1938 Our National Game Issue One Of Last Pre-War Pin Sets

Posted on January 15, 2017 by Pre-War Cards

‘It’s In The Details’

Title	PM8 Our National Game Pins
Year	1938
Size	7/8″
Images	Blue Ink
Type	Pins
Number in Set	30

1938 Our National Game Pins Overview

Printed in 1938, the PM8 Our National Game pin set is one of the final pin issues of the pre-war era. The set includes only a total of 30 baseball pins but it’s a power-packed set full of stars of the day. Keys to the set include Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig but more than half of the set is made up of players in the Hall of Fame.

Not only is the complete set a small one, but the pins themselves are tiny, too. Measuring at only 7/8″ in diameter, it can be easy to miss these on dealer tables, etc. Player images are printed in blue ink against a plain, off-white colored background. Backs are completely blank.

The back doesn’t include a traditional ‘pin’. Instead, a small tab with a point at the end folds back from the edge.

These pins are among the cheaper 1930s collectibles. Lower-grade pins from the set are often easy to find for $10 or even less. Even many of the stars and Hall of Famers in the set are not much more.

Cardboard Backing

The pins originally came attached to a cardboard backing sheet. While some of these are still around today, you’ll most often find the pins without them. The pins are often sold as a standalone issue without this original packaging, though the backings generally only add a small amount to the value when present.

The cardboard backing is rectangular in size and has a bit of a U.S.A. theme. The most important note is that the backings do not have player names on them. Thus, they can be used interchangeably with all of the pins in the set.

The red, white, and blue cardboard backing stated “Our National Game” at the top and “A Baseball Hero” at the bottom. Pins that come with the original cardboard back usually sell for a premium, though it usually only adds a few dollars. While the backs are not overly common, they are relatively easy to find.

1938 Our National Game Pins Checklist

Below is a complete checklist of the set. The pins are unnumbered but are listed here in alphabetical order. You can see pictures of all of the pins here.