1934-36 Diamond Stars Set (R327)

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	R327 Diamond Stars
Year	1934-36
Size	2 3/8″ x 2 7/8″
Images	Color
Type	Candy/Gum
Number in Set	108

1934-36 R327 Diamond Stars Overview

The 1934-36 Diamond Stars set includes 108 total cards. Fronts included a colorful player image with a sizable biography on the backs. In addition to a paragraph about the player, other key information such as his birth place, age, height, weight, and statistics were added as well.

Cards were produced by National Chicle for its Diamond Stars Gum product. They are notable for their somewhat dull colorful fronts using only a handful of colors. In addition to green, which was used when the playing field was included, the set mostly uses only blue, orange, and yellow as its colors. That color scheme is repeated across the entire set.

Despite a sizable checklist, some of the game’s biggest stars were missing, including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig.

Variations

Because the set was produced over three years, some variations exist for certain card with spelling and team names. The biographies can be slightly different on the backs to reflect a player’s age, his latest season, etc.

In addition, the ink color varied, too. Backs were printed in both green and blue ink and depending on the color, you can tell when they were printed. As indicated in the American Card Catalog, earlier cards were printed in green and backs printed in blue were printed later. More specifically, while green ink was used for the biographies on the back in 1934 and 1935, the company switched to blue for some 1935 cards and for its final year of printing in 1936. Thus, if you have a card with green ink, it is from either 1934 or 1935. If you have a card with blue ink, it is from either 1935 or 1936.

While 108 cards are in a basic set, many more comprise a master set taking into account all of the back variations across the three years of production. A master set can be a challenging alternative to other 1930s issues such as the Goudey cards.

Collectors should also note that, while 108 cards make up the basic set, many of those are virtually the same with only statistic updates on the back while they utilize the same picture on the front as other cards.

Diamond Star Premiums

In addition to the cards, National Chicle also offered special premium photos to collectors. These premiums, known as part of the R311 National Chicle set, were given away to collectors in exchange for 15 wrappers.

In addition to the baseball premiums, National Chicle also ran a similar promotion for football premiums with the 1935 National Chicle football set. Both the baseball and football issues are cataloged as R311.

1934-36 R327 Diamond Stars Checklist

1. Lefty Grove
2. Al Simmons
3. Rabbit Maranville
4. Buddy Myer
5. Tom Bridges
6. Max Bishop
7. Lew Fonseca
8. Joe Vosmik
9. Mickey Cochrane
10. Leroy Mahaffey
11. Bill Dickey
12. Dixie Walker
13. George Blaeholder
14. Bill Terry
15. Dick Bartell
16. Lloyd Waner
17. Frankie Frisch
18. Chick Hafey
19. Van Lingle Mungo
20. Shanty Hogan
21. Johnny Vergez
22. Jimmy Wilson
23. Bill Hallahan
24. Sparky Adams
25. Walter Berger
26. Pepper Martin
27. Pie Traynor
28. Al Lopez
29. Robert Rolfe
30. Heinie Manush
31. Kiki Cuyler
32. Sam Rice
33. Schoolboy Rowe
34. Stan Hack
35. Earl Averill
36. Ernie Lombardi
37. Billy Urbanski
38. Ben Chapman
39. Carl Hubbell
40. Blondy Ryan
41. Harvey Hendrick
42. Jimmy Dykes
43. Ted Lyons
44. Rogers Hornsby
45. JoJo White
46. Red Lucas
47. Cliff Bolton
48. Rick Ferrell
49. Buck Jordan
50. Mel Ott
51. John Whitehead
52. George Stainback
53. Oscar Melillo
54. Hank Greenberg
55. Tony Cuccinello
56. Gus Suhr
57. Cy Blanton
58. Glenn Myatt
59. Jim Bottomley
60. Red Ruffing
61. Bill Werber
62. Fred Frankhouse
63. Stonewall Jackson
64.  Jimmie Foxx
65. Zeke Bonura
66. Ducky Medwick
67. Marvin Owen
68. Sam Leslie
69. Earl Grace
70. Hal Trosky
71. Ossie Bluege
72. Tony Piet
73. Fritz Ostermueller
74. Tony Lazzeri
75. Irving Burns
76. Billy Rogell
77. Charlie Gehringer
78. Joe Kuhel
79. Willie Hudlin
80. Louis Chiozza
81. Bill Delancey
82. John Babich
83. Paul Waner
84. Sam Byrd
85. Julius Solters
86. Frank Crosetti
87. Steve O’Neill
88. George Selkirk
89. Joe Stripp
90. Ray Hayworth
91. Bucky Harris
92. Ethan Allen
93. Alvin Crowder
94. Wes Ferrell
95. Luke Appling
96. Lew Riggs
97. Al Lopez
98. Schoolboy Rowe
99. Pie Traynor
100. Earl Averill
101. Dick Bartell
102. Van Lingle Mungo
103. Bill Dickey
104. Robert Rolfe
105. Ernie Lombardi
106. Red Lucas
107. Stan Hack
108. Wally Berger

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