1934-36 Diamond Stars Set (R327)

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘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 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. The design of the cards is described by nearly everyone as an Art Deco style.

Most of the pictures were a mix of portraits and partial body shots. However, a few included full body artwork.

Despite a sizable checklist, some of the game’s biggest stars were missing, including Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. That has made it a little less appealing but also helped to keep the price in a more reasonable range. Because of that, this set is often a better target for collectors over the Goudey issues, which include high-dollar Ruth and Gehrig cards.

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. Including all variations, there are 170 cards in the issue.

Hank Greenberg and Ernie Lombardi Error Cards (and others)

Cards of Hank Greenberg are arguably the most valuable in the set.

While often advertised as rookie issues, Greenberg’s cards are actually only second-year cards. Greenberg’s rookie cards are from 1934 and while this set began production in that year, Greenberg’s cards were not printed until 1935.

Additionally some of Greenberg’s cards have his name misspelled as ‘Greenburg’ on the front. Those are much rarer than his corrected ‘Greenberg’ version and typically sell for more.

Shown here is the error card.

Greenberg’s isn’t the only error in the set. A second typo is found on another high-profile player — Hall of Famer Ernie Lombardi.

The majority of Lombardi’s cards have his first name spelled correctly as Ernie. However, some are misspelled as ‘Earnie.’ Like Greenberg’s, the error cards of Lombardi are the rarer ones.

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.

Proof Sheet and 1981 ‘Extension’

While 240 cards were planned to be included in the set, National Chicle only issued 108. However, at least 12 others were seemingly close to production.

At some point, an uncut sheet of 12 new cards was brought to the public, apparently from the family of a printer of National Chicle’s cards. This sheet was auctioned in 1991 and, recently, in 2016 when SCP raised over $62,000 for it.

In 1981, a collector named Denny Eckes reproduced the 12 cards through his shop Den’s Collectors Den. The original sheet had blank backs but the reproduction cards have card numbers and complete biographies, just like the 1930s Diamond Stars cards did.

While not an official part of the checklist, the cards have become popular among fans because they feature players and pictures that were believed to be nearly issued. This set is often referred to as the Diamond Stars Extension.

That checklist includes: