Lot # 421: “BEST OF THE BEST” 1936 World Wide Gum Joe DiMaggio Rookie Card (SGC NM/MT+ 8.5) - The SOLE & HIGHEST GRADED Example on the COMBINED SGC & PSA “Pop” Charts!

Category: 1921-1939

Starting Bid: $25,000.00

Bids: 30 (Bid History)

Time Left: Auction closed
Lot / Auction Closed




This lot is closed. Bidding is not allowed.

Item was in Auction "Newman Auction",
which ran from 6/12/2021 11:00 AM to
7/10/2021 7:00 PM




(LOT 421)
"BEST OF THE BEST" 1936 World Wide Gum Joe DiMaggio Rookie Card (SGC NM/MT+ 8.5) - The SOLE & HIGHEST GRADED Example on the COMBINED SGC & PSA "Pop" Charts!

Only a handful of baseball icons could possibly compete with the National popularity and admiration bestowed upon the legendary "Yankee Clipper", Joe DiMaggio. Throughout his glorious playing days and post-retirement years, "Joltin'" Joe's overall persona was perceived with magnificent awe and respect, as he represented the ultimate embodiment of a National hero. His 56-game hitting streak in 1941 just may be baseball's greatest record, such to the point that a song was written about Joe that same season personifying everything he meant to the game. For these reasons alone, vintage collectors actively seek DiMaggio's most valuable cardboard gems, and with that in mind, presented here is Joe DiMaggio's TRUE "Rookie Card", the ever-elusive 1936 World Wide Gum that depicts his inaugural New York Yankee representation on a baseball card. Graded an unfathomable SGC NM/MT+ 8.5, it proudly stands tall as the SOLE and HIGHEST GRADED example on the combined SGC and PSA "Pop" Charts, far surpassing its closest Near-Mint 7 competitor! One of the most significant vintage cards Memory Lane or any auction house for that matter has ever offered, its unequivocal pinnacle assessment and virtually impossible near-perfect centering merit the highest hobby accolades.

It is critical to note that the 1934 DiMaggio "batting" Zeenuts subject has been, in some instances, erroneously referred to as the DiMaggio rookie card. This is absolutely misleading and clearly not the case. While certainly "Joe D's" inaugural cardboard issue, a "TRUE" rookie card is the first issue of a player in a MAJOR LEAGUE uniform. The 1934 DiMaggio Zeenut depicts him in his San Francisco Seals minor league uniform, not the Yankee uniform portrayed on this extraordinary SGC 8.5 offering. A rookie card must present the player in his first major league uniform (we can use Babe Ruth as a simply analogy. His 1916 M101 issue is generally accepted as his irrefutable rookie card, not his previously issued 1914 Baltimore News Ruth portraying Ruth as a minor league player). While rookie card purists painstakingly seek DiMaggio's extremely obscure 1936 WWG issue, unfortunately they seldom surface for the taking in any grade, let alone this "best of the rest" miraculous 8.5 offering.

Regarding aesthetics, the "Yankee Clipper's" stoic black & white portrait pose provides the finest imaginable contrast and crystal-clear clarity, with the remarkable image exhibiting near-perfect centering! Indeed, it is an excruciating task to find any World-Wide Gum DiMaggio, let alone one reflecting 50/50 centering with most examples plagued by skewed images. The "one of a kind" assessment is strongly supported by super clean surfaces, scintillating corner tips, and razor-sharp edging. It certainly appears that the only negligible flaw preventing a "Mint" grade is an extremely diminutive soiling spot situated on the lower left border, yet as most sophisticated enthusiasts would attest to, the unparalleled "NM/MT+ 8.5" assessment will more than suffice. To reiterate, while there are some hobbyists who claim minor-league cards such as Babe Ruth's 1914 Baltimore News and DiMaggio's 1934 Zeenuts should be classified as their rookie cards, it makes perfect sense that an unquestionable "rookie" designation should only apply to a card depicting them as an inaugural MAJOR LEAGUE player (not a minor-league affiliate).

Therefore, this supreme offering depicting DiMaggio as a New York Yankee certainly applies as "Joe D's" true mainstream rookie card. While we do need to point out there are a handful of other 1936 DiMaggio issues including the R312 premium and "Wide"/"Fine" Pen postcard sized cards, these are not considered mainstream issues, with a majority of hobbyists also preferring conventional sized baseball cards. We cannot even begin to speculate on this museum worthy offering's ultimate value, for any of the previous '36 WWG DiMaggio lower grade pricing points are rendered irrelevant versus the projected record-breaking cost for this "1 of 1" highest graded marvel. DiMaggio's exploits on a baseball diamond as well as his iconic "off the field" stature will surely echo for eternity, justifying why this pinnacle "unique for the grade" masterpiece stands alongside any esteemed cardboard issue as one of the most significant rookie sports cards on the planet!

MIN BID $25,000
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