1934-1936 Diamond Stars

Sunday, October 20, 2024

#100 Earle Averill - Cleveland Indians

Howard Earl Averill

Cleveland Indians

Outfield

Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 5'9" Weight: 172

Born: May 21, 1902, Snohomish, WA

Major League Teams: Cleveland Indians 1929-39; Detroit Tigers 1939-40; Boston Braves 1941

World Series Appearances: Detroit Tigers 1940

Died: August 16, 1983, Everett, WA (81)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1975

Earl Averill patrolled center field for the Indians for over a decade, making the All-Star team in six consecutive seasons between 1933 and 1938. He's the only American League outfielder to be named to each of the first six All-Star Games. A power hitter who also hit for average, Averill hit at least 30 home runs in three seasons, and drove in at least 100 runs in five different seasons. He collected a career-high 143 RBIs in 1931, finishing third in the league behind Lou Gehrig (#130) and Babe Ruth (#110). Averill batted over .330 in five seasons, attaining a career high in 1936 with a .368 average. That season he led the American League in hits (232) and triples (15). Dealt to the Tigers in July 1939, Averill saw his only postseason action with Detroit in 1940. Upon his retirement, he had 2,019 hits, a .318 career average, 238 home runs and 1,164 RBIs. Averill still tops the Indians' all-time leaders list for runs (1,154), RBIs (1,084) and triples (121), and he's second on the all-time franchise list for hits (1,965, behind Nap Lajoie with 2,052 hits) and doubles (424, behind Tris Speaker with 486).

Averill's #3 was retired by the Indians in 1975, the same year the Veteran's Committee inducted him into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Building the Set

October 15, 2024 from Tempe, AZ (Desert Ice Sports) - Card #110

With only a handful of cards to go to complete my version of a master Diamond Stars set, I've come to the conclusion I have three potential avenues to completion. The first option is to shell out the cash and finish what I've started. The second option is to fill the missing spaces in the set with reprint cards. Once a cringe-worthy idea to me as a baseball card set collector, it's now a possibility worthy of consideration. The third option is to go after beat up, lesser quality, well-loved versions of these cards.

I combined the first and third options to acquire this Averill card. It had been on my eBay watch list for quite a while, and the word "Poor" in the item description likely kept a lot of potential buyers away. Now in hand, the card isn't that bad. I made what I considered a somewhat aggressive offer to the seller one afternoon while taking a break at work, with a "well, it can't hurt" the attitude. Much to my surprise, the seller accepted my offer the next day and the card was soon on its way from Desert Ice Sports in Tempe to me on the East Coast. I have nine more cards to go, and they're all high price tag cards.

Variations Available

1 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1935 copyright

The Card / Indians Team Set

This is the second Averill card in the set, with the outfielder first appearing on card #35. The final 12 cards in the Diamond Stars set, released as part of series three in 1936, contain the exact same photos and players as earlier cards from the set. This card has the same text on the back as his earlier card, save for his 1935 statistics at the bottom replacing his 1934 statistics. Also, the ink on the back of card #100 is blue, similar to all cards from the third series.

I'm assuming this card can be considered an uncorrected error, as National Chicle added the E to the end of Averill's first name on the card. The tip on the back gives a batter bunting tips, which seemed odd to place on the card of a power hitter like Averill. But he did own 55 career sacrifices, including a career-high 17 in his rookie season of 1929.

1936 Season

Averill was again an All-Star for the Indians, and he'd lead the American League in hits (232) and triples (15), as mentioned above. As one of the Tribe's top offensive players, Averill batted .378 with 28 home runs and 126 RBIs. His batting average gave him a second place finish in the league behind Luke Appling (#95), who had a .388 mark. Averill finished third in the postseason MVP voting, behind winner Gehrig and Appling. Averill batted third and played center field on August 23rd, the day Bob Feller (#128) made his first big league start for the Indians, pitching a complete game victory over the Browns.

Phillies Connection

Averill's son, Earl Douglas Averill, also played in the majors between 1956 and 1963 with the Indians, Cubs, White Sox, Angels and Phillies. Primarily a catcher, the younger Averill was dealt to the Phillies from the Angels on December 11, 1962 for outfielder Jacke Davis. Averill was used almost exclusively as a pinch-hitter by the Phillies in 1963, appearing in 47 games with 27 of those appearances coming in the pinch-hitter role. He batted .268 with three home runs and eight RBIs for the Phillies, playing in his final major league game on September 26, 1963.

1929-30 R315

1933 Goudey #194

1933 Tattoo Orbit (R305)

1939 Play Ball #143

1961 Fleer Baseball Greats #5

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card: 1929-30 R315

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0): N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2018 Panini Diamond Kings #38

253 - Averill non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 10/17/24.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
National Baseball Hall of Fame
The Phillies Room
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card: #99 "Pie" Traynor - Pittsburgh Pirates

Next Card: #101 Dick Bartell - New York Giants

Sunday, October 6, 2024

#108 Wally Berger - Boston Bees

Walter Anton Berger

Boston Bees

Outfield

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6'2" Weight: 198

Born: October 10, 1905, Chicago, IL

Major League Teams: Boston Braves 1931-35; Boston Bees 1936-37; New York Giants 1937-38; Cincinnati Reds 1938-40; Philadelphia Phillies 1940

World Series Appearances: New York Giants 1937; Cincinnati Reds 1939

Died: November 30, 1988, Redondo Beach, CA (83)

Wally Berger enjoyed a solid multi-year run in the early 1930s in which he was the top player for the Boston Braves/Bees franchise, earning MVP votes in each season between 1932 and 1936. Berger hit 38 home runs in his rookie season of 1930, a record for rookies that stood until 1987 when broken by Mark McGwire, and he drove in 119 RBIs, a National League rookie record that was in place until surpassed by Albert Pujols in 2001. Berger was a four-time All-Star and the National League's starting center fielder in the inaugural All-Star Game in 1933. Of the 18 players who started the 1934 All-Star Game, Berger is the only one not currently in the Hall of Fame. He never topped the 38 home runs he hit in 1930, but he led the league in 1935 with 34 home runs and a career-high 130 RBIs. Shoulder and hand injuries suffered during the 1936 season hurt his power numbers in subsequent years, and Berger would retire following a final season in the minors in 1941, playing for the Cubs' top affiliate, the Los Angeles Angels.

Upon his retirement, Berger owned a career .300 average with 242 home runs and 898 RBIs, with his home run tally 12th on the all-time list following the 1940 season. He briefly scouted with the Giants and Yankees in the late 1940s before leaving baseball for good.

Building the Set

September 21, 2024 from Nashville, TN (Burl's Sports) - Card #109

Seller Burl's Sports had this card listed on eBay recently, and I don't think it had been listed over the summer the last time I searched for the 11 cards I still need for my version of a Diamond Stars master set. I made an offer on the card, which was quickly accepted by the seller. Even though the card was slabbed, it still had to go through the eBay authentication process, which seems a bit redundant. After eBay confirmed that yes, this is a real baseball card, it eventually made its way to me.

With the arrival of this Berger card, I'm down to 10 cards to go. I've recently started at least thinking through the idea of foregoing the final 10 cards and having them represented in my set by reprints. These are all fairly pricey cards I need and I could see myself adding one or maybe two a year for the foreseeable future, or just simply satisfying myself with reprints and moving on to my next set collecting quest. A family friend of mine recently went this route with his 1959 Topps set, opting for reprints of the Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays cards as he couldn't justify those cards' price tags. He had fun collecting 570 out of the 572 cards in that set and then decided he was close enough. I initially hated that idea conceptually, but 10 cards away from a complete Diamond Stars set, I kind of get it now.

Variations Available

1 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1935 copyright

The Card / Bees Team Set

This is the second Berger card in the set, with the outfielder first appearing on card #25. The final 12 cards in the Diamond Stars set, released as part of series three in 1936, contain the exact same photos and players as earlier cards from the set. Berger's card needed some extra attention, removing the Braves word mark from the front of his jersey since Boston switched to the Bees nickname for their 1936 season. This card has the same text on the back as his earlier card, save for his 1935 statistics at the bottom replacing his 1934 statistics. Also, the ink on the back of card #108 is blue, similar to all cards from the third series.

The back of the card gives a few tips to aspiring batters on how best to stride toward a pitch and what do with your arms while swinging.

1936 Season

Berger was named to his fourth consecutive All-Star team in 1936, although his production for the Bees declined a little from his monster year in 1935. Berger appeared in 138 games, batting .288 with 25 home runs and 91 RBIs. A shoulder and hand injury cut into his playing time, with Berger making 133 starts in center field for the Bees.

Phillies Career

On May 10, 1940, the Reds released Berger and the now veteran outfielder signed with the Phillies five days later on May 15th. Berger had held out for a higher salary with the Reds in the spring, after hitting 14 home runs for the team during their pennant-winning 1939 season.

The Reds ultimately relented, but Berger received minimal playing time and his release came as a surprise. Berger appeared in 20 games for the Phillies, hitting a respectable .317 (13 for 41), including his final career home run on June 5th against Cubs pitcher Larry French. Not receiving any playing time, Berger requested his release from the club, which was granted on July 5th.

1933 Goudey #98

1933 Tattoo Orbit (R305)

1936 Goudey

1939 Play Ball #99

1940 Play Ball #81

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card: 1933 Goudey #98

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0): N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Conlon Collection TSN #1098

90 - Berger non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 9/30/24.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card: #107 Stanley Hack - Chicago Cubs

Next Card: #2 Al Simmons - Detroit Tigers (Variation)

Sunday, August 4, 2024

#98 "Schoolboy" Rowe - Detroit Tigers

Lynwood Thomas Rowe

Detroit Tigers

Pitcher

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 6'4" Weight: 210

Born: January 11, 1910, Waco, TX

Major League Teams: Detroit Tigers 1933-42; Brooklyn Dodgers 1942; Philadelphia Phillies 1943, 1946-49

World Series Appearances: Detroit Tigers 1934-35, 1940

Died: January 8, 1961, El Dorado, AR (50)

While playing on an adult baseball team while a 15-year-old high school student, Lynnwood Rowe was given the nickname "Schoolboy," and the moniker stuck throughout his career. Superstitious and a fan-favorite, Rowe was a star pitcher for the Tigers in the mid-1930s, winning a career-high 24 games in 1934 and following that up with consecutive 19-win seasons in 1935 and 1936. Rowe was second in the league in strikeouts with 140 in 1935, and recorded a career-high 149 strikeouts in 1934. He was named to both the 1935 and 1936 American League All-Star teams. He started four games for the Tigers in the 1934 and 1935 World Series, as the team lost to the Cardinals in seven games in 1934, but won the Championship in six games over the Cubs in 1935. In Game 2 of the 1934 Series, he pitched a 12-inning complete game for the win. Rowe was 2-3 with a 2.76 ERA over 42 1/3 innings pitched in those two Series, to go along with 26 strikeouts. A threat at the plate too, he batted .307 with five home runs in 1934 and 1935.

Shoulder pain and related injuries began to take a toll on Rowe beginning in 1937, although he rebounded in 1940 to go 16-3 with a 3.46 ERA for the pennant-winning Tigers. He'd be limited to pitching in only 55 games between 1942 and 1946, due his injuries and two years of service in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Finishing up his career with the Phillies, Rowe won at least 10 games each season between 1946 and 1948 and made his final All-Star team in 1947. He retired with a career record of 158-101 and an ERA of 3.87 with 913 strikeouts. Rowe batted .263 for his career with 18 home runs and 153 RBIs. He served as the Tigers pitching coach in 1954 and 1955.

Building the Set

August 1, 2024 from Valley View, OH (Stan's Vintage Sports Cards) - Card #108

The seventh card added to our Diamond Stars set in 2024, the addition of this card put me 11 cards away from my version of a master set. I knew adding the final cards to our set would be tough, and pricey, and I've shied away from recent eBay auctions as most of the opening bids or buy it now prices are way out of my price range.

I made a reasonable offer to the seller, Stan's Vintage Sports Cards, on this card, the seller made a counteroffer, and I quickly accepted. Aesthetically, I wanted to have all these cards in order in the set's binder, but with some of these more expensive cards, I'll likely leave them in their slabs and fill the empty spaces in the binder pages with reprint cards. It could be a little while before I add another card to our set, although I do have several current eBay auctions on my watch list. I'm assuming I'll be able to get better deals and do some more negotiating live, and I'm looking forward to hunting Diamond Stars cards at the upcoming Philly Show in September.

Variations Available

1 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1935 copyright

The Card / Tigers Team Set

This is the second Rowe card in the set, with the pitcher first appearing on card #33. The final 12 cards in the Diamond Stars set, released as part of series three in 1936, contain the exact same photos and players as earlier cards from the set. This card has the same text on the back as his earlier card, save for his 1935 statistics at the bottom replacing his 1934 statistics. Also, the ink on the back of card #98 is blue, similar to all cards from the third series.

The back of the card contains an odd tip, basically telling a pitcher not to aim for the catcher's mitt but rather to aim at some part of the catcher's body other than the mitt. The tip goes on to claim that Rowe not only endorses this tip, but that Rowe himself can't hit a target more than two out of every three times.

1936 Season

Rowe was 19-10 with a 4.51 ERA in 41 appearances for the Tigers, as his club finished in second place behind the Yankees. Tommy Bridges (#5) was the ace of the staff, with 23 wins and a 3.60 ERA. Rowe made his second All-Star Game, and pitched three innings in relief of Lefty Grove (#1), giving up a pair of runs. Battling shoulder pain, Rowe would pitch in only 14 games for the Tigers in 1937 and 1938.

Phillies Career

Rowe was purchased by the Phillies from the Dodgers on March 24, 1943. Now throwing a knuckle ball, he'd appear in 27 games that season for the Phillies, going 14-8 with a 2.94 ERA in 199 innings pitched. Rowe was also the team's top pinch-hitter with 15 pinch-hits in 51 at-bats. After two years in the Navy, Rowe made an impressive comeback in 1946, and was 11-4 with a 2.12 ERA in 17 games pitched. In his first start in nearly two years on April 21, 1946, the 36-year-old Rowe threw an 11-inning complete game, although in a losing effort. He'd win 14 games in 1947 and was named to the National League All-Star team. Rowe would pitch in two more seasons for the Phillies before injuries finally caught up to him, and the team released him following the 1949 season. Rowe would just miss participating in the triumphant march of the Whiz Kids towards the 1950 National League pennant. In 128 games with the Phillies, he was 52-39 with a 3.54 ERA and 245 strikeouts.

1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #184

1935 Goudey 4-in-1 (R321)

1939 Play Ball #60

1949 Bowman #216

1954 Topps #197

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card: 1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #184

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1): 1954

Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1994 Topps Archives 1954 #197

57 - Rowe non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 8/4/24.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card: #97 "Al" Lopez - Boston Bees

Next Card: #99 "Pie" Traynor - Pittsburgh Pirates

Sunday, July 28, 2024

#131 "Bump" Hadley - New York Yankees

Irving Darius Hadley

New York Yankees

Second Base

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'11" Weight: 190

Born: July 5, 1904, Lynn, MA

Major League Teams: Washington Senators 1926-31; Chicago White Sox 1932; St. Louis Browns 1932-34; Washington Senators 1935; New York Yankees 1936-40; New York Giants 1941; Philadelphia Athletics 1941

World Series Appearances: New York Yankees 1936-38, 1939

Died: February 15, 1963, Lynn, MA (58)

"Bump" Hadley excelled in several sports during his schooling in New England that included time at Brown University. He'd join the Senators' organization in 1926 and he'd win at least 10 games in eight of his next nine seasons with the Senators and Browns. Perhaps his best season in the majors came in 1933 with the Browns when Hadley was 15-20 with a 3.92 ERA in a league-leading 316 2/3 innings pitched. Frequently wild, he led the league in walks twice and was typically near the top of the rankings in hit batters. In January 1936, Hadley departed the second division and became a household name in New York when the Yankees acquired him and Roy Johnson from the Senators for Jimmie DeShong and Jesse Hill.

Hadley displayed flashed of brilliance with the Yankees during his five seasons in the Bronx, going 14-4 in his first season with the team in 1936 and leading the league with a .778 winning percentage. Hadley won a pair of games in the World Series for the Yankees, and won four rings overall with the team in the late 1930s. He threw eight shutout innings in Game 3 of the 1936 World Series against the Giants, and was again the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the 1939 World Series against the Reds. He notoriously threw the pitch in 1937 that fractured catcher Mickey Cochrane's (#9) skull, ending the future Hall of Famer's playing career. For his career, Hadley was 161-165 with a 4.24 ERA in 528 games pitched, striking out 1,318 and walking 1,442 in 2,945 2/3 innings.

Header cards included with the complete set
Building the Set

December 16, 2020 from Albion, NY

Within days of officially deciding to collect the Diamond Stars set, I found myself searching for the 1993 extension set consisting of 36 more "what if" cards this time issued by the Chicle Fantasy Company. Individual cards from this set are very prevalent on eBay, but I wanted to buy a complete set to save myself some time and money. Given this is a relatively modern set, I was somewhat surprised at the closing auction prices for previously sold complete sets and I was happy to win my set at a lower price. These cards are gorgeous, and I can tell a lot of hard work and love for the originals went into making this tribute set. What's more, the set's creators were smart enough to start the numbering with card #121, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.

Variations Available

1 - 1993 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1993 copyright

The Card / Yankees Team Set

I believe that's future Hall Famer and Yankees' catcher Bill Dickey (#11) making a cameo behind Hadley on the front of the card. The write-up on the back explains how Hadley first earned a spot start following an illness to Lefty Gomez (#118). This would have been on May 16, 1936, when Hadley pitched a complete game victory over the White Sox to improve to 2-1. His record stood at 11-1 following another complete game win over the Senators on August 12th.

1936 Season

In his first season with the Yankees, Hadley pitched in 31 games, making 17 starts and throwing 173 2/3 innings. He was the fifth starter on the pennant-winning team, with Red Ruffing (#60), Monte Pearson, Johnny Broaca and Gomez all ahead of him in games started. Hadley's first Yankee roommate was rookie prospect Joe DiMaggio (#126). Not only was Hadley an asset on the mound, his sign-stealing skills came in handy throughout the season as well.

1929 Kashin Publications (R316)

1933 Goudey #140

1933 Tattoo Orbit (R305)

1938 Goudey Heads-Up #251

1961 Fleer Baseball Greats #111

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card: 1929 Kashin Publications (R316)

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0): N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1992 Conlon Collection TSN #508

35 - Hadley non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 7/26/24.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card: #130 Lou Gehrig - New York Yankees

Next Card: #132 Jesse Haines - St. Louis Cardinals

Sunday, May 26, 2024

#129 Carl Fischer - Buffalo Bisons

Charles William Fischer

Buffalo Bisons

Pitcher

Bats: Right Throws: Left Height: 6'0" Weight: 180

Born: November 5, 1905, Medina, NY

Major League Teams: Washington Senators 1930-1932; St. Louis Browns 1932; Detroit Tigers 1933-1935; Chicago White Sox 1935; Cleveland Indians 1937; Washington Senators 1937

As a Manager: XX

Died: December 10, 1963, Medina, NY (58)

Known for a fiery disposition on the mound, Carl Fischer pitched in parts of 23 seasons professionally, never quite reaching the full potential expected from him when he made his big league debut in 1930. Fischer joined the Senators' rotation in 1931, going 13-9 with a 4.38 ERA in 46 games, including 23 starts. His wildness was a problem from the start of his career, and in 1932 he collected 76 walks to just 58 strikeouts. His best season came in 1933 with the Tigers, when he was 11-15 with a 3.55 ERA in 35 games, striking out 93 over 182 2/3 innings pitched. When the Tigers reached the World Series in 1934, manager Mickey Cochrane (#9) opted not to use Fischer in any of the seven games, as the Cardinals won the Championship.

Fischer bounced around quite a bit between 1935 and his final season in professional baseball, 1947. He had several solid years with the Seattle Rainers in the Pacific Coast League, winning 16 games in 1944 and 17 games in 1945, but no major league team came in search of his services. In seven big league seasons, Fischer was 46-50 with a 4.63 ERA in 191 games pitched. In 18 minor league seasons, and given the information available, he was 164-149 in 454 games pitched, with 738 strikeouts . . . and 907 walks.

Building the Set

December 16, 2020 from Albion, NY

Variations Available

1 - 1993 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1993 copyright

The Card

The only minor league card in the 1993 extension set, it's nice to see one of the "unknown to me" players of the 1930s get some recognition. Fischer is shown wearing a Bisons uniform with the team's logo in the upper right-hand corner. The write-up on the back accurately predicts his return to the majors, although Fischer would pitch in only two games for the Indians in 1937 and 17 games for the Senators that same summer.

1936 Season

The White Sox demoted Fischer to their top farm team in Kansas City to start the 1936 season. He pitched for Kansas City and St. Paul before the White Sox gave up and sold Fischer to the Buffalo Bisons in the International League. Fischer was stellar with the Bisons, going 13-2 with a 4.10 ERA in 20 games, and he got his wildness under control as he struck out 101 while walking only 38. On September 9th, the Indians purchased Fischer from Buffalo for $10,000 and Fischer would begin the 1937 season in Cleveland.

1934 Diamond
Matchbooks (U1)

1943 Centennial Flour
Seattle Rainers

1992 Conlon Collection
TSN #409

Other Notable Baseball Cards

First Mainstream Card: 1934 Diamond Matchbooks (U1)

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0): N/A

Most Recent Mainstream Card: 1992 Conlon Collection TSN #409

12 - Fischer non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 5/25/24.

Sources:

Baseball Reference
Beckett Database
SABR
The Trading Card Database

Wikipedia

Previous Card: #128 Bob Feller - Cleveland Indians

Next Card: #130 Lou Gehrig - New York Yankees

Sunday, May 12, 2024

#74 Tony Lazzeri - New York Yankees

Anthony Michael Lazzeri

New York Yankees

Second Base

Bats: Right Throws: Right Height: 5'11" Weight: 170

Born: December 6, 1903, San Francisco, CA

Major League Teams: New York Yankees 1926-1937; Chicago Cubs 1938; Brooklyn Dodgers 1939; New York Giants 1939

World Series Appearances: New York Yankees 1926-1928, 1932, 1936-1937; Chicago Cubs 1938

Died: August 6, 1946, San Francisco, CA (42)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1991

A member of the Yankees' "Murderer's Row," and a slugging, good-fielding second baseman, Tony Lazzeri spent 14 seasons in the majors, winning five World Series rings between 1927 and 1937. Lazzeri secured the everyday second baseman's job with the Yankees in 1926, holding that position for a dozen years. In 1927, he batted .309 with 102 RBIs, finishing third in the league with 18 home runs, behind his teammates Babe Ruth (#109) and Lou Gehrig (#130). He batted a career-best .354 in 1929, while tying his career high with 18 home runs. Lazzeri would hit exactly 18 home runs in four different seasons, and he'd eclipse the 100 RBI plateau in seven seasons. He set an American League record with 11 RBIs on May 24, 1936, becoming the first player to hit two grand slams in one game.

Lazzeri finished up his major league career with brief stints with the Cubs, Dodgers and Giants. He collected 1,840 hits, batting .292 with 178 home runs and 1,194 RBIs. Between 1940 and 1943, he was a player-manager in the minor leagues. Lazzeri was inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee in 1991, and despite being overshadowed by his superstar teammates, he's considered one of the best second basemen of his era.

Building the Set

April 25, 2024 from Bayville, NY (Johnny Hustle Card Co.) - Card #107

I added this card to my eBay watch list in April, and shortly thereafter received a $50 off offer from the seller, jhustle1. I'm now 12 cards away from my version of a Diamond Stars master set. The elusive cards needed include five pricey Hall of Famers and seven cards from the hard-to-find (and also pricey) third series. I still have 16 cards to feature from the 1993 and 2014 extended sets, but this blog could go dormant from time to time as I continue the search for the last 12 cards.

Variations Available

1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright

2 - 1935 / blue back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright ✅

3 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1935 copyright

Cards 73 through 84 were issued in 1935 with either green or blue ink on the back and statistics from 1934. These same 12 cards were issued again in 1936 with blue ink on the back and statistics from 1935. The Lazzeri card for my set is the second of the three variations available.

The Card / Yankees Team Set

I'd consider this one of the more iconic cards in the set, as I've long seen this card as a representation of key baseball cards from the 1930s. The colors, the art deco geometry and the two waving flags behind Lazzeri are a nice touch by National Chicle. The back of the card credits Lazzeri for being "one of the best taggers in the game," and explains the proper way to prepare for a catcher's throw to catch a would-be base stealer.

To date, and with his induction in 1991, Lazzeri is the 37th and final player in the set to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

1935 Season

Lazzeri played in 130 games for the Yankees, batting .273 with 13 home runs and 83 RBIs. His RBI tally was third on the team behind Gehrig, who had 120, and George Selkirk (#88), who had 94. The Yankees finished in second place in the American League, three games behind the pennant-winning Tigers.