1939 Goudey Premiums, Joe Cronin, Boston Red Sox - MLB Hall of Fame

Description: 1939 Goudey Premiums R303-B, Joe Cronin, Boston Red Sox - MLB Hall of Fame - SGC 4 On the Player - Only one person in MLB history has been a star player, manager, general manager, and league president: Joe Cronin (1906-1984), one of the greatest shortstops ever. Over his remarkable 50-year career, Cronin never took a year off or faced dismissal. Every role he held was a promotion, and he came close to becoming baseball’s commissioner in 1965. Later in life, when reflecting on his decades of service, Cronin summed up his passion simply: “In the end, the game’s on the field.” Born in San Francisco, Cronin made his MLB debut in 1926 with the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, it was with the Washington Senators that he truly left his mark, becoming one of the league’s premier shortstops and leading the team to an American League pennant in 1933 as a player-manager. In 1935, he was traded to the Boston Red Sox, where he continued to excel both as a player and manager. Cronin retired as a player in 1945 but managed the Red Sox until 1947, later transitioning into a successful front-office career. He became the Red Sox general manager and ultimately served as president of the American League from 1959 to 1973. Cronin’s legacy is filled with accolades, including 7 All-Star selections, the retirement of his jersey by the Red Sox, and induction into the Washington National's Ring of Honor. His career slash line of .301/.390/.468 and 64.7 WAR underscore his talent on the field. In 1956, he earned baseball’s highest honor with his induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Cronin remains one of the most respected figures in the sport’s history. On the 1939 Goudey Premiums Set - In 1919, the Goudey Gum Company, founded by Enos Gordon Goudey, opened its first factory in Boston, Massachusetts. By 1933, Goudey revolutionized gum advertising by including baseball cards with each stick of gum, a first for the industry. While baseball cards had previously been included with cigarettes, tobacco, and some candy products, they had never been paired with gum, nor sold at an affordable price for children—a penny for both a card and a stick of gum. The 1933 Goudey "Big League Chewing Gum" set is now considered one of the "Big Three" classic baseball card sets, alongside the 1909-1911 T206 tobacco set and the 1952 Topps set. Goudey continued to produce baseball cards until 1941, when they issued their final set. The last major set from Goudey, the 1939 Goudey Premiums R303B baseball card set, consists of 24 cards, each measuring a large 4-3/4” by 7-5/16”. Printed on paper, these unnumbered cards feature player photos extending almost to the edge, along with a facsimile signature. The fronts are printed in black-and-white or sepia, while the backs, printed in brown, offer "How to" instructions (like "How to Run Bases" or "How to Bunt") and display the Diamond Stars Gum name. This set is often confused with the 1939 Goudey Premium R303A series, as both use identical imagery, but the R303B set is slightly larger in size.

Price: 135 USD

Location: Jonesboro, Arkansas

End Time: 2024-11-14T03:21:29.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD