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Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Chris CountsHere’s a trivia question to ponder: Who was the best major league player since 1900 to never appear on a baseball card? If it's okay with everybody, let's keep the discussion to cards issued during a player's active career. While the answer, as well as the definition of a baseball “card," will always be subject to debate, I nominate former Chicago Cubs pitcher Claude Passeau. From what I can tell, the Cubs twirler was represented in the 1939-46 Exhibit card series, as well as in sets of Cubs team-issued photographs from 1939 to 1943. There’s also a Baseball Magazine premium of him. Many collectors consider Exhibits to be postcards, and certainly a good case could be made that the Cubs photos are premiums, and not cards. Passeau's obituary, which was published in the New York Times on Sept. 2, 2003, does a nice job of summarizing his talents: “Pitching for 13 seasons in the National League, with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Cubs, Passeau had a career record of 162-150 with a 3.32 earned run average.” He also tossed 26 shutouts and received MVP votes on three separate occassions. By today’s standards, those stats are worth at least a five-year, $50 million deal, especially when you consider Claude pitched for some pretty crummy teams (although his stats were undoubtedly padded because he thrived during World War II, when many of the best players were serving overseas). Why was there no card of Passeau? If life was fair, there would have been cards of him in the 1939, 1940 and 1941 Play Ball sets. But for some reason, there are no active Cubs (there are a few old-timers in the ‘40 set) in any of the Play Ball issues. I’ve always figured it must have had something to do with owner Philip K. Wrigley considering Play Ball’s gum competition to his Wrigley gum. Perhaps that’s why the Cubs issued more team issued photos than any other team during the early gum card era (1933-41). Also, he played during World War II, when the government put serious restrictions on what goods could be produced. Baseball cards supposedly were not on list, although the 1943 M.P. & Co. set challenges that theory (as well as good taste). Can anybody come up with a card of Passeau that I'm missing? Also, can anybody come up with a better player than Passeau who never had a card? Finally, if you're a Cubs fan, how is Passeau represented in your collection?

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Frank WakefieldI like the idea of the post. Claude's in the 1939 Salutation Exhibits. #65.

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Rhett YeakleyJake Stenzel and Jack Stivetts both miss your cutoff by one year, they both finished their careers in 1899. <img src="http://www.starsofthediamond.com/cameopepsinstenzel.JPG"> Stenzel can be found in the Cameo Pepsin set and even made a set of pins himself for his shop near the Cincinnati stadium. -Rhett <img src="http://www.geocities.com/rhettmatthew_37/stenzeldonlin.JPG"> <img src="http://www.starsofthediamond.com/stenzelbacks.JPG">

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Ryan ChristoffLou Sockalexis. -Ryan

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: MillerhouseHow about Quincy Trouppe, Sr.?

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Seth B.Lip Pike Oops! Just see "since 1900" in the first post...

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: PaulQuincy Trouppe has cards issued in Puerto Rico and Cuba.

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Chris CountsI figured it wouldn't be too tough to find a Negro League or 19th century player without a card. But it is a challenge to come up with a 20th century major league player who didn't, much less a 5-time All-Star. The best known player is probably Tony Horton, the slugging outfielder for the Indians in the late 1960s who apparently had a falling out with Topps. Horton, however, does have at least one Kahn's Weiners card. Regardless, Passeau clearly had a better career. So is Passeau the best major league player since 1900 to never appear on a baseball card? If he is, it's quite a distinction ...

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Ryan ChristoffI managed to miss the post-1900 part, too. I guess scratch Sockalexis. What I don't understand is why you keep saying Passeau doesn't have a card when you already know he has an exhibit. Apparently you do not consider this a card, but I'm sure you're aware that most collectors do. Is this just a really sneaky "what do you consider a card" thread? -Ryan

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: dennisdoes nick etten have a card?? he was a pretty good player during ww2.

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Ed IveyMoonlight Graham

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Joe DrouillardNick Etten is featured on the 1944 New York Yankees Stamp. Some collectors consider this set a collectible card. There are a couple of New York players that you can only find in this issue. <img src="http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m10/northviewcats/001-11.jpg"> Best wishes, Joe

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Bob IvanjackI believe Tony Horton had a 1969 Nabisco Team Flake card and a 1970 or 1971 Kelloggs card. Not as widely distributed as Topps but still mainstream enough to claim he had cards in national issues. Bob Ivanjack

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Tim Newcombis also in the 1941 Double Play set-- doesn't have a card all to himself, but he is in there. This post is a great topic! I usually consider Exhibits and team issues "cards," but I understand that others don't, so I think it makes sense to draw that distinction on this topic. Came up with Hugh Bedient, who did win 20 games for the Red Sox in 1912 and went 59-53 lifetime, but I now see that he is included in the "Base Ball Stars" series, an obscure issue that is more like a postcard in size, but still, there must be some others-- I'll keep looking.

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Ryan ChristoffBy the way, the Colorado answer is Bruno Konopka. A Denver semi-pro legend who had a cup of coffee with the Athletics before and after serving in WWII. Was the star of the great Coors teams of the 1930's and 40's. Also, still holds the national record for longest punt at 132 yards and 6 inches which he did in his senior year at Manual H.S. in Denver in 1937. -Ryan

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Rhett Yeakley Bedient, Hugh C. •1912 Baseball Stars Series •1913 Cravats Pennants •1912 J=K Candy •1922 Mrs Sherlock’s 21 •1912 Red Sox Tattoos

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: HowardNick Etten is also in the 1948 Signal Oil Oakland Oaks set.

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Tim Newcombto find anyone who had even a half-decent career who doesn't have some card or other... Right now all I've got is Vic Keen (42-44 between 1918 and 1927). But Rhett or somebody will probably come up with 10 or 15 obscure sets that he's in <img src="/images/happy.gif" height=14 width=14>

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Chris CountsI can understand why Passeau isn't in the Play Balls sets, but it's puzzling he isn't in the 1941 Double Play set, which has quite a few Cubs (Herman, Hack, Cavaretta, Galan, etc.). The previous year (1940), Passeau had his best season, winning 20 games and posting a 2.50 ERA ... In my effort to find a player as good as Passeau who never had a card, I looked at Cubs rosters from the late 30s and early 40s. I came across Hank Leiber, a three-time all-star outfielder. Has anybody ever seen a card of Hank Leiber? As far as I know, he doesn't even have an Exhibit, although I believe I've seen a mini pennant with his name on it from the late 30s. I also came across a few Cubs team-issued premiums. He wasn't quite as good as Passeau, but he certainly deserved at least one card ... By the way, I came across an interesting factoid during my research ... Passeau's owner with the Cubs was Philip K. Wrigley. Evidentally, he was told by the government that gum was not a wartime essential. He managed to convince them otherwise, and before the war was over, 150 billion sticks of Wrigley gum were shipped overseas as part of the war effort ...

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Tim NewcombLeiber is only in the Cubs picture sets and the pennants as far as I can tell. As with Passeau everything hinges on whether you consider those sets "cards."

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Rhett YeakleyHere you go Tim... Keen, Howard V. (Vic) •1927 Middy Bread Die-Cuts Leiber, Henry E. (Hank) •1938 Exhibits 4/1 And while it doesn't picture Hank Leiber this is kinda close... <img src="http://www.starsofthediamond.com/bf3leiber.JPG"> -Rhett

Who's the best major league player without a baseball card?

Posted By: Brad FreemanHe was actually our neighbor back in the late 1950's in Beloit, Wisconsin. He holds the record that will never be broken: most innings pitched by a relief pitcher in a game, something like 18 innings! He played for the Cubs (I was too lazy to look up the exact number of innings.)