Joe DiMaggio's Hall of Fame Rookie Card Stands Alone
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It's easy to forget today just how great the Yankee Clipper was. Check the stat line and you might not be too impressed: a .325 batting average and 361 home runs. Without a doubt, these are Hall of Fame numbers, but they look a lot more like Todd Helton and Larry Walker than Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. Then again, Joltin' Joe played in a very different era, one where 361 lifetime dingers was good enough for fifth on the all-time home run list. What's more, Joe D. was a monster when it came to driving in runs, averaging 136 per 154 games, the equivalent of 143 ribbies with today's 162-game schedule. And of course there was his famous 56-game hitting streak in the Summer of 1941, his graceful patrolling of Yankee Stadium's centerfield, his nine World Series rings, and his high profile marriage to Marilyn Monroe.
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Still, none of these reasons explain why Joe DiMaggio's Hall of Fame rookie card stands alone. But first, what exactly is the Yankee Clipper's rookie card? Unlike today where a player's rookie card is unambiguously adorned with an "RC" logo, the great rookie cards of the past are a far more subjective matter. Ultimately, the informed collector's decision comes down to determining which of various criteria, if any, matter most.
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1933-1936 Zee-Nut
Joe DiMaggio (or DeMaggio, as it's spelled on the cards) has two cards in the 1933-36 edition of the Pacific Coast League minor league set known as Zee-Nuts (for the Cracker Jack-like confection the cards accompanied). Both cards depict Joe on the San Francisco Seals, one with a batting pose and one with a throwing pose. Though most "Zees" have their coupons removed, those with coupons intact suggest the batting card came first, given its 1935 expiration date vs a 1936 date for the throwing pose. For vintage collectors who take a "first card no matter what" approach to rookie cards, a great case can be made for the batting card as DiMaggio's true rookie card. However, just as strong a case can be made for these Seals cards as pre-rookie cards, given that Joe has not yet reached the big leagues.
1935 Goudey Wide Pen Premium
Collectors looking for Joe's first card with New York have a host of "premiums" (prizes for wrapper trade-ins) to consider, courtesy of the Goudey and National Chicle gum companies. While any of these should satisfy the "first card as a major leaguer" crowd, other collectors rule out these oversized premiums in favor of more traditional baseball cards that come in packs, fit in one's pocket, and have stuff on the back. Such collectors might similarly rule out the 1937 Goudey Thum-Movies issue as these "cards" are actually flip books.
1936 World Wide Gum
Joltin' Joe's first Yankees card that is 100% unambiguously a baseball card to anyone you ask came as part of the elusive 1936 World Wide Gum release sometimes known as Canadian Goudey. As such, it is the card many vintage collectors consider the Clipper's true rookie. Of course, there are other collectors who regard this set as "not major enough" to produce rookie cards, not to mention fair numbers of collectors who require their rookie cards to be American made. (Both these camps of collectors would similarly disqualify Joe's 1937 O-Pee-Chee card.) Regardless of one's stance on the matter, can we at least all agree that the portrait of Joe used on the card would have been an absolute "swipe left" for Marilyn?
1938 Goudey
Finally, for the naysayers who dismiss each of the above rookie card candidates, there are Joe's two cards in the 1938 Goudey set. Though contrarians might reasonably question just how major a major release needs to be to bear rookie cards, it's safe to say that 99.9% of informed collectors place Joe's rookie card in this set or earlier. But given that Joe has two cards in the set, does one take precedence?
Strictly speaking, his card #250 with plain background was issued a series earlier than his card #274 with cartoon background. On the other hand, very few collectors quibble over matters of weeks or months when it comes to rookie card designation. In other words, either will do just fine. Still, there is at least one respect in which only Joe's cartoon background card deserves Hall of Fame rookie card status. To see this, take a close look at one of the cartoons in particular.
Though the actual building looked a bit different when it opened its doors the following year, Joe's card is the first to show even a highly unrealistic, cartoony, artist's rendition of the Hall of Fame, whether actual or metaphorical. So now you know. Joe DiMaggio's 1938 Goudey card #274 really is the only true Hall of Fame rookie card! (Or would it be a pre-rookie card since the building hadn't quite opened?)
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.