1940 Michigan Sportservice Detroit Tigers Set and Checklist

Posted on December 20, 2016 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	Michigan Sportservice Detroit Tigers
Year	1940
Size	4 1/8″ x 6 1/4″
Images	Black and White
Type	Publications
Number in Set	21

1940 Michigan Sportservice Detroit Tigers Overview

1940 Michigan Sportservice Earl Averill This set featured the 1939 Detroit Tigers and was sponsored by Michigan Sportservice, Inc. This is often referred to as a card set but measuring larger than 4″ x 6″, it’s really more a set of small photographs.

Each card/photo is black and white, featuring a head shot of a player with their replica signature. The front also includes the Detroit Tigers name and Tiger head logo along with the player’s name and some biographical information. Fronts also include the Michigan Sportservice, Inc. name as well as a warning against unauthorized reproductions. Backs are blank.

Dating the set has been a bit confusing. The cards/photos have a 1939 copyright date and they are often listed as a 1939 issue because of that. However, the cards are said to have been distributed to fans that wrote to the team and its players in 1940.

The set includes several key figures, including Hall of Famers Hank Greenberg, Charlie Gehringer, Earl Averill, and Hal Newhouser — Newhouser’s can even be considered a rookie card of sorts as he was a rookie in 1939, the year this set was copyrighted.