Feller rookie card

[puckpaul]

Hi all, was discussing in another forum what collectors consider to be Feller’s rookie card. I thought it was the 38 Goudey but it was pointed out by others that the 48 Bowman is more mainstream and considered his rookie by some. He also has some earlier premium cards than the 38 Goudey. He has so many issues for so many prior years, even if minor, that the 48 Bowman doesn’t feel like a rookie card.

Thoughts? Is there an old thread on this?

Paul

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

No way in hell 1948 anything is Feller's rookie.

[ccre]

I always thoughts the 1938 Goudey was his rookie card. I know there's a '37 Goudey premium of Feller but i never believed that was his rookie card.

[Peter_Spaeth]

37 OPeeChee or Goudey Premium. At latest, 38 Goudey.

[BCauley]

I've personally always viewed the '38 Goudey as his RC though, like you said, he does have a few earlier issues aside from that.

I'd never consider his '48 card to be his RC.

[rhettyeakley]

How in the world would a 1948 Bowman be a rookie when he has a Nationally distributed 1938 Goudey card? This isn’t a regional issue that was only available in a select few areas of the country or anything. In 1938 Goudey was the THE most prominent producer of baseball cards (Gum Inc, produced more picture cards but they didn’t make baseball cards in 1938 but would start producing Play Ball cards the following year and would later become Bowman)

For some reason I think Beckett lists the cards like that often. They have a weirdly strict definition of a Rookie card and some people see that and just go with it. Absolute silliness

[Exhibitman]

Don't like premiums or foreign cards? OK. The 1937 Exhibit Feller is the RC:

[Aquarian Sports Cards]

Yeah Johnny Mize is another 1948 Bowman that somehow gets called a rookie.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Aquarian Sports Cards

Yeah Johnny Mize is another 1948 Bowman that somehow gets called a rookie.

12 years after his real one.

[jhs5120]

I've always favored his 1937 Wheaties issue.

[ValKehl]

FWIW, Old Cardboard doesn't even include the 1938 Goudey as being one of Feller's rookie cards: https://oldcardboard.com/ref/rookies...ail.asp?id=111

[puckpaul]

Originally Posted by rhettyeakley

How in the world would a 1948 Bowman be a rookie when he has a Nationally distributed 1938 Goudey card? This isn’t a regional issue that was only available in a select few areas of the country or anything. In 1938 Goudey was the THE most prominent producer of baseball cards (Gum Inc, produced more picture cards but they didn’t make baseball cards in 1938 but would start producing Play Ball cards the following year and would later become Bowman)

For some reason I think Beckett lists the cards like that often. They have a weirdly strict definition of a Rookie card and some people see that and just go with it. Absolute silliness

That was my reaction, but if you google Feller rookie card the first article makes the claim that the 38 Goudey were not National. I think that was where this guy got his info.

I don’t think you can have a series of cards from 1936-1941 and in any way call a 48 card a rookie.

[jp1216]

Gotta be ...... the 37 OPC.....

https://net54baseball.com/attachment...1&d=1612407675

[jp1216]

The 37 Goudey is good too.....

https://net54baseball.com/attachment...1&d=1612407734

[Exhibitman]

Love those Wheaties cards.

[chlankf]

I don't have an opinion on Feller's RC. I'm just glad this post was made so I can post my 38 Auto Feller.

[jp1216]

Ditto:

https://net54baseball.com/attachment...1&d=1612407780

[RayBShotz]

I agree that the 48B is not his rookie either...but for sake of posting the image, I own a signed one.
RayB

[Orioles1954]

Wonder if there is a reason Feller didn't have any Play Ball cards.

[JLange]

Here's another early Bob Feller item.

1937 Cleveland Press Indians Album Cutout #18 Bob Feller

The bottom text says, "This is the eighteenth in a series presenting autographed pictures of the Indians. Save them for your scrapbook."

If you look closely, you can see the dotted line around the border showing that this newspaper item was meant to be cutout.

Since I operate under a very expansive definition of what constitutes a "card," I get to count this cutout as the earliest Bob Feller card in my collection.

[JLange]

Here's a better pic so you can read the text.

[Tyruscobb]

Originally Posted by chlankf

I don't have an opinion on Feller's RC. I'm just glad this post was made so I can post my 38 Auto Feller.

I'm in the camp that considers this Bob Feller's rookie card - at least the mainstream one.

For some reason, your card (#288), which has the writing and cartoon drawings, sells for a premium when compared to its #264 counterpart. I've never understood why.

I guess people automatically assume that it is the rarer card, because it has the higher number. Or, maybe people value the writing and cartoon drawings and place a premium on it.

Believe it or not, card number 264 is actually the rarer one - at least according to population reports. It's been graded far fewer times than the 288 card.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Not really a card.

[chlankf]

Originally Posted by Tyruscobb

I'm in the camp that considers this Bob Feller's rookie card - at least the mainstream one.

For some reason, your card (#288), which has the writing and cartoon drawings, sells for a premium when compared to its #264 counterpart. I've never understood why.

I guess people automatically assume that it is the rarer card, because it has the higher number. Or, maybe people value the writing and cartoon drawings and place a premium on it.

Believe it or not, card number 264 is actually the rarer one - at least according to population reports. It's been graded far fewer times than the 288 card.

I believe it is selling for a premium is due to the captions on #288. It's the reason I prefer it over #264. That and the story Feller told while signing.

He said that if he had ever thrown a baseball at his dad's fence, like stated in the card. That "his father would have whooped him good" and would "never have had the chance to play pro ball".

I'll never forget the experience. He was so hard of hearing but would still tell stories.

[Exhibitman]

1938 Dixie Premium



Note that this is the extremely rare Feller that hasn't been autographed.

[russkcpa]

What a great American hero. I'm sure everyone knows the story about Bob enlisting. I am 66 and never saw him pitch but he will always be one of my hero's. I too proudly possess one of his signed rookie cards.

[FrankWakefield]

Adam, thank you for the smile.

Years ago I developed a lasting friendship with a fellow who'd been collecting vintage cards since the 50's. As a Kentucky teenager he went with his Dad and Uncle, I think, on a trip to Yankee Stadium in 1953. He had saved money to spend on the trip. Outside the stadium they go up to a vending stand, and he sees Topps baseball cards, so he buys two packs. Upon opening them, he sees that there are 1952 Topps cards, depicting players he'd not seen back home. He thought he had a set of 1952's, but these were all higher numbers than he'd seen before. The entire box was of high number packs. He spent most of his money getting those cards, my recollection is he said he got 2 Mantle's out of that box. I learned quite a bit from this man.

One thing he told me was that when he went to shows in the 1960's and 1970's, that Bob Feller would often just show up. He'd sign for kids and grownups. He said that when he'd set up as a dealer, that he learned to do like the other dealers did when Feller showed up, and that was to hide all Bob Feller items. He said Feller would sign everything. And the standing joke was that whatever it was, it was rarer to find it unsigned than for it to have Feller's autograph.

Years later, a lawyer friend of mine had been travelling in New York state, and when he returned he told me that he'd picked up something he found in a baseball card shop to give me when he was in Cooperstown. He came into my office and I could see as he walked in that it was a signed yellow HOF postcard. At a distance, I asked, "Is that signed by Bob Feller?" He seemed a bit suprised, how could I read that from so far away....

[ZiggerZagger]

Originally Posted by jp1216

Gotta be ...... the 37 OPC.....

Personally agree Jon -- as far as a rookie 'card' goes, for me it's the '37 OPC.
Besides that, I think they're really gorgeous as well.

Hard to argue with the Goudey Premium wide pen, and to a slightly lesser degree the Exhibit.
But it's all up for debate, for sure.


37001.jpg

[shagrotn77]

Definitely his '37 OPC issue for me. Love that card.

[pclpads]

No diff which was BF's RC. It is a safe bet - no matter the issue - that he signed them all. The true rare BF item is one he didn't sign.

[robertsmithnocure]

1937 OPC would be my vote also.

[riggs336]

Just to throw a bit more mud in the water, this Goudey R342 is also from 1937.

[Throttlesteer]

Any 37' issues. I'm ok with there being more than one.

[drcy]

Goudey is as mainstream as Bowman or Topps

[todeen]

Originally Posted by jhs5120

I've always favored his 1937 Wheaties issue.

I love Wheaties, and that series is fantastic!

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