Product Details

After a successful debut in 1939, Gum, Inc. brought back its Play Ball baseball card set in 1940. Featuring a noticeably improved design and larger checklist that included legendary players from the past, the 1940 Play Ball Baseball card set was once overlooked but has enjoyed a boost in popularity with collectors in recent years.

Measuring in at 2-1/2" by 3-1/8", 1940 Play Ball Baseball was printed and distributed in two series. The first series includes cards #1-144, and the second series features the remaining cards, #145-240. The 240-card set matched 1933 Goudey as the largest, single-year, gum card set issued to that point. The release is designated as R335 in the American Card Catalog.

Although the cards still feature black-and-white photographs like in 1939, several elements were added top help elevate the 1940 Play Ball Baseball design.  A banner featuring the player's name, and nickname, if applicable, was added to the bottom. The section is adorned with a glove, bat and catcher's mask, and a frame is placed around the picture.

The 1940 Play Ball Baseball card backs are very similar to the ones found in the 1939 set, featuring a detailed biographical write-up. The main difference is a 1940 copyright date and a new ad copy at the bottom. Some cards in the high number series provide a preview of Superman Gum, a future release by the company. Dubbed "Superman Backs," cards #121-180 can be found with one of six similar ads that tout the upcoming Superman release. The card group can also be found with the basic Gum, Inc. ad found on the rest of the set.

Key active players anchoring the 1940 Play Ball Baseball set include Joe DiMaggio (#1) and Ted Williams (#27). Loaded with Hall of Fame talent throughout the checklist, other popular cards include Jimmie Foxx (#133), Hank Greenberg (#40) and Mel Ott (#88). Various coaches and managers are also included in the set.

In addition to being much more difficult to locate, one other feature of the high-number series is the inclusion of cards celebrating retired stars. At the time, the Hall of Fame was still relatively new and the legends helped fill out the number of cards needed for the final series. Today, retired stars are regularly inserted into sets but this was a new development in 1940. Combined with the active players of the set, the Hall of Fame count in 1940 Play Ball Baseball exceeds 50 subjects.

Older hobby guides indicate that collectors generally frowned upon cards featuring retired players, but that has changed over time. Since the retired legends are part of the limited high-number series in 1940 Play Ball Baseball, they already receive a premium in terms of value. Most notably, Shoeless Joe Jackson has become one of the key cards in the set, commanding top-dollar at auction. Other noteworthy, retired greats appearing in the high-number series include Christy Mathewson, Walter Johnson, Honus Wagner, Tris Speaker and Napoleon Lajoie.

The 1940 Play Ball Baseball set is notorious for a specific condition issue that is inconsistent with those of the 1939 or 1941 sets. For whatever the reason, the set suffers from noticeable problems related to border toning. Colors can range from a sepia tone to yellowish-brown. It can be very challenging to find cards without this discoloration. Over the years, the hobby has begrudgingly accepted this unfortunate characteristic and has settled on finding cards with even toning across all borders. Centering can also be an issue.

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1940 Play Ball #127 VG

$19.99

1940 Play Ball Connie Mack (Regular Back) #132 HOF

$155.00

1940 Play Ball #58 Bill Posedel - EX - EXACT SCAN

$16.00

1940 Play Ball #98 Pinky May Philadelphia Phillies Good VG

$29.00

1940 PLAY BALL #65 FRED FITZSIMMONS BROOKLYN DODGERS

$8.15

1940 Play Ball #46 Earl Averill Detroit Tigers C149

$34.38

1940 Play Ball Buck McCormick #75 Cincinnati Reds C137

$7.98

1940 Play Ball #91 Bob Seeds

$10.46

1940 Play Ball #179 George Sisler

$75.00

1940 Play Ball George Sisler (Regular Back) #179.1 HOF

$57.74

1940 Play Ball #79 Harry Craft - VG-EX - EXACT SCAN

$14.00

1940 Play Ball Gus Suhr #94

$21.24

1940 Play Ball Dolph Camilli #68 Signed Autographed Signed Brooklyn Dodgers

$70.00

1940 PLAY BALL #167 FRANKIE FRISCH PIRATES

$68.00

1940 Play Ball #89 Bill Jurges - EX - EXACT SCAN

$16.00

1940 PLAY BALL #79 HARRY CRAFT CINCINNATI REDS

$20.00

1940 Play Ball Monte Pearson #5

$23.24

1940 Play Ball #20 Buddy Lewis

$15.40

1940 Play Ball Playball # 141 Casey Stengel HOF

$119.99

1940 Play Ball #2 Arndt Jorge's

$15.40