1940s-'50s gumball machine Charms

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Posted By: <b>Fred Y</b><p>Here's hoping I can get some player ID verification help from everyone on these little obscure "trinkets" that came out of those penny gumball machines back in the late '40's--early '50's-----and you can have some fun at the same time! <br /><br />I have 23 of them that I have saved all these yrs & just decide to check them against the SCD incomplete list. There are a few that are uncataloged if my ID's prove correct.<br /><br />The 1st 2 pics are easy to ID, so I don't need names --it's the 2nd 2 that I THINK I have ID'd, but would surely appreciate your input. At the same time many have probably never seen them, so hope you enjoy!<br /><br /><img src="http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q285/fyoung17/1950charmsa.jpg"><br /><br /><br /><br /><img src="http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q285/fyoung17/1950charmsd.jpg"><br /><br /><br />I'm pretty sure on these below 4, but would like your input--3 I believe are uncataloged:<br /><br /><img src="http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q285/fyoung17/1950charmsb.jpg"><br /><br /><br />The 5 below I'm not sure on. I think the 1st 2 are the same guy--the next 3 look the same, but I think 2 are the same player, but the last one is different! I'll be interested in your take on them! I believe all of these are uncataloged.<br /><br /><img src="http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q285/fyoung17/1950charmsc.jpg"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Here is the listing from SCD Bible: I think I have 6 that will add to the list pending on what you guys think. I will appreciate your ideas.<br />NOTE: I believe SCD has the size wrong also--All of mine measure 3/4" x 5/8", nowhere near the 1 1/4" even including the loop!<br /><br /><img src="http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q285/fyoung17/1950charms.jpg">

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Posted By: <b>MikePugeda</b><p>Hi Fred,<br /><br />I always thought these were neat items.<br /><br />In your last photo, I believe the 2 at the top are of Hank Greenberg, while the bottom 3 are...Nellie Fox???<br /><br />I've picked up a few here and there. I like the ones with the round metallic-like rim (kind of look bronzed).<br /><br />Thanks for sharing,<br /><br />Mike

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Posted By: <b>DD</b><p>&lt;<img src="http://www.scauctions.org/z52-1.jpg">&gt;

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Posted By: <b>Rob D.</b><p>In the third photo, top left: Bob Lemon.<br /><br />Here's mine:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.freewebs.com/indianfever/bob-lemon-cj-charm.jpg"><br /><br />It's pretty common on these to see different croppings of the photos. Here's a Feller that uses the same photo as yours but is cropped differently:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.freewebs.com/indianfever/red-feller-cj-charm.jpg"><br /><br />And then here's a different kind of charm that uses the same photo but with a different crop:<br /><br /><img src="http://www.freewebs.com/indianfever/feller-plastic-charm.jpg">

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Posted By: <b>Fred Y</b><p>Mike--<br /><br />Greenberg is my thought also on those 2 on top of pic 3. As for the bottom 3, I definitely don't believe it's Nellie. I have pegged the 1st 2 as Whitey Lockman and the 3rd, altho very similar, I am thinking it's Bobby Doerr.<br /><br />David--<br /><br />Very nice Louis--I have no boxers. Is it the same size as mine--3/4 x 5/8"?<br /><br />Rob--<br /><br />I have looked that photo over & over w/ a magnifier and don't believe it's Lemon. At 1st I thought Ewell Blackwell (because he's on the list), but have discounted him also. I do believe now that it is a lefty-- Johnny Schmitz--and it's almost an identical pose to his '51 Bowman:<br /><br /><img src="http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q285/fyoung17/51bschmitz.jpg"><br /><br /><br />What do you think??

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Posted By: <b>jeffdrum</b><p>I agree with Schmitz for the first player in the first photo. I think the last player in the second photo (3x) is Dusty Rhodes. The second charm is Greenburg it looks like but I am not sure if the first one is the same person.<br /><br />Jeff<br />

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Posted By: <b>Fred Y</b><p>Thanks for your input!<br /><br />Glad you think it is Schmitz also--That is a tough one for sure!<br /><br />As for the top 2 in the last pic--The 2nd one I definitely believe is Greenberg and the 1st one sure looks like the same guy!<br /><br />As for the last 3--I keep going back & forth as to whether all 3 are the same guy or not--they could be! <br /><br />I do not believe it is Rhodes however, for 2 reasons: Looking thru my magnifier it doesn't look to be him and 2ndly, because he didn't come up until '52 & wasn't too well known until the WS of '54 I don't think he would have been in this issue, which I have pegged to be from 1947 to about '51 or '52 at the latest.<br /><br />Any ideas on the others? Hope some other members can offer an opinion!

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Posted By: <b>jeffdrum</b><p>Willard Marshall. Looks like it could be him.

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Posted By: <b>Fred Y</b><p>Once again I went back and looked--and compared some pics of Marshall!!---Definitely a close resemblance!<br /><br />I have received a couple of EMs and some other input from EBay Board and am now convinced the last 3 are the SAME guy, but not Willard Marshall.<br /><br />I think I have all 23 pegged, but am hopeful of a few more responses here to form a consensus before I throw them out there!<br /><br />Thanks again Jeff! Anyone else w/ some ideas to wrap this up?<br /><br />

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Posted By: <b>jeffdrum</b><p>I think the 3x in the picture is Whitey Lockman as was suggested above.

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Posted By: <b>Fred Y</b><p>OK--the 1st 2 pics of 8 & 6 are pretty cut & dried--Here are the names:<br /><br />Reese, Campy, Furillo<br />Williams, Rizzuto, Berra<br />Kiner, Feller<br /><br />and<br /><br />Ennis, Pafko, Williams<br />Campy, Kiner, Musial<br />__________________________________________________ _______________<br /><br /><br />For the 3rd & 4th pics I'm going to re-post them so you don't have to scroll. With your help here, help from the EBay Board, a couple of EMs from knowledgeable vintage collectors and my own looking, looking & some research, here are the names we've come up w/ for the last 2 pics:<br /><br /><br />Johnny Schmitz-Cubs '41-'50 -------------- Mel Parnell-Red Sox '47-'56<br /><br /><img src="http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q285/fyoung17/1950charmsb.jpg"><br /><br /><br />Wally Westlake-Pirates '47-'51 ----------- Del Ennis-Phils '46-'56<br /><br />__________________________________________________ _____________________<br /><br />Sid Gordon-Giants '41-'49 ------------- Hank Greenberg-Pirates 1947<br /><br /><br /> <img src="http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q285/fyoung17/1950charmsc.jpg"> <br /><br /><br />ALL 3 Whitey Lockman-Giants '45-'56 <br /><br /><br /><br />I would like to forward the final results to SCD for inclusion in the Bible. If the results stand it would mean 6 new uncataloged additions, so I welcome any additional "Yeahs" or "Nays" to these ID's. Thanks to all who helped come up w/ these conclusions--Of couse they are open for final comments!<br /><br />Fred<br /><br />PS--I am told that some of these poses are used in the 1947 Homogenized Bond set, which, along w/ the dates these guys played and my distinct knowledge of where & when I bought them lead me to conclude this issue was definitely available in gumball machines from about 1947-48 to about 1951-52 time frame. <br />

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Posted By: <b>Jodi Birkholm</b><p>The Dodgers photos were also used in late 1940's team-issued picture packs. Reproductions can be seen in Peter Golenbock's wonderful oral history, "Bums", which I believe came out in 1983.