Earlier, we mentioned the fact that Fox appeared in a variety of very popular and challenging non-mainstream sets throughout his career, especially during the 1950s. A card that is seldom offered in appealing condition is Fox’s colorful and oversized (2-13/16" by 4-15/16") 1959 Bazooka card. This card, which is part of a 23-card set, was originally part of a box and had to be removed by the collector. Due to the design, which includes the way the cards were positioned on the box, it can be very hard to safely extract the card from the box without causing creasing damage. Furthermore, even though dotted lines were included in the construction of the box with the purpose of helping the collector cut the cards more accurately, many of the cards were cut well inside the lines. These cards still have value, but to achieve numerical grades, the cards must come very close to measuring fully, based on their intended design. The Fox is not only one of a handful of Hall of Famers in the set, it is also considered a short print, making it even tougher to find than most cards in the release.
Jacob Nelson Fox (December 25, 1927 - December 1, 1975) had agility defensively in the field, excellent baserunning ability and a keen eye at the plate, leading the American League four times in hits and in fewest strikeouts ten times. In his 19-year career, Nellie collected 2,663 hits while only striking out 216 times, and he never K’ed more than 18 times in a season. Fox was drafted by the Philadelphia A’s (1947-1949) but couldn’t find a starting role until he was moved to the Chicago White Sox (1950-1963) where he flourished alongside, among others, fellow Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio making up one of the best defensive infields in the league. In 1959, Fox was named the AL Most Valuable Player, posting a .306 average, 191 hits and 70 RBI as he helped guide the White Sox to the AL pennant, their first in 40 years. Fox was a 15-times All-Star selection and won three Gold Gloves. Nellie Fox retired with 2,663 hits, 1,279 runs, 690 RBI and a .288 career batting average. The Veterans Committee elected Jacob Nelson Fox to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.
