(LOT 175)
Joe DiMaggio Tip Top Bread Pin – NM-MT Condition!
Entering the 1939 season, the New York Yankees had captured 3 consecutive World Series titles, largely in part to their two legendary players, Lou Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio. With Gehrig's tragic illness derailing him at the start of the 1939 season, the "Yankee Clipper" would now take the reigns as the team's foremost star, continuing his assault on overmatched pitchers by belting 30 round trippers, knocking in 126 runs and posting a sensational .381 average! That remarkable season would assist the Bronx Bombers in capturing their 4th consecutive championship and earn the young 24-year old prodigy the first of his three MVP awards. Manufacturers' were beginning to capitalize on DiMaggio's incredible popularity and utilizing his image to promote their brand.

One such company was the Ward Baking Company who chose to use a classic "Joe D." black & white portrait image to grace the obverse side of this 1.25" promotional pin. One of the earliest known DiMaggio pins and considered scarce, this offering is one of the finest we have ever encountered via its crystal clear "Joltin Joe" pose. The accompanying verbiage boldly reads: "Winners Eat Wards" along the top rim and "Joe DiMaggio Eats Tip-Top Bread" along the bottom. The blank back is relatively clean with a completely intact stick pin. Most would agree that the ultra-tight circumference edging, brilliant obverse side surface and classic DiMaggio image all combine to elevate this seldom surfacing pinback to world-class stature!

MIN BID $500
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