- Thread starter
- #1
mchenrycards
Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
One of the greatest books ever written, at least to this ten year old baseball card collector was titled The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book which brought a whimsical look to baseball cards and the players that appeared on them. As a young collector who saved baseball cards before the internet age, finding any book on this hobby was considered an incredible find but to find a book that uses sarcasm to poke good natured fun at the players who appeared in the photos was just an added bonus. While this book spotlighted many many players and their cards, this book alone may have single handedly caused a spike in prices for one card in particular, the 1952 Topps card of Philadelphia Athletics outfielder, Gus Zernial.
Zernial was a journeyman outfielder for five different teams in the 1950’s and became known not only as a hitter to be feared but is credited for being the one to introduce Joe DiMaggio to his future wife, Marilyn Monroe. Ozark Ike would go one to carve out a respectable career where he would hit .265 in 11 Major League seasons while clubbing 237 round trippers. In May of 1951, Zernial would go on a home run streak that saw him hit six dingers in three consecutive games which at the time tied an American League record that had lasted for quite some time. It is at this point that the story of the 1952 Topps card takes place.
In 1952, Topps executives would look for interesting photos to include in its inaugural baseball card set and the photo taken of Gus Zernial after tying the consecutive game home run record the year before certainly fit the bill. In the photo we see a smiling Zernial with his hand up giving the viewer the “OK” sign while having six baseballs somehow defying gravity, attached to his baseball bat. The Great American Flipping book said it best when the authors wrote "This is one of my all-time favorite cards. How do you suppose they got those baseballs to stay up there anyway? Nails? Scotch tape? Postage stamp hinges? And why do you think Gus is giving us the high sign? Is he trying to assure us that everything is OK? Is he trying to indicate to us that he thinks the Athletics are a big zero? Does he want a cinnamon doughnut to go? And why is he wearing a pink undershirt? And what the hell is it all supposed to mean anyway?"
The photo for this card was taken the day after Zernial tied the Major League record for consecutive game home runs and the photographers of the day, known for their crazy photo poses somehow found a way to attach six baseballs to a bat and got good ole’ Gus to sit for the picture. Why he was giving us the high sign has never fully been understood and may only be known by the man himself. Why he has a pink undershirt on under his Athletics uniform is no doubt known only by the Topps employee who was in charge of colorizing these old photos back in the day. One cannot help but wonder if the low level Topps wonk just wanted to add an additional touch of whimsy to the card and gave Gus a pink shirt to go along with the six gravity defying baseballs and the flashing ok sign. It is these items that add to the mystique and wonder of this card and has made the number 31 Gus Zernial card from the first series of the 1952 Topps baseball set something to keep out of the commons bins.
To many ten year olds, and adult collectors who now remember reading the Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book as a child, this card is one that stands and just begs to be added to the collection. For someone who is inclined to purchase a copy for themselves, beat up and off center copies can be had for less than a McDonalds value meal but nicer ungraded copies can set you back as much as $200. Graded copies are also all over the board on prices but one must remember this set itself is the most collected and popular post war vintage set in the hobby and any cards in nice condition will be pricey, with this one holding a premium over most other commons in the set. If you are looking to own just one card in this set but cannot afford any of the Hall of Famers, this might be the card to add to the collection. Besides, the pink shirt itself is enough to make you laugh every time you see it.
As a post script to this story, after this photo was taken Zernial would go on to hit another home run in the fourth consecutive game which would break the American league record of that day. Why the photographers didn’t try and add a seventh baseball to the bat and retake the photo will probably never be known.
This is the original photo that was the basis for the 1952 Topps baseball card
Zernial was a journeyman outfielder for five different teams in the 1950’s and became known not only as a hitter to be feared but is credited for being the one to introduce Joe DiMaggio to his future wife, Marilyn Monroe. Ozark Ike would go one to carve out a respectable career where he would hit .265 in 11 Major League seasons while clubbing 237 round trippers. In May of 1951, Zernial would go on a home run streak that saw him hit six dingers in three consecutive games which at the time tied an American League record that had lasted for quite some time. It is at this point that the story of the 1952 Topps card takes place.
In 1952, Topps executives would look for interesting photos to include in its inaugural baseball card set and the photo taken of Gus Zernial after tying the consecutive game home run record the year before certainly fit the bill. In the photo we see a smiling Zernial with his hand up giving the viewer the “OK” sign while having six baseballs somehow defying gravity, attached to his baseball bat. The Great American Flipping book said it best when the authors wrote "This is one of my all-time favorite cards. How do you suppose they got those baseballs to stay up there anyway? Nails? Scotch tape? Postage stamp hinges? And why do you think Gus is giving us the high sign? Is he trying to assure us that everything is OK? Is he trying to indicate to us that he thinks the Athletics are a big zero? Does he want a cinnamon doughnut to go? And why is he wearing a pink undershirt? And what the hell is it all supposed to mean anyway?"
The photo for this card was taken the day after Zernial tied the Major League record for consecutive game home runs and the photographers of the day, known for their crazy photo poses somehow found a way to attach six baseballs to a bat and got good ole’ Gus to sit for the picture. Why he was giving us the high sign has never fully been understood and may only be known by the man himself. Why he has a pink undershirt on under his Athletics uniform is no doubt known only by the Topps employee who was in charge of colorizing these old photos back in the day. One cannot help but wonder if the low level Topps wonk just wanted to add an additional touch of whimsy to the card and gave Gus a pink shirt to go along with the six gravity defying baseballs and the flashing ok sign. It is these items that add to the mystique and wonder of this card and has made the number 31 Gus Zernial card from the first series of the 1952 Topps baseball set something to keep out of the commons bins.
To many ten year olds, and adult collectors who now remember reading the Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book as a child, this card is one that stands and just begs to be added to the collection. For someone who is inclined to purchase a copy for themselves, beat up and off center copies can be had for less than a McDonalds value meal but nicer ungraded copies can set you back as much as $200. Graded copies are also all over the board on prices but one must remember this set itself is the most collected and popular post war vintage set in the hobby and any cards in nice condition will be pricey, with this one holding a premium over most other commons in the set. If you are looking to own just one card in this set but cannot afford any of the Hall of Famers, this might be the card to add to the collection. Besides, the pink shirt itself is enough to make you laugh every time you see it.
As a post script to this story, after this photo was taken Zernial would go on to hit another home run in the fourth consecutive game which would break the American league record of that day. Why the photographers didn’t try and add a seventh baseball to the bat and retake the photo will probably never be known.
This is the original photo that was the basis for the 1952 Topps baseball card
