Two Firsts

For as long as I have been writing here I have not had a scanner-just never got around to buying one. However, Best Buy had a really good Black Friday buy on a scanner and we pulled the trigger. So I will be showing the first card scanned with the new scanner. The card is the first Strip Card in the collection, a 1927 W560 Taylor Douthit. Hold the presses, the PSA website references the American Card Catalogue which designates this as a playing card.

W560 Playing Cards consist of 64 cards, of which 49 are baseball players. These are an interesting 1-3/4" by 2-2/3", and I am not sure how an adult would play any game with them since they are smaller than a typical playing card-or at least I think so. So it must have been for the kiddos. Each card has a face value and a suit and the backs are blank. The ones I have seen on the Bay and the Google are all hand cut and PSA indicates there may be uncut sheets of 16-which of course would explain their being hand cut.

Taylor Douthit is the 7 of Spades-so there were 49 players in the set for baseball? Why Taylor?

Taylor was born in Little Rock,  AR in 1901 and started in the Redbird's farm system eventually making it to the Big Leagues as a regular in 1926. His rookie year of 1926 he hit .308 and helped the Gas House Gang win the 1926 World Series during which he hit .267.

He remained with the Redbirds until he was traded to the Reds in 1931. He ended his Big League career with the Cubs in 1933. Wiki tells us that he is "the all-time record holder for range factor by a center fielder". In 1928 he had 547 put outs which is a record for any outfielder in a season.

An alum of the University of California where he played baseball and basketball he is their hall of fame. Taylor died at the ripe old age of 85 in nearby Fremont, CA. Taylor had 9 contemporary cards and there are several modern reprints etc.

So this is why he had a coveted-by someone I hope-card in the 1927 W560 set.

Cards outfielders Billy Southworth, Taylor Douthit and Chick Hafey