Lefty Grove Rookie

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Posted By: peter chao

Guys,

My favorite Lefty Grove card is #1 in the 1934 Diamond Stars, but which is his rookie card.

Peter

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Posted By: T206Collector

...card is his rookie card, then what is his 1933 Goudey card?

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Posted By: peter chao

T206,

'34 Dismond Stars #1 is not his rookie card, it is just my favorite Lefty Grove card and it was issued towards the end of his career. So I'm asking you which is his rookie card.

Peter

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Posted By: T206Collector

...I have no idea. (-:

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Posted By: PC

There are several strip cards, postcards and die-cuts of Lefty issued in the late 1920s and early 1930s that pre-date the Diamond Stars and Goudey sets.

This is a helpful site:

http://members.aol.com/metsbwd/hofers.html

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Posted By: fkw

There are many Grove cards older than the Goudey or Diamond Star.


1926 Major League Die-cuts game card
1926-29 Postcard Back Exhibit
1927 W560
1928 R315
1928 Star Player Candy
1928-32 LaPresse
1929 Four-on-One Exhibit
1929 R316 Kashin
1929 Kashin Publications-Large Size
1929 Major League Die-cuts
1929 W553
1929-30 Four-on-One Exhibits
1930 Baguer Chocolates
1930 W554
1931 Sun Pictures
1931 W517
1931 W517 Mini
1931 W-Unc
1931-32 Four-on-One Exhibits
1932 R337 Eclipse Import
1932 PR3 Orbit Gum Pins Unnumbered
1932 R328 U.S. Caramel

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Posted By: Brad Green

I guess it depends on what your definition of a rookie card is. I think most people (including myself) consider his rookie card to be either his 1927 W560 or his 1926-29 Postcard-back Exhibit card. A few folks might consider his 1925 (or later) MLB Die Cuts card to also be his rookie card. At least one other person I know would consider his 1932 U. S. Caramel card to be his rookie card. The argument there is that the 1932 U. S. Caramel card was the first baseball card of Lefty that was issued with Lefty's name and statistics on the back of the card. Some have argued on this board that the U. S. Caramel's were really issued in 1933. If this is true, then all of Lefty's 1933 cards (Goudeys, DeLongs, etc...) could be viewed by some as his rookie cards. But, his 1934 Diamond Star card couldn't possibly be his rookie card because of all of the cards of Lefty issued in 1933.

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Posted By: dan mckee

Lefty is also on a team card for the International Baltimore Orioles in 1924. A 1950s copy of this can be found affordably. This is a minor league team so it is not a rookie but worth mentioning.

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Posted By: Hal Lewis

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Anyone have a die cut of Lefty???

Frank

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Posted By: Brad Green

Notice two of them have "Grove" and two of them have "Groves". I think the Groves ones are older.

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Posted By: peter chao

Brad,

Those die-cuts are very cool. Do you have any idea of the year they were distributed and how they were distributed.

Peter

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Posted By: Brad Green

My opinion (for what it's worth) is that the "Groves" variation had to be around 1925 or 1926. Lefty was called Lefty GROVES in the minors (1920 to 1924), but just after he came to the majors in 1925 he was called Lefty GROVE. These die-cuts are the only cards of Lefty that have Lefty GROVES printed on it. The "Grove" variation could be anywhere between 1926/27 and 1930.

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Posted By: Rich Rubin

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Posted By: fkw

Rich, Thats a great item, is it a postcard? Or a larger premium?

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Posted By: Rich Rubin

I bought the card from Joe Bosley, a Baltimore dealer who used to set up at the National and Fort Washington (sometimes with Dan McKee and his father), and who died a few years ago (nicer they don't come). At the time, he had a full set of these cards for the 1921 Baltimore Orioles. He said that it was issued by Fisher's Bread. There's no indication of this on the card; the back is blank. The stock is thin for a premium. Danny McKee may have more information, and I recall he once said he had different information, and I'll prod him to post it.

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Posted By: dan mckee

edited to run for my life!