Which Play Ball set is your favorite, and which one is your least favorite?

[pokerplyr80]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

My favorite is 1941, not only because of the coloring, but because it was the last major pre-war set.

I'd rank the 1939 set second due to the presence of the Ted Williams RC.

This is also my opinion. The 41 dimaggio and Williams are the most iconic card for each of them. I believe they both had decent seasons in 41 as well.

[CW]

I voted 1941 as well. Not only the best looking set of the three, but one of the best looking sets in the hobby. In addition to the DiMaggio and Williams, I've always liked the Gehringer and Doerr, among others.

[savedfrommyspokes]

I only wish the 41 set had as many cards as the 40 set....

[PowderedH2O]

I love the 1940 set. I have attempted it on several occasions, but never finished. I now have just a few graded ones. To me, the 1941 set just looks like someone took a crayon to the 1940 set. I like black and white photos. I like the backs. I like the ornate design. I will not attempt to complete the set again. If I do, I will strictly limit it to the current players, and ignore the legends.

[conor912]

'41, hands down. Not only the color, but the year Teddy and Joe had definitely adds to the appeal for me. '39 is second, for Teddy's RC and the simple photos. '40 is the worst of both sets combined into one and needlessly bulked up with a bunch of retired players.

[swabie2424]

I’ve always been a 1940 Playball guy. It’s a nice, big set with just the right amount of difficulty to attack for me. The Shoeless Joe was my first big card purchase as a young kid (I worked all summer mowing lawns for that card!) and I fell in love.

To me the 39 design is too simple and the 41 color is too modern-esque. The 1940 flavor is just the right temperature for me. A solid design but still with old school photos and that 40’s vintage feel.

[tedzan]

I've put together all three sets, and the 1941 set is my favorite for several reasons. First, and foremost, it's the easiest to complete. I have two complete sets.
The 2nd reason for it's colorful appearance. And last, but not least....1941 in Baseball was a record setting year...…

Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak (a record which I think will never be broken).

Ted Williams achieving .406 on the last day of the season.... 6 Hits for 8 AB's in a Double-header.

The 1st of 7 exciting "sub-way" World Series between the Yankees and Dodgers.



TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[Kawika]

1941s in a walk. They had it all. And nineteen-forty one - what a year! 56, .406 and WW2. Following is what I wrote on my '41 Play Balls ImageEvent album and explains why I love the set:

IE link: https://tinyurl.com/y639j38h

This 72 card set was issued by Gum, Inc. (later Bowman) in 1941. It was the year that Williams hit .406, DiMaggio streaked across the summer, and Lou Gehrig died. The Yanks won their Subway Series against Brooklyn in five games, and two months later our fathers went to war. So did the ballplayers. Even the cardboard would be put to better use in the war effort. Play Balls were the last pre-war baseball cards.

This grand little set has a lot of star power led by the iconic Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio cards - there are 15 Hall of Famers - but one wonders at some of the absentees such as Feller and Musial. There's not even a single player from the roster of the Chicago Cubs which included Dizzy Dean, Charley Root, and the venerable Stan Hack. (Seems Goudey Gum was sticking it to Wrigley Gum). Even so, it is hard not to love the colorful artwork nor to smile at some of the amusing nicknames like "Soupy" Campbell and "Gunboat" Gumbert and "Stormy" Weatherly. Plus ya gotta love that there are three DiMaggio brothers represented. Although this set's production precedes my birth by a decade many of these players were still active when I was a young ball fan. Saw Williams play many times when the Red Sox visited New York. Henrich and Dickey were Yankee coaches and Pee Wee Reese was a fixture on The Game of the Week along with Ol' Diz. I collected the cards one by one off eBay a few years ago. None are blazers but the set is a sentimental favorite.

[Ricky]

Love the binder, David. I take it your '41 PBs are raw, not slabbed?

[Bagwell-1994]

Originally Posted by Kawika

1941s in a walk. They had it all. And nineteen-forty one - what a year! 56, .406 and WW2. Following is what I wrote on my '41 Play Balls ImageEvent album and explains why I love the set:

IE link: https://tinyurl.com/y639j38h

This 72 card set was issued by Gum, Inc. (later Bowman) in 1941. It was the year that Williams hit .406, DiMaggio streaked across the summer, and Lou Gehrig died. The Yanks won their Subway Series against Brooklyn in five games, and two months later our fathers went to war. So did the ballplayers. Even the cardboard would be put to better use in the war effort. Play Balls were the last pre-war baseball cards.

This grand little set has a lot of star power led by the iconic Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio cards - there are 15 Hall of Famers - but one wonders at some of the absentees such as Feller and Musial. There's not even a single player from the roster of the Chicago Cubs which included Dizzy Dean, Charley Root, and the venerable Stan Hack. (Seems Goudey Gum was sticking it to Wrigley Gum). Even so, it is hard not to love the colorful artwork nor to smile at some of the amusing nicknames like "Soupy" Campbell and "Gunboat" Gumbert and "Stormy" Weatherly. Plus ya gotta love that there are three DiMaggio brothers represented. Although this set's production precedes my birth by a decade many of these players were still active when I was a young ball fan. Saw Williams play many times when the Red Sox visited New York. Henrich and Dickey were Yankee coaches and Pee Wee Reese was a fixture on The Game of the Week along with Ol' Diz. I collected the cards one by one off eBay a few years ago. None are blazers but the set is a sentimental favorite.

Very cool!!! Thanks for sharing!

[Bagwell-1994]

I appreciate the 1941 Play Ball set the most. It's in color. It's the final year before WWII began. It's the year DiMaggio had a 56-game hitting streak and Teddy Ballgame became the last hitter to hit 0.400 or higher in a season.

I've owned a lot of pieces to this set and ended up selling most of them but here are my two jewels from the set: