1941 Double Play Set and Checklist

Posted on December 13, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Double Play
Year	1941
Size	2 1/2″ x 3 1/8″
Images	Black and White
Type	Gum/Candy
Number in Set	75

1941 Double Play Overview

1941 Double Play Joe DiMaggio - Keller The 1941 Double Play set was issued by Gum Products, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts. As cited here, the company began in 1940 with $16,000 borrowed for start-up capital for the new venture.

While there are only 75 cards in the set, there are 150 players featured as two players are included on each card — hence the Double Play name. Note, however, that as some players are duplicated, there are not 150 different players. The set is one of the few notable early 1940s gum card releases that was issued during World War II.

Cards were packaged with Gum Products, Inc.’s (independent of Gum, Inc.) Double Play bubble gum. Two cards (four players) were included inside each one-cent package.

The set is listed as R330 in the American Card Catalog. Fronts can have both a horizontal or vertical layout and each card has the names of two players as well as some biographical and limited statistical information. Backs of the cards are blank. The set is popular with team collectors as each card features a pair of players from the same team. While the cards are generally listed as black and white, some have a sepia or light reddish tone to them.

Some of the combinations in the set are classic, featuring two Hall of Famers or big name players. This article identifies some of the more important pairings.

Most of the layouts are horizontal with simple player headshots. However, card numbers 41-50 (actual card numbers of 81 through 100) are printed vertically and were action photos.

Card numbering is a bit unique as each card technically has two numbers — one for each player. That gives credence to the idea that these could really be viewed as 150 cards as opposed to 75 and that the cards were intended to be separated. And that’s exactly what many collectors did.

Similar to what collectors did with other dual-player cards, these have often been separated/cut to split up the players. These makeshift individual cut cards do have value but it’s significantly less than the cards that are fully intact. Even if they were intended to be separated into two distinct cards, doing so severely decreases the value.

The set includes many popular players from the era, including Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, Hank Greenberg, Mel Ott, Johnny Mize, and more. And while there are only 75 cards, the set’s completion is made more difficult by the fact that some stars, like Williams and Greenberg are found on more than one card.

Key Rookie Cards

1941 Double Play Gomez-Rizzuto In addition to all of the stars mentioned, the famous set also includes several key rookie cards.

Featured in the release are true rookie cards of Hall of Famers Phil Rizzuto, Enos Slaughter, and Pee Wee Reese. All three are notable and tracked heavily by collectors. Rizzuto’s is arguably the most important, however.

While the others have other cards that can be considered rookies or early issues, Rizzuto was not found in any other mainstream sets until 1947. His card is not only a rookie but is arguably his only real early card. Rizzuto’s card is also important as it is one of the few in the set featuring more than one Hall of Famer as he is pictured alongside fellow Cooperstown inductee Lefty Gomez.