What better way to celebrate the MLB All-Star Game than
select a 6x All-Star for this month’s Vintage Card of the Month?
This month I am going with Charlie Gehringer, the pride of
Detroit. The card spells his name "Charley" but he actually spelled it "Charlie" and signed his autographs "Chas.". Over his 18 year career, all with the Tigers, he had a .320 batting
average, 2,839 hits, 184 home runs, 6 All-Star selections, an AL MVP (1937), an
AL Batting Championship (1937), 3 AL Pennants and 1 World Series Championship
(1935). Gehringer was almost automatic when it came to hitting, Lefty Gomez
called him the Mechanical Man, Doc Cramer said “You wind him up Opening Day and
forget him” and Mickey Cochrane said “Charlie says Hello on Opening Day,
Goodbye on Closing Day and in between hit .350”
This was the first 1933 Goudey card that I ever bought, besides
being Gehringer, because of the history and wear on the card. On the front
right between the “Charley” and “Gehringer” is a pin hole. The reason I enjoy
the vintage cards is because of the history attached, I just imagine a kid my
son’s age pulling this card out of a gum pack in 1933 and tacking it up in
their room. Besides rounded corners and 80 years of wear the card looks pretty
good, it has stood the test of time.
The back is a different story, besides the pin hole right
through the card number the back has scuffing at the top and staining all over
but otherwise it is still legible and has strong colors.
The 1939 Goudey baseball cards, designate R319 in catalogs,
is one of my favorite vintage cards. The colors and illustrations are so bright
and they are still pretty easy to find. Lower grade cards of lesser known
player can be found under $25, the big name players run in the thousands. A top
graded Ruth or Gehrig can cost you the price of a car possibly even as high as
$50,000-70,000.
Awesome card. Just the right amount of wear for Chas.
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