Sunday, March 17, 2024

#2 Al Simmons - Chicago White Sox


Aloysius Harry Simmons
Chicago White Sox
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  190
Born:  May 22, 1902, Milwaukee, WI
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Athletics 1924-1932; Chicago White Sox 1933-1935; Detroit Tigers 1936; Washington Senators 1937-1938; Boston Bees 1939; Cincinnati Reds 1939; Philadelphia Athletics 1940-1941; Boston Red Sox 1943; Philadelphia Athletics 1944
World Series Appearances:  Philadelphia Athletics 1929-1931; Cincinnati Reds 1939
Died:  May 26, 1956, Milwaukee, WI (54)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1953

Outfielder Al Simmons played in 20 big league seasons, batting .334 for his career and winning two World Championships with Connie Mack's (#142) Athletics teams in 1929 and 1930.  Those two Championship seasons coincided with Simmons' best years in the majors.  He collected 253 hits in 1925, a career-high, league-leading and record-setting single season record by a right-handed batter, as the Athletics slowly became an American League powerhouse.  In 1929, Simmons batted .365 with 34 home runs and a league-best 157 RBIs as his team defeated the Cubs in five games in the World Series.  The following season, Simmons won his first batting title with a .381 mark while hitting 36 home runs and collecting 165 RBIs.  The Athletics, with Simmons batting .364 in the World Series, took down the Cardinals in six games.  Another batting title would follow in 1931 with Simmons batting .390.  Another pennant resulted, but the Athletics lost the World Series to the Cardinals, and a slow and steady decline for the franchise began.

Mack sold Simmons to the White Sox in September 1932, and Simmons was the starting center fielder for the American League in the first ever All-Star Game played in 1933.  He'd make the All-Star team again in 1934 and 1935.  Over the final eight seasons of his playing career, Simmons played for six different teams, making two more stops with the Athletics along the way.  He retired having batted over .380 in four different seasons and over .330 in nine seasons.  Simmons' .334 career batting average is currently 27th all-time and his 2,927 hits are 41st all-time.  He had 539 doubles, 307 home runs and 1,828 RBIs.  Simmons was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1953 and he joined the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 1981, inducted as the Athletics' representative alongside Phillies' great Grover Cleveland Alexander.

Building the Set
March 16, 2024 from Jupiter, FL - Card #104
My chosen profession requires working six days a week beginning in January through at least the end of March, and this will be the 26th year I've spent most Saturdays in the early months of the year toiling away.  Our oldest son Doug is in his junior year of high school, and baseball practice has begun in earnest, with scrimmages starting later this week.  My work schedule and Doug's baseball schedule conspired against us traveling to the recent Philly Show last weekend, so I decided to have a baseball card show of my own.  

I was the winning bidder on this Simmons card and the card of fellow Hall of Famer Charlie Gehringer, in auctions from seller 01sham from Jupiter, Florida.  I was the winning and only bidder on both cards, with both having reasonable opening bids.  Given I was the lack of activity on both auctions, an occurrence that's happening a lot more lately, I'm starting to think the pandemic-era boom in vintage baseball cards and set building has finally waned.  That's great news for me, as I don't plan to stop collecting, and the remaining 14 cards needed for my Diamond Stars set are all fairly pricey.

Variations Available
1 - 1934 / green back / 1933 statistics / 1934 copyright
2 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1934 copyright ✅
3 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1934 copyright / no SOX on front of jersey

The Card / White Sox Team Set
This is the first version of Simmons' card produced for the set, featuring the SOX logo prominently on the front of his jersey.  Following his move from Chicago to Detroit (see below), National Chicle removed the SOX logo from the front of Simmons' jersey and referred to his new Tigers team on the back of the card.  The tip on the back of the card discusses the importance of a "long, free follow through" with a batter's power swing.

1935 Season
This was the last of three consecutive All-Star seasons with the White Sox for Simmons.  He made 113 starts in center field, another nine starts in left field, and appeared in 128 games overall.  By his standards, he had an off-year, batting .267 with 16 home runs and 79 RBIs, the first time his RBI total had dipped below 100 in 11 straight seasons.  With the White Sox looking to rebuild, the team sold Simmons to the Tigers on December 10, 1935 for $75,000.

1923-24 Exhibits (W461)
1933 DeLong Gum #2
1933 Goudey #35
1933 Tattoo Orbit (R305)
1960 Fleer Baseball Greats #32

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1923-24 Exhibits (W461)
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2023 Donruss #281

256 - Simmons non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/17/24.


Previous Card:  #1 "Lefty" Grove - Boston Red Sox

Sunday, March 10, 2024

#138 Bob Johnson - Philadelphia Athletics


Robert Lee Johnson
Philadelphia Athletics
Outfield

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  180
Born:  November 26, 1905, Pryor, OK
Major League Teams:  Philadelphia Athletics 1933-1942; Washington Senators 1943; Boston Red Sox 1944-1945
Died:  July 6, 1982, Tacoma, WA (76)

One of the truly unsung stars of his era, Bob Johnson found success as a five-tool threat for the awful Philadelphia A's teams held together by owner/manager Connie Mack (#142) during the mid-1930s to early 1940s.  Nicknamed Indian Bob due to his Cherokee heritage, Johnson made his debut in 1933 and connected for at least 20 home runs in nine straight seasons between 1933 and 1941.  He was an eight-time American League All-Star, finishing in the top ten of every major offensive category during the height of his stardom.  Johnson batted over .300 five times and collected at least 100 RBIs in eight seasons.  Given his substantial output, Johnson ranked at the top of several offensive leaderboards upon his retirement, and he's currently in the top 100 all-time for career on-base percentage (.393), slugging percentage (.506) and walks (1,075).  Johnson's 182 assists as a left fielder are currently fifth all-time.

Johnson batted .296 for his career, with 2,051 hits, 288 home runs and 1,283 RBIs.  Only Johnson and Ichiro Suzuki made their big league debuts at the age of 27 and still collected over 2,000 hits.  Given the departure of the Athletics from Philadelphia, and then Kansas City, and soon Oakland, and the fact Johnson's Athletics teams were cellar dwellers during his time there, he's often overlooked when great  players of his era are mentioned.  He was inducted into the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame in 1964, and the Phillies honored him by inducted him onto the Philadelphia Baseball Wall of Fame in 1989.  Johnson's older brother, Roy Johnson, played for 10 seasons in the majors with the Tigers, Red Sox, Yankees and Bees.

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 #120, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.

As I slowly collect the originals from the 1930s, I'll also highlight each of the cards from these extension sets with their own posts.

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

The Card / Athletics Team Set
From the set's creator himself, as left as a comment on the Leo Durocher (#127) post, Johnson's card was designed based on the style of Goudey's Indian Gum set.  Once I saw that comment, I wanted to tackle this card as my next post.  The card is in fact reminiscent of the style of cards found in the Goudey Indian Gum (R73) set from the 1930s, with its dark blue background and strong shadows.  The write-up on the back highlights Johnson's impressive numbers and surmises Johnson's career numbers would have been even better had he played on a contending team with a few other star hitters.

1936 Season
As the regular left fielder for the Athletics, Johnson had another stellar year, batting .292 with 25 home runs and 121 RBIs, leading the eighth place club in the latter two categories.  The RBI tally was his career high.  Johnson started 131 games in left field, and was pressed into starting 22 games at second base due to a prolonged slump by regular second baseman Al Niemiec.

1934 Goudey #68
 
1934-36 Batter-Up (R318) #20
 
1939 Play Ball #97
 
1941 Play Ball #22
 
1998 Philadelphia Athletics
Historical Society Fan Favorites #45

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934 Goudey #68
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2003 Upper Deck Play Ball - 1941 Reprints #R-19

20 - Johnson non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 3/8/24.

That number of cards is inaccurate given the Beckett database intermingles several different Bob Johnson's in the cards tagged to the original Indian Bob Johnson.

Sources:

Sunday, March 3, 2024

#127 Leo Durocher - St. Louis Cardinals


Leo Ernest Durocher
St. Louis Cardinals
Shortstop

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  160
Born:  July 27, 1905, West Springfield, MA
Acquired:  Purchased by the New York Yankees from the Hartford Senators (Eastern League) for $12,000
Major League Teams:  New York Yankees 1925, 1928-1929; Cincinnati Reds 1930-1933; St. Louis Cardinals 1933-1937; Brooklyn Dodgers 1938-1941, 1943, 1945
World Series Appearances:  New York Yankees 1928; St. Louis Cardinals 1934; New York Giants 1951, 1954
As a Manager:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1939-1946, 1948; New York Giants 1948-1955; Chicago Cubs 1966-1972; Houston Astros 1972-1973
Died:  October 7, 1991, Palm Springs, CA (age 86)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1994

As a player, Leo Durocher relied on his confidence, his cockiness and his fine fielding skills to put together a career that spanned two decades.  He was a member of the Yankees squad that won the World Series in 1928, and the regular shortstop for the Bronx Bombers in the early 1930s.  He won another World Series title with the Cardinals in 1934, and he'd find regular work as the starting shortstop for the Cardinals and the Dodgers throughout the 1930s.  Durocher was named to three All-Star teams, including in 1936 when he batted a career-best .286 for the Cardinals.  A light hitter throughout his career, he finished his playing days with 1,320 hits and a .247 lifetime average.

As a manager, Durocher, nicknamed "The Lip," was credited with the phrase, "Nice guys finish last."  He skippered the Dodgers from 1939 to 1946 and was set to welcome Jackie Robinson to the majors when then Commissioner Happy Chandler suspended him for associating with gamblers.  Durocher returned in 1948 as the manager of the Giants, leading the team to pennants in 1951 and 1954.  The Giants swept the Indians in the 1954 World Series, giving Durocher his third World Series ring.  He'd win a fourth ring in 1963 as a coach with the Dodgers.  Upon his retirement, he ranked fifth all-time among major league managers with 2,008 wins.  His 100 career ejections trailed only John McGraw upon his retirement, and has since been surpassed by Bobby Cox, who was ejected 162 times.  Durocher was inducted posthumously into the Hall of Fame in 1994.

Some text for this post originally appeared on my 1969 Topps blog.

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 #120, given the 1981 extension set had left off with #120.

As I slowly collect the originals from the 1930s, I'll also highlight each of the cards from these extension sets with their own posts.

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

The Card / Cardinals Team Set
That's Dizzy Dean (#124) and manager Frankie Frisch (#17) flanking Durocher in a great pose showing the "All-American Out" exiting the dugout.  Durocher appears to be a victim of a hot foot, likely executed by Dean, and he's moments away from wondering why his sock is suddenly so hot.  The scene may have been inspired by the photo shown above with Dean and Frisch standing on either side of Cardinals' general manager Branch Rickey in 1934.  The write-up on the back of the card is fantastic and covers all the highlights of Durocher's career to date.  It also presciently points toward his future as a big league manager.

1936 Season
This was to be one of Durocher's strongest seasons at the plate.  In 136 games, including 135 starts at shortstop, he batted .286 with 22 doubles and 58 RBIs.  He was the starting shortstop for the National League All-Stars, going 1 for 3 in the game with a single off Lefty Grove (#1).  Durocher was thrown out at second by American League center fielder Earl Averill (#35), trying to stretch the single into a double.

1933 Goudey #147
1939 Play Ball #6
1952 Topps #315
1969 Topps #147
1973 Topps #624

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1933 Goudey #147
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (8):  1952, 1967-1973
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2018 Panini Diamond Kings #31

304 - Durocher non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 11/19/23.

Sources:

Previous Card:  #126 "Joe" DiMaggio - New York Yankees

Sunday, February 25, 2024

#117 Linus Frey - Brooklyn Dodgers


Linus Reinhard Frey
Brooklyn Dodgers
Second Base

Bats:
  Left  Throws:  Right  Height:  5'10"  Weight:  160
Born:  August 23, 1910, St. Louis, MO
Major League Teams:  Brooklyn Dodgers 1933-1936; Chicago Cubs 1937; Cincinnati Reds 1938-1943, 1946; Chicago Cubs 1947; New York Yankees 1947-1948; New York Giants 1948
World Series Appearances:  Cincinnati Reds 1939-1940; New York Yankees 1947
Died:  September 13, 2009, Coeur d'Alene, ID (99)

Lonny Frey was a veteran of 14 major league seasons, finding his most success as the All-Star second baseman for the Reds in the late 1930s and early 1940s.  Frey spent his first four seasons with the Dodgers, struggling defensively at shortstop and batting as a switch-hitter.  He led the league twice in errors in 1935 and 1936.  Joining the Reds in 1939, Frey abandoned switch-hitting and moved to second base, where he proved to be one of the league's best second baseman, with the glove and the bat, of his era.  Frey was an All-Star in 1939, 1941 and 1943, leading the league with 22 stolen bases in 1940 and in fielding percentage in 1941 and 1943.  He helped lead the Reds to the World Series in 1939 and 1940, missing most of the victorious 1940 series after he had dropped the iron lid of the dugout water cooler on his foot.  Frey missed all of 1944 and 1945 while serving in the military during World War II, and upon his return in 1946 he settled in as a back-up and pinch-hitter for three more seasons.

1935-36 Diamond
Matchbooks (U3-1)
Frey collected 1,482 hits and batted .269 in 1,535 big league games.  He scored 848 runs, collected 263 doubles and 105 stolen bases.  He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1961 and was selected as the Reds' all-time best second baseman during the team's centennial celebration in 1969.

Building the Set
December 11, 2020 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards)
On the night I impulsively decided to collect the original Diamond Stars set, and I subsequently purchased the Harvey Hendrick (#41) card from Kit Young Cards, I also added the complete, and first, extended set to my cart for the very reasonable price of $7.50.  The 12 cards in this first extended set were originally issued in 1981.

In the early 1980s, a family member of a former National Chicle employee discovered an uncut sheet of 12 unused cards presumably meant as a 1937 continuation of the Diamond Stars set.  As originally advertised, and as mentioned on the back of every card issued, the company had intended for the set to contain 240 subjects.  They only produced 108 cards before production was halted, and the theory is this newly found sheet represented a "lost" continuation of the set.  Fortunately, the images of the cards made their way into the collecting world and a 12-card "what if" set was created.  (More on the uncut sheet can be found here from SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee and from this Ryan Cracknell article for Beckett.)

The Beckett online database lists the set as "1981 Diamond Stars Continuation Den's" and the set's description notes "This set was created and produced by Denny Eckes.  Hobbyist Mike Galella was involved in bringing this sheet to the the public.  These cards were originally available from the producer for $3."  The back of the cards have a 1981 copyright attributed to Den's Collectors Den, the company belonging to the aforementioned Eckes.  I found the ad shown here within the pages of the The Sport Americana Baseball Card Price Guide, published in 1982.

The 12 cards include more ambitious geometric designs than the original Diamond Stars cards,  although the overall color template remains the same as their 1934 to 1936 counterparts.

Variations Available
1 - 1981 / blue back / 1936 statistics / 1981 copyright

The Card / Dodgers Team Set
While Linus was his given first name, Frey preferred the nickname Lonny.  The photo used here was first seen back in the 1935-36 Diamond Matchbooks (U3-1) set, shown above.  The back of the card gives a tip on cheating up as a middle infielder, which speeds up potential double plays.  The text, written in the early 1980s, is somewhat incorrect in identifying Frey as a second sacker at this stage of his career, as he was still a regular shortstop.  Frey made 116 starts at shortstop and 26 starts at second base for the Dodgers in 1936.

1937 Season
On December 5, 1936, the Dodgers traded Frey to the Cubs for Woody English and Roy Henshaw.  Frey's first stint with the Cubs lasted only one season, and he filled in as a back-up at second base, shortstop, third base and left field.  He batted .278 in 78 games, with a home run and 22 RBIs.  On February 4, 1938, the Cubs sold Frey to the Reds, beginning the best stretch of his career.

1934 Goudey #89
1939 Play Ball #161
1940 Play Ball #76
1941 Double Play #5
1993 Conlon Collection TSN #812

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1934 Goudey #89
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1993 Conlon Collection TSN #812

38 - Frey non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/4/24.

Sources:

Next Card: #118 Vernon Gomez - New York Yankees

Sunday, February 18, 2024

#115 Gene Moore - Boston Bees


Eugene Moore
Boston Bees
Outfield

Bats:
  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  5'11"  Weight:  175
Born:  August 26, 1909, Lancaster, TX
Major League Teams:  Cincinnati Reds 1931;  St. Louis Cardinals 1933-1935; Boston Bees 1936-1938; Brooklyn Dodgers 1939-1940; Boston Bees 1940; Boston Braves 1941; Washington Senators 1942-1943; St. Louis Browns 1944-1945
World Series Appearances:  St. Louis Browns 1944
Died:  March 12, 1978, Jackson, MS (68)

Slugger Gene Moore played in 14 major league seasons, finding his most success as a member of the Boston Bees between 1936 and 1938.  Moore played sparingly for the Reds and Cardinals between 1931 and 1935, finally getting a chance as an everyday player with the Bees in 1936 as their regular right fielder.  Moore batted .290 that season with 13 home runs and 67 RBIs.  A year later he'd be named to the National League All-Star team and reach career highs in both home runs (16) and RBIs (70).  Moore had a strong throwing arm and twice led all outfielders in assists in 1936 and 1937.  He continued to find regular playing time into the mid-1940s, finishing up his career with the Browns with two straight seasons of at least 50 RBIs in 1944 and 1945.  Moore saw his only World Series action in 1944 with the Browns, but his team fell to the city rival Cardinals in six games.  In 1,042 major league games, Moore collected 958 hits and batted .270, with 58 home runs and 436 RBIs.

Building the Set
December 11, 2020 from San Diego, CA (Kit Young Cards)
On the night I impulsively decided to collect the original Diamond Stars set, and I subsequently purchased the Harvey Hendrick (#41) card from Kit Young Cards, I also added the complete, and first, extended set to my cart for the very reasonable price of $7.50.  The 12 cards in this first extended set were originally issued in 1981.

In the early 1980s, a family member of a former National Chicle employee discovered an uncut sheet of 12 unused cards presumably meant as a 1937 continuation of the Diamond Stars set.  As originally advertised, and as mentioned on the back of every card issued, the company had intended for the set to contain 240 subjects.  They only produced 108 cards before production was halted, and the theory is this newly found sheet represented a "lost" continuation of the set.  Fortunately, the images of the cards made their way into the collecting world and a 12-card "what if" set was created.  (More on the uncut sheet can be found here from SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee and from this Ryan Cracknell article for Beckett.)

Another great article was recently published to SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee website taking a closer look at these extended cards.

The Beckett online database lists the set as "1981 Diamond Stars Continuation Den's" and the set's description notes "This set was created and produced by Denny Eckes.  Hobbyist Mike Galella was involved in bringing this sheet to the the public.  These cards were originally available from the producer for $3."  The back of the cards have a 1981 copyright attributed to Den's Collectors Den, the company belonging to the aforementioned Eckes.

The 12 cards include more ambitious geometric designs than the original Diamond Stars cards,  although the overall color template remains the same as their 1934 to 1936 counterparts.

Variations Available
1 - 1981 / blue back / 1936 statistics / 1981 copyright

The Card / Bees Team Set
Boston's National League team changed its name to the Bees between 1936 and 1940, but the back of this card still refers to Moore's team as the Braves.  As has been the case with all of these extended cards from 1981, the write-up on the back stays true to the spirit of the original Diamond Stars cards.  Moore's card contains a tip for being ready, but relaxed, in the outfield, ready to react to a batted ball "with the carck of the bat."

1937 Season
As mentioned above, this was one of Moore's best seasons and he played in 148 games for the fifth place Bees.  His bWAR of 5.5 was the top among all offensive players for the Bees, and second on the team to only pitcher Jim Turner (bWAR 6.1) who was 20-11 with a 2.38 ERA.  Moore made 148 starts in right field, and interestingly enough the only games in which he wasn't the starting right fielder were the Bees' first two and last two games.  Moore was named to but didn't get into the All-Star Game.

1935 Goudey 4-in-1 (R321)
1939 Play Ball #160
1941 Double Play (R330) #122
1941 Play Ball #25
1991 Conlon Collection TSN #77

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1935 Goudey 4-in-1 (R321)
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  1991 Conlon Collection TSN #77

15 - Moore non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 1/31/24.

Sources:

Sunday, February 11, 2024

#30 "Heinie" Manush - Boston Red Sox (Variation)


Henry Emmett Manush
Boston Red Sox
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'1"  Weight:  200
Born:  July 20, 1901, Tuscumbia, AL
Major League Teams:  Detroit Tigers 1923-1927; St. Louis Browns 1928-1930; Washington Senators 1930-1935; Boston Red Sox 1936; Brooklyn Dodgers 1937-1938; Pittsburgh Pirates 1938-1939
World Series Appearances:  Washington Senators 1933
Died:  May 12, 1971, Sarasota, FL (69)
Hall of Fame Induction:  1964

Heinie Manush was one of the best contact hitters of his era, winning a batting title in 1926 with a .378 average and finishing in the top three in league MVP voting in three different seasons.  Manush was consistently among the league leaders for batting average, missing a second title in 1928 by one point to Goose Goslin (#112).  He led the league in hits in 1928 (241) and 1933 (221) and compiled 200-hit seasons four times.  Goslin led the league in doubles twice (1928 and 1929) and triples once (1933).  He helped lead the Senators to the World Series in 1933, along with shortstop Joe Cronin (#123), but the Giants defeated his team in five games.  Manush was the starting left-fielder for the American League in the 1934 All-Star Game.  Also a fine fielder, he often was among the league leaders for outfielders in defensive categories, finishing in the top ten for fielding percentage nine times.

Manush currently ranks 97th all-time for hits (2,524), 72nd all-time for doubles (491), 40th all-time for triples (160) and his career .330 batting average is 36th all-time.  Following his playing days, he managed in the minor leagues, scouted for the Boston Braves and coached with the Senators in 1953 and 1954.  Manush would also scout for the expansion Senators in 1961 and 1962.  In 1964, the Veterans Committee of the Baseball Hall of Fame granted him induction for his career accomplishments.

Building the Set
February 5, 2024 from Valley Cottage, NY - Card #103
I'm entering rarified air at this point in our Diamond Stars set build, needing just 16 more cards for my version of a master set.  This Manush card, the no "W" variation issued in 1936 after the outfielder had been traded to the Red Sox, had been on my eBay watch list for a while.  When I received an offer from seller OLDBBCARDS Vintage Sports Cards that was fair and reasonable in early February, I didn't hesitate to accept the offer and add the card.  I previously bought the Earle Averill (#35) card from the same seller, so I like to think this card is now reunited with the Averill card.

Variations Available
1 - 1935 / green back / 1934 statistics / 1935 copyright / W on his sleeve
2 - 1936 / blue back / 1935 statistics / 1935 copyright / No W on his sleeve ✅

The Card / Red Sox Team Set
When National Chicle re-released this card in 1936, it used blue ink, the back reflected Manush's 1935 statistics, and most notably they removed the W from his sleeve to reflect his move to the Red Sox.  The tip on the back of the card discusses the importance of communication among fielders whenever there's a fly ball - be it in the infield, outfield or in foul territory.  The last line indicates Manush uses "his megaphone voice to direct his teammates" while on the field.

1936 Season
On December 17, 1935, Manush was traded by the Nationals to the Red Sox for Roy Johnson and Carl Reynolds.  Manush had a decent year, playing as Boston's fourth outfielder and appearing in 82 games overall.  He batted .291 with 15 doubles, no home runs and 45 RBIs as the Red Sox finished in sixth place in the American League.  Released by Boston at the end of the season, Manush signed with the Dodgers on December 8, 1936.

1933 Goudey #47
1933 Goudey #187
1934 Goudey #18
1940 Play Ball #176
1954 Topps #187

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1931 W517 #28
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (1):  1954
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2013 Panini Cooperstown Colgan's Chips

135 - Manush non-parallel baseball cards in the Beckett online database as of 2/10/24.