This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/25/2012
Brand spanking new to the hobby and very recently graded SGC 86 NM+ 7.5, Mile High Card Company is pleased to usher into existence one of the finest graded examples of Joe DiMaggio's celebrated 1938 Goudey Heads-up issue in the hobby. The card came to Colorado early this spring after a lucky woman from Illinois discovered the perfectly preserved gem, along with one other card from the set, hidden and undisturbed for nearly three quarters of a century in a book handed down through her family. You can imagine her surprise when she encountered the cards, and we are very grateful that they didn't mistakenly fall out and bump a corner or an edge upon discovery, because both cards are essentially next to perfect. The offered DiMaggio boasts an eye-shattering sharpness in both its card stock and printed image that is absolutely unimprovable. Both the corners and edges hover near MINT condition, and the image and printed text on both sides appear as if they were impressed just yesterday. Not only do the printed colors appear fresh and perfectly preserved, from Joltin' Joe's rosy skin tones to the printed black text and graphics of the obverse and the printed green text on back, but there are absolutely no print defects or other imperfections anywhere throughout either surface. The card stock shows standard toning for the issue, but the only perceivable quality that doesn't meet a NM/MT or significantly better standard is the self-evident centering, which appears nearly pristine from top to bottom but favors the right edge to a degree just in excess of the tolerance for NM/MT. In fact, so sharp and impressive is this uncirculated cardboard treasure that were its classic image centered just a few hairs further to the left, it would very likely reside in a NM/MT+ 8.5 or even MINT 9 holder. In 1937, the season previous to the card's distribution and just DiMaggio's second in the Majors, the California native led all of baseball in Runs, Home Runs, Slugging, and Total Bases, but he would narrowly lose the MVP vote to veteran Charlie Gehringer. Joe's first MVP wouldn't come until the season following the 1938 Goudey issue, and then again in '41 and '47. From 1943 to 1945, however, he served in the Air Force, and his very best years, like so many in American life and in baseball, were lost to the war.