uncut sheet for $720 in May 2019.

And in August 2023, Huggins and Scott offered both sheets, but the current/final price shows “0.00” after opening at $500, so perhaps it got pulled.

1941 Play Ball High Numbers Uncut Panel Including DiMaggio

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1941 Play Ball uncut panels aren’t as rare as you’d think; strips seem to be popping up for sale pretty regularly these days, but I still think this one featuring DiMaggio, Gomez, Case, and Dickey is cool.

Mastro auctioned the panel in their April/May 2008 Sports & Americana catalog and included the following description for the item:

The 1941 Play Ball “High Number” series’ four concluding entries are represented in this rare, still-attached quartet panel. The approximately 3-1/8″ × 10″ relic-which contains, from left to right, #’s 71 Joe DiMaggio,
72 Lefty Gomez, 69 George Case and 70 Bill Dickey-is fully printed on both sides and reveals slightly irregular edge cuts. Its colors are fresh and clear, with a trace of scuffing affecting Case’s depiction. Mild evidence of factory handling is largely restricted to the periphery, and there are no discernible creases. Display quality is minimally Excellent. An extraordinary foursome, and virtually never seen in this configuration! Minimum Bid $300

The priciest related item I could find is when REA sold a 1941 Gum Inc. Play Ball Uncut High-Number Proof Sheet for $60k in 2017.