PSA Set Registry
Collecting the 1934-36 Batter-Up Baseball Card Set (R318)
National Chicle Takes Its (Die) Cuts in the Baseball Market
by Kevin Glew
It was "Batter Up" for the National Chicle Gum Company in 1934.
That was the year that the fledgling company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, first faced off against Goudey in the baseball card market. And by introducing two issues, Diamond Stars and Batter-Up, they definitely swung for the fences.
The 192-card Batter-Up set was unveiled in two series between 1934 and 1936. Reportedly sold in 1934, the first series (#1 to #80) offered cards measuring 2-3/8" by 3-1/4" each, while the second series singles (#81 to #192) were 1/4" shorter in length and were distributed in 1935 and 1936.
Both series cards present full-length, posed action shots. The photos were die cut, allowing the top half of the player image to be pushed out and the backs folded so the cards could stand up on their own. The set creators did a superb job of rounding up appropriate photos of the players. Many catchers, for example, are pictured in full gear in a catcher's squat, while several first basemen are photographed stretching to corral a throw.
"When you look at the photos, they're really, really sharp images. They're amazing for the time period," said Barry Herndon, who owns the No. 11 Current Finest, 1934-36 Batter-Up Set on the PSA Set Registry.
Larry Mayer, who has assembled the registry's No. 8 Current Finest set, agrees.
"If you look at the Goudey and Diamond Stars sets from the same era, they showcase artistic representations not photographs," he noted. "Out of the sets from this era, if you're looking for action poses and action shots, then this set is the nicest of the regular issues."
The background on the photos extends to the edges of the card fronts, so there are no borders. The set name ("BATTER-UP"), player's last name (and sometimes first initial), team and position are exhibited in a white box on the lower front on the first series cards. The card number, which looks handwritten, is also highlighted near the bottom.
This same information is generally displayed in a grayer box on the second series cards. However, these singles include the players' first and last names and the card numbers are printed at the bottom of the box in the same font as the player name, team and position. The backs of both the first and second series cards are blank.
The 1934-36 Batter-Up cards were also manufactured in several different color tints. Six different color tints have been documented for the first series cards: black-and-white, red, brown, blue, purple (or pinkish) and green. The second series singles have been found in black-and-white, brown, blue and green. Most collectors only target one example of each card to complete their sets.
"To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever come up with a master list of which cards come in which [color] hues, but I'd love to see that," said Mayer.
The 1934-36 Batter-Up cards were distributed in one-card, penny packs with gum. In Mayer's experience, it's been much more difficult to track down Batter-Up cards than Diamond Stars singles. The veteran hobbyist adds that the second series cards (#81 to #192) have been slightly more difficult to track down than the first series singles.
Also, if you study the photos and review some of the transactions that took place between 1934 and 1936, you can gain some insight as to when the cards were produced. For example, Hall of Famer Jim Bottomley is photographed with the Cincinnati Reds on his first series card (#8), but he was dealt to the St. Louis Browns on March 21, 1936, and his second series multi-player card (#115) and his second series solo single (#179) offer photos of him with the Browns. So it's safe to conclude that the photographs on Bottomley's second series singles were snapped after March 21, 1936, and the production of the cards was obviously completed after that.
There's no set sequence to the cards, but there are 29 players that have two cards in the set. Each of the 16 major league teams at the time is represented. With 18 players highlighted, the Detroit Tigers are featured the most in this set, while the Philadelphia A's have just six cards.
By our count, there are 39 Hall of Famers in this set - 13 of which are showcased on more than one card (see accompanying chart). Two Hall of Famers - Bottomley and Ted Lyons - are featured on three cards each.
Among the Hall of Famers with cards that might be classified as rookies in this offering are Al Lopez (#3), Hank Greenberg (#57), Luke Appling (#124) and Ernie Lombardi (#129). These players also appear in National Chicle's Diamond Stars offering. Herndon says the Greenberg is one of the set's most desirable singles. Of the 79 submitted, the eight PSA NM-MT 8s represent the highest graded examples.
The Appling rookie (#124) is also tough to track down in pristine form.
Similar to the Diamond Stars series, Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth do not appear in the Batter-Up issue. This has hurt the set's popularity, but this issue does boast cards of seven Hall of Famers - Lefty Gomez (#23, #86), Joe Cronin (#32, #183), Hack Wilson (#73), Goose Goslin (#85), Fred Lindstrom (#122), Gabby Hartnett (#136) and Billy Herman (#138) - that do not appear in the 1934 Goudey or Diamond Stars offerings.
Herndon says the Jimmie Foxx cards are two of the keys to the set. The first Foxx single (#28) features the right-handed hitting slugger with the Philadelphia A's, while his second series card (#144) attempts to reflect his December 10, 1935, trade to the Boston Red Sox, but it mistakenly identifies him as a member of the Reds. With just one PSA 8 (and no examples grading higher), Foxx's second series single is more elusive in flawless form.
The Mel Ott card (#27) is also highly sought after. This single is extremely difficult to uncover in NM-MT or better condition. Of the 95 evaluated, the five PSA NM 7s represent the highest graded examples.
Mayer points out that the toughest Hall of Famer card to track down is Gabby Hartnett (#136). Just 13 examples have even been submitted for grading - that's the second lowest number of submissions of any card in the set.
"Just two of those [13 cards] are graded higher than a [PSA EX-MT] 6," noted Mayer, adding that there is one PSA 7 and one PSA NM+ 7.5.
On top of its abundance of Hall of Famers, the 1934-36 Batter-Up set was one of the first to showcase multi-player cards. There are three multi-player cards in total: Billy Webb and Wallace Moses (#98), Minter Hayes and Ted Lyons (#111) and Ivy Andrews and Jim Bottomley (#115).
According to the PSA Population Report, the toughest card to find in high grade is Wes Ferrell (#12). The three PSA 6s of this card are the highest graded examples. There are also four cards - Ed Brandt (#2), Willie Kamm (#39), Carl Reynolds (#49) and Tom Carey (#89) - that only have one PSA 7 (with no cards grading higher).
But because of the interactive, die cut design, it's tough to obtain any of the 1934-36 Batter-Up cards in top grade.
"They were designed to be played with, so of the ones that have been saved, a lot of them have the photos punched out and are not appropriate to get professionally graded," noted Mayer.
Herndon purchased his original Batter-Up set in ungraded form and noticed several condition issues with the cards.
"Some of the cards had handwritten notes on the [blank] backs," he said. "I've also seen cards with scotch tape over the [die] cut in the back so the photos won't poke through."
All of this helps to explain why there has yet to be a PSA GEM-MT 10 example of any card in this issue and there are just 12 PSA MINT 9s.
Eagle-eyed collectors will also notice several uncorrected errors in this set. For example, Jim Bottomley's last name is misspelled "Bottomly" on card #8. Similarly, the second "a" is missing from Arky Vaughan's last name on his card (#21) and the second "n" was omitted from John Glenn's last name on his single (#87). Further, Eldon Auker's first name is misspelled "Elden" (#120) and Wes Ferrell's first name is misspelled "Wess" on his second card (#174).
Herndon says the biggest challenges for him in assembling his registry set has been the cost and fending off competition.
"The cards are out there, but they're really pricey," he said.
Nevertheless, he feels this set will be a worthwhile investment in the future.
For more information on the 1934-36 Batter-Up baseball set, please visit http://www.psacard.com/cardfacts/baseball-cards/1934-36-batter-up-r318/217.