MY FAVORITE CARDS:

1938 GOUDEY “HEADS UP” JOE DIMAGGIO

 

 

            The Goudey “Heads Up” collection features the company’s most whimsical design. Released in 1938, the small set (consisting of 48 cards) includes a number of prominent players, among them Hall of Famers Hank Greenberg, Bob Feller, and Jimmie Foxx. The cards display colorized head shots that are disproportionately large for the cartoon bodies they are attached to, creating an appearance similar to bobblehead dolls. Released in two series, the “Heads Up” set picked up where Goudey left off in 1933 (at #240). The pieces in the ’38 collection come in two variations. Series 1 cards (numbered 241-264) have blank backgrounds while Series 2 issues (numbered 265-288) include black and white cartoons with captions that provide biographical information. 

            For me, the most interesting piece in the set is #247—Joe DiMaggio. The card is noteworthy for multiple reasons. First and foremost, DiMaggio is positively beaming in the picture, which is highly out of character for him. This is not to say that he can’t be found smiling or clowning around in a handful of scattered photos. But Joe D’s public persona was one of cool composure. He trusted very few people and kept up a very guarded front. In fact, many of his teammates spoke at length about his enigmatic personality and quiet stoicism. I explored this topic extensively in my book, Tales of the Yankee Clipper (which is the third installment of my Yankee Icon Trilogy).   

            The cartoon captions on DiMaggio’s 1938 Goudey card make some unusual pronouncements and it’s worth breaking them down individually:

--“He’s a member of the Yanks’ Murderer’s Row and Flirts With the Home Run Record.”

The term “Murderer’s Row” was specifically applied to the first few hitters in the 1927 Yankee batting order (Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Muesel, and Tony Lazzeri). By the time the 1938 card was released, only one of those players remained (Gehrig). But the term was occasionally used in a generalized sense during DiMaggio’s career. As far as the home run record goes, DiMaggio slammed two homers in one inning against the White Sox at Comiskey Park during his rookie season. He was the first Yankee to do so and the fifth player of the 20th century to turn the trick. Aside from that, he was not specifically noted for his home runs. He led the American League twice in that category but reached the 40-homer plateau just once, falling short of 400 for his career.

--“$25,000 Per Year—Pretty Fair Salary For a Young Fellow.”

While it’s true that Joe D. was paid $25,000 in 1938, this was only after a bitter salary dispute that dragged on deep into the spring and delayed his season debut until April 30. Without him, the Yankees posted a 6-6 record, falling to fourth place. DiMaggio initially asked for $40,000 and, when Yankee executive Ed Barrow countered with an offer of $25K, Joe held out, refusing to report for spring training. As the story goes, Barrow asked DiMaggio: “What would you say if I told you Lou Gehrig is not making $40,000.” Without missing a beat, the head-strong slugger replied: “I would say Lou Gehrig is highly underpaid.”

  --“Considered one of the Greatest Outfielders of All-Time.”

Since DiMaggio was only 23 years-old and entering his third major league season, this was a bit of an exaggeration on Goudey’s part.

--“Joe Rated a Niche in This Place From the First Year in The Major League.”

The caption is accompanied by a cartoon drawing of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Again, there is no way that the Goudey team could have convincingly backed up that statement at the time the card was released. The first Hall of Fame ballot took place in 1936, but the Hall, itself, was not opened to the public until June of 1939—a year after Goudey’s “Heads Up” series was issued. Only then were members of the inaugural class (a group that included Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Honus Wagner) officially enshrined. Interestingly, it took DiMaggio multiple trials to make it to Cooperstown. After falling short in 1953 and 1954, he was finally elected in ‘55.

            As of this writing, there were no PSA-graded Gem-Mint examples of the DiMaggio cartoon variation. The version with the blank background (#250) is even more difficult to find in high-grade condition although the overall population is higher. Grade 9 examples of card #274 cost a pretty penny with the highest recorded sale price to date being $288,000 (realized in February of 2017). Collectors can expect to pay a steep price for copies of any grade. In 2022, an example evaluated as “Authentic” (very low grade) sold on eBay for $1,402.

(This card is discussed in even greater detail in my upcoming book release, Cardboard Treasures)