1934-1936 Diamond Stars: #77 Charlie Gehringer

Sunday, March 24, 2024

#77 Charlie Gehringer - Detroit Tigers

Charles Leonard Gehringer

Detroit Tigers

Second Base

Bats: Left Throws: Right Height: 5'11" Weight: 180

Born: May 11, 1903, Fowlerville, MI

Major League Teams: Detroit Tigers 1924-1942

World Series Appearances: Detroit Tigers 1934-1935, 1940

Died: January 21, 1993, Bloomfield Hills, MI (89)

Hall of Fame Induction: 1949

Nicknamed "The Mechanical Man" due to his multi-decade consistency at the plate and in the field, Charlie Gehringer was on of the best second baseman in the history of the game. Debuting in 1924, Gehringer took over everyday second base duties for the Tigers in 1926 and wouldn't relinquish the position until 1942. He played every inning at second base during the first six All-Star Games beginning in 1933, batting .500 in 20 at-bats. Gehringer's best seasons coincided with the Tigers winning the American League pennants in 1934 and 1935. The Tigers were World Champions in 1935, with Gehringer leading the way with a .375 average in the World Series. He had seven seasons with at least 200 hits, and won a batting title in 1939 when he batted a career-best .371. Gehringer also won MVP honors for his 1939 season.

An outstanding defender as well, Gehringer often led the league in assists, double plays turned and fielding percentage. He's second all-time with 7,068 assists at second base, and sixth all-time at overall games at second base with 2,206. Gehringer collected 2,839 career hits while batting .320 with a .404 on-base percentage. His 574 doubles are currently 25th all-time. He retired in 1942, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1949 and had his #2 retired by the Tigers in 1983.

Building the Set

March 16, 2024 from Jupiter, FL - Card #105

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 already started. My work schedule and Doug's baseball schedule conspired against us traveling to the recent Philly Show a few weekends ago, so I decided to have a baseball card show of my own.

I was the winning bidder on this Gehringer card and the card of fellow Hall of Famer Al Simmons (#2), 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 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 - 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 Gehringer card for my set is the first of the three variations available, issued in 1935 with green ink used for the back.

The Card / Tigers Team Set

A pair of unknown players make a cameo behind Gehringer on this card. The pose here works well with National Chicle's choice to have the card horizontally-oriented, and it's one of the few horizontal cards in the set. The back of the card explains how rare it is that Gehringer can both hit and field well. With the advent of the designated hitter decades letter, this statement is especially prescient: "Remember boys, a hard hitter can always find a place on any team, even though he may be an awkward and sloppy fielder."

1935 Season

Consistent as usual, this was one of Gehringer's strongest seasons of his career. In 150 games, starting all but four games in mid-August at second base, Gehringer batted .330 with 19 home runs and 108 RBIs. Leading the team offensively along with first baseman Hank Greenberg (#54), Gehringer helped the Tigers reach the World Series for the second year in a row. The Tigers defeated the Cubs in six games, winning their first ever World Series title.