1941 Double Play Baseball Cards
Product Details
Part of the final group of pre-war vintage sets, 1941 Double Play Baseball offers collectors a two-for-one look at professional baseball in the early 1940s. The black-and-white set features two players on each card and includes popular cards for Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio.
1941 Double Play Baseball was produced by Gum Products, Inc., a small company out of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Not to be confused with Gum, Inc. and their Play Ball Baseball line, 1941 Double Play would be the only card release issued by Gum Products. The R330 set utilizes black-and-images with a sepia tone.
Pairing teammates, the 1941 Double Play Baseball includes 150 subjects. However, since two players are featured on each card, there are actually only 75 cards in the set. The dual-image cards can be hand-cut down the middle, producing two cards that have their own card number and stats. While many kids did just that, resulting in a considerable decrease in value, intact Double Play cards are still in decent supply.
Although the design is fairly consistent throughout the set, two card orientations are available in 1941 Double Play Baseball. The first 40 cards (#1-80) showcase a horizontal design with posed headshots for each player. The next ten cards (#81-100) feature a vertical design and narrow action images, while the final 25 cards (#101-150) revert back to the horizontal layout. All the cards in the release measure approximately 2-1/2" by 3-1/8".
Each 1941 Double Play Baseball card front contains two player images and basic info for each player. This includes player name, team, position, date of birth, batting/throwing preference, height, weight and a baseball stat (normally batting average). The Double Play card backs are completely blank and the cards do not feature any ads or make any reference to the year of release. This does tend to give them a more-generic look.
Led by a good mix of Hall of Fame players, the 1941 Double Play Baseball set manages to capture several HOF pairs on one card. This includes Johnny Mize and Enos Slaughter (#39,40), Joe Cronin and Jimmie Foxx (#59,60), Lefty Gomez and Phil Rizzuto (#61,62), Ted Williams and Joe Cronin (#81,82), Hank Greenberg and Red Ruffing (#85,86), and Lefty Grove and Bobby Doerr (#105,106 ). Although 1941 Play Ball is the only "official" Pee Wee Reese rookie card, his 1941 Double Play rookie card is also popular with collectors.
 | Making purchases through affiliate links can earn the site a commission |
Key Cards
Key 1941 Double Play Baseball Cards
Click on the images or listings to shop for cards on eBay.
#81,82 Ted Williams - Joe Cronin
#63,64 Joe DiMaggio - Charley Keller
#57,58 Ted Williams - Jim Tabor
#61,62 Lefty Gomez - Phil Rizzuto
#59,60 Joe Cronin - Jimmie Foxx
| Making purchases through affiliate links can earn the site a commission |
Set Checklist
1941 Double Play Baseball Set Checklist
3,4 Billy Herman - Stanley Hack
5,6 Linus Frey - John Vander Meer
7,8 Paul Derringer - Bucky Walters
9,10 Frank McCormick - Bill Werber
11,12 Jimmy Ripple - Ernie Lombardi
13,14 Alex Kampouris - John Wyatt
15,16 Mickey Owen - Paul Waner
17,18 Harry Lavagetto - Harold Reiser
19,20 Jimmy Wasdell - Dolph Camilli
21,22 Dixie Walker - Ducky Medwick
23,24 Harold Reese - Kirby Higbe
25,26 Harry Danning - Cliff Melton
27,28 Harry Gumbert - Burgess Whitehead
29,30 Joe Orengo - Joe Moore
31,32 Mel Ott - Babe Young
33,34 Lee Handley - Arky Vaughan
35,36 Bob Klinger - Stanley Brown
37,38 Terry Moore - Gus Mancuso
39,40 Johnny Mize - Enos Slaughter
41,42 John Cooney - Sibby Sisti
43,44 Max West - Carvel Rowell
45,46 Dan Litwhiler - Merrill May
47,48 Frank Hayes - Al Brancato
49,50 Bob Johnson - Bill Nagel
51,52 Buck Newsom - Hank Greenberg
53,54 Barney McCosky - Charley Gehringer
55,56 Pinky Higgins - Dick Bartell
57,58 Ted Williams - Jim Tabor
59,60 Joe Cronin - Jimmy Foxx
61,62 Lefty Gomez - Phil Rizzuto
63,64 Joe DiMaggio - Charley Keller
65,66 Red Rolfe - Bill Dickey
67,68 Joe Gordon - Red Ruffing
69,70 Mike Tresh - Luke Appling
71,72 Moose Solters - John Rigney
73,74 Buddy Meyer - Ben Chapman
75,76 Cecil Travis - George Case
79,80 Ken Keltner - Hal Trotsky
81,82 Ted Williams - Joe Cronin
83,84 Joe Gordon - Charley Keller
85,86 Hank Greenberg - Red Ruffing
87,88 Hal Trotsky - George Case
89,90 Mel Ott - Burgess Whitehead
91,92 Harry Danning - Harry Gumbert
93,94 Babe Young - Cliff Melton
95,96 Jimmy Ripple - Bucky Walters
97,98 Stanley Hack - Bob Klinger
99,100 Johnny Mize - Dan Litwhiler
101,102 Dominic Dallessandro - Augie Galan
103,104 Bill Lee - Phil Cavaretta
105,106 Lefty Grove - Bobby Doerr
107,108 Frank Pytlak - Dom DiMaggio
109,110 Gerald Priddy - John Murphy
111,112 Tommy Henrich - Marius Russo
113,114 Frank Crosetti - John Sturm
115,116 Ival Goodman - Myron McCormick
117,118 Eddie Joost - Ernest Joy
119,120 Lloyd Waner - Henry Majeski
121,122 Buddy Hassett - Eugene Moore
123,124 Nick Etten - John Rizzo
125,126 Sam Chapman - Wally Moses
127,128 John Babich - Richard Siebert
129,130 Nelson Potter - Benny McCoy
131,132 Clarence Campbell - Louis Boudreau
133,134 Rolly Hemsley - Mel Harder
135,136 Gerald Walker - Joe Heving
137,138 John Rucker - Ace Adams
139,140 Morris Arnovich - Carl Hubbell
141,142 Lew Riggs - Leo Durocher
143,144 Fred Fitzsimmons - Joe Vosmik
145,146 Frank Crespi - Jim Brown
147,148 Don Heffner - Harland Clifft
149,150 Debs Garms - Elbert Fletcher
| Making purchases through affiliate links can earn the site a commission |
Ken's Cardboard
I recently saw some cards from this set and was considering purchasing. One of the cards has 45 degree corners cut on them. Was this an issued design? Also is the card of Johnny Mize considered his rookie card?
Trey Treutel
The cards should generally have normal corners like the examples shown in the guide. Some view the Mize card as a rookie, but he also has an R312 release from 1936 as well as 1948 cards in Bowman and Leaf that are considered rookie cards. https://www.cardboardconnection.com/player/johnny-mize