Another edition of "When is a card not a card?" Showcased below, and the first contemporary Frankie Frisch card in our collection, is his 1936 S&S Game card. According to PSA the cards measure 2 ¼ by 3 ½ with rounded corners. The images are horizontal and the fronts are black white with photo of player. There are biographical statistics and two plays related to the board game. The reverse is plan green or plain cream and blank-each card comes in both colors and I am not sure if one is more scarce than the other. As shown below ours is green. There are 52 player cards, one scoreboard card, at least two directions cards, and one contest card. August of 2014 Mile High Auctions sold a complete PSA graded set of 52 plus scoreboard and directions cards and at the time the 5th highest graded complete set. Two cards were graded at 10s and 21 others at 9. The set sold with buyers’ premium for $958. 80. I think this is a very good price and man I wish I had the money!
All and all the 1936 S&S Game Cards are an inexpensive way to pick up contemporary cards of Hall of Famers.
Frank Francis Frisch was born September 9, 1898 in the Bronx. He was nicknamed “The Fordham Flash”. This nickname came from the fact he attended Fordham Prep then Fordham University were he was a four-sport athlete. He played with the Giants from 1919 - 1926; the Redbirds 1927-1937-he also managed the Cardinals from 1933-1938. He managed the Pirates 1940-1946, and Cubs 1949-1951. He is a member of the Hall of Fame.
Following the 1926 season he was traded from the Giants with a pitcher for Cardinals’ legend Rogers Hornsby. He became a member of the “infamous” Gas House Gang. With the Giants he won two World Series (1921 and 1922). With the Cardinals he won again in 1931 and 1934. Having played in a total of eight. Before joining the Cardinals, the Redbirds won only one pennant and after he left the Giants would only win one pennant in the nine years he played with the Redbirds.
He was MVP in 1931 after batting .311 with 4 home runs, 82 RBIs and leading the League in stolen bases with 28. The 1931 Cardinals also beat the defending World Champion Philadelphia Athletics in seven games.
He became a player manager with the Birds in 1933 and was named to the first three All-Star gams 1933-1935. He managed the Redbirds to a World Series win over the Tigers in 1934.
His finished his player career in 1937. A career statistic line of .316 average (Wiki tells us this is still the highest for a switch hitter), 2880 hits, 1532 runs, 105 home runs, 1244 RBIs, and 419 stolen bases in 19 seasons. Pete Rose would break his hit total for a switch hitter. He hit .300 from both sides of the plate in more than 5,000 at-bats. Only Chipper Jones has higher average.
When not playing or managing he did some broadcasting including as a baseball color commentator on radio and television for the Boston Bees, Boston Red Sox, Giants, and as backup crew for Saturday Game of the Week coverage on CBS.
On March 12, 1973 The Fordham Flash died in Wilmington, Delaware from injuries suffered from a car accident in Maryland one month earlier. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City.
That's a great price for PSA graded set that's 80+ years old. As for his other cards, that 1934-36 National Chicle Diamond Stars card is fantastic. Starting to think that's my favorite prewar set.
ReplyDeleteNot graded :( but man I have got to pull the trigger and get some items graded but it freaks me out-wonder if Steven's Creek has the service other LCS have where for a small fee they will send in your cards. I love the National Chicle cards and just lost a couple of bids that would have been a bargain which is why I lost-
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