1947-48 Smiths Oakland Oaks Sets (H801-3) and Checklist

Posted on December 6, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Smiths Oakland Oaks (H801-3)
Year	1947-1948
Size	2″ x 3″
Images	Black and White
Type	Trade
Number in Set	25 (in each set)

1947-48 Smiths Oakland Oaks Overview

Casey Stengel 1948 Smiths Oakland Oaks The Oakland Oaks minor league baseball team is one that was featured in several sets. Among those were the 1947 and 1948 Smiths sets. Both sets are cataloged as H801-3 in the American Card Catalog.

The set was issued by Smiths clothing store. Technically, the actual name of the store may have been Smith’s. However, a large sign in front of the store and the backs of these cards identify the store as Smiths (without the apostrophe).

The cards featured members of the Oakland Oaks’ 1947 and 1948 teams. Several of the players are found in both sets. Black and white pictures of players are on the front, along with their name and position at the bottom. Backs of the cards included a short biography of the player as well as a pictorial representation of the Smiths store, as well as their address and a representation that the store was the “Largest men’s and boys’ store west of Chicago.”

As is the case in other Oakland Oaks’ set, the set is headlined by their Hall of Fame manager, Casey Stengel in terms of name recognition. However, the real gem of the set is card No. 22 featuring Max Marshall, which is said to have been shortprinted.

In addition to this release, Smiths also created a 1948 set. Those cards have basically the same look as the 1947 cards but with a glossy card stock. Stengel is again featured there and, while there is no known shortprint, he leads the set with another famous manager, Billy Martin, who was a player on the team.