The small series of (seven known) postcards produced by Bay Area clothing retailer Pebble Beach Clothiers in 1935 features selected players from the three Bay Area PCL teams (the Oakland Oaks, Mission Reds, and San Francisco Seals). These 3-1/2” x 5-1/2” cards feature real photographic fronts with typical postcard indicia on backs and were distributed already autographed by the featured player. The series is among the most rare PCL issues known, and accounts for, arguably, the scarcest representation of Joe DiMaggio from any card series documented in The Standard Catalog of Baseball cards. The validation of its rarity can be confirmed by combing a library of major sports auction catalogues from the last decade or more. Other than the offered example we have never seen another example of this extreme rarity offered in a major auction. This postcard showcases a period version of Joe DiMaggio’s signature vertically executed on the sepia-toned image. His blue fountain pen scripting rates "7-8" in strength. While the item grades as technically PR-FR, its structural faults are fairly subtle and do not substantially deter from the overall visual quality of the piece. These faults include a top edge hole, tack hole near bottom right corner (masked by “Pebble Beach” logo), modest corner wear and faint surface scuffing on the reverse from album mounting.
By every standard with which cards are measured in the hobby – rarity, aesthetic quality and historical significance – this is a supreme collectible. The crystal clear, impeccably detailed image was captured in 1933 (also see lot 241 in this auction) and shows DiMaggio as a 19-year old budding star for the San Francisco Seals, on the verge of taking the baseball world by storm. Just one year prior, DiMaggio was playing semi-pro ball when his brother Vince DiMaggio, playing for the Seals, talked his manager into letting DiMaggio fill in at shortstop; he made his professional debut on October 1, 1932. From May 27 – July 25, 1933, he got at least one hit in a PCL-record 61 consecutive games: "Baseball didn't really get into my blood until I knocked off that hitting streak.” DiMaggio later said. “Getting a daily hit became more important to me than eating, drinking or sleeping." One year after this postcard was issued, DiMaggio burst onto the major league landscape. Heralded beyond any rookie in the game before him, DiMaggio somehow exceeded unsurpassable expectations, leading the Yankees to a World Championship in 1936 and ushered in a second chapter in sports greatest dynasty.
Includes full LOAs from PSA/DNA and JSA.