An Introduction

For many of you, this next portion of the blog may be a lot of gibberish to you. Below are all the baseball cards known to exist of Hank Greenberg between the years of 1934-1950:

1934 R320 Goudey
1934-36 R327 Diamond Stars
1934-36 R318 Batter Up
1935 R321 Goudey 4-in-1
1935 R309-2
1935 M114 Baseball Magazine Premium
1935 George Burke Detroit Photo Stamps
1935 Detroit Free Press
1936 R311 Glossy and Leather Finish
1936 R312 Pastel
1936 R313 National Chicle Fine Pens
1936 R314 Goudey Wide Pens
1938 R323 Goudey Heads Up
1939 R334 Play Ball
1939-46 W462 Exhibits Salutations
1940 R335 Play Ball
1941 R336 Play Ball
1941 R330 Double Play
1943 R302 M.P. & Co.
1948 R346 Blue Tint
1950 R423
1936 BF3 Pennant type 1
1936 BF3 Pennant type 2 batting
1936 BF3 Pennant type 2 throwing
1936 BF3 Pennant type 3
1936 BF3 Pennant type 7
1936 V355 WWG
1936 Detroit Times Sports Stamps
1936 Wheaties series 3
1937 R314-5 WWG
1938 W463 Exhibits "4-on-1"
1938 Wheaties series 11
1938 Wheaties series 15
1938 PM8 Our National Game Pin
1939 R303-A Goudey Premium
1939 Wheaties series 12
1940 Diamond Dust Punchboard card
1941 Wheaties Champs of USA
1946-47 W603 Sport Exchange All Stars
1946-47 Cuban Propagandas Montiel
1947 W602 Sport Exchange Mini (gold border)
1948 W712-2 Cleveland Indians Picture Pack
1949 W712-4 Cleveland Indians Picture Pack (action) (GM)
1934 H-Unc. Annis Furs
1936 R301 Overland Candy Co.
1937 BF104
1937 BF-Unc. Felt Pennant
1937 V300 O-Pee-Chee
1940 Michigan Sports Service 

Don't know if I missed any, but I'll be putting pictures up of all of them, so you will see them eventually.

Now, here is that same list, but now I will cross off the card that I have, leaving the ones I need, +/- a few:


1934 R320 Goudey
1934-36 R327 Diamond Stars
1934-36 R318 Batter Up
1935 R321 Goudey 4-in-1
1935 R309-2
1935 M114 Baseball Magazine Premium
1935 George Burke Detroit Photo Stamps
1935 Detroit Free Press
1936 R311 Glossy and Leather Finish
1936 R312 Pastel
1936 R313 National Chicle Fine Pens
1936 R314 Goudey Wide Pens
1938 R323 Goudey Heads Up
1939 R334 Play Ball
1939-46 W462 Exhibits Salutations
1940 R335 Play Ball
1941 R336 Play Ball
1941 R330 Double Play
1943 R302 M.P. & Co.
1948 R346 Blue Tint
1950 R423
1936 BF3 Pennant type 1
1936 BF3 Pennant type 2 batting
1936 BF3 Pennant type 2 throwing
1936 BF3 Pennant type 3
1936 BF3 Pennant type 7
1936 V355 WWG
1936 Detroit Times Sports Stamps
1936 Wheaties series 3
1937 R314-5 WWG
1938 W463 Exhibits "4-on-1"
1938 Wheaties series 11
1938 Wheaties series 15
1938 PM8 Our National Game Pin
1939 R303 Goudey Premiums
1939 Wheaties series 12
1940 Diamond Dust Punchboard card
1941 Wheaties Champs of USA
1946-47 W603 Sport Exchange All Stars
1946-47 Cuban Propagandas Montiel
1947 W602 Sport Exchange Mini (gold border)
1948 W712-2 Cleveland Indians Picture Pack
1949 W712-4 Cleveland Indians Picture Pack (action) (GM)
1934 H-Unc. Annis Furs
1936 R301 Overland Candy Co.
1937 BF104
1937 BF-Unc. Felt Pennant
1937 V300 O-Pee-Chee
1940 Michigan Sports Service 

Some of these remaining cards will cost me over $1,000 to buy, even in the worst condition (fuck you R301 Overland Candy Co. $2,100 for a candy wrapper, the fuh?).

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Now to get to some FAQ's I often get about my collection.

Why Hank Greenberg? 
The answer is not complicated. He and I share a religion (Judaism), and he was the first Jewish superstar in baseball, in a time and place (Detroit) that was not at all accepting of Jews. When I played baseball, I was a first basemen, which is something we share as well.  Also, he has succeeded at every single aspect one could have in baseball; playing, managing and general managing/front office.  He was also a vital ambassador for Jackie Robinson and his journey to the Majors. Aside from Branch Rickey, Greenberg played a big part in the integration of Robinson, and more black players to follow him.

What is your collection worth, and how much have you spent on it?
To be honest, I don't know the answer to either question. If I had to guess how much I have spent on it, total, not just the cards listed above, would probably total close to $3,000. That's a guess though. I don't want to venture how much it is actually worth because that would involve selling it. Which won't happen.

Why do you grade your cards?
I grade them for protection and aesthetic purposes only. They look nice and provide the best protection available to me outside of a bank vault. 

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Alright this is getting super long, my next post will include all the pictures of every vintage card that I have. Enjoy, thanks for the long read.

Brian