This was the third and final Play Ball set before World War II halted the production of cards and severely curtailed gum production. When the war ended, Gum, Inc. resurfaced as the Bowman Gum Company and began its card production anew. That made it one of few pre-war card makers to release cards after the war as well.
At 72 cards in all, 1941 is the smallest of the three Play Ball sets. However, its design was improved to include color, which makes it more widely collected that the 1939 or 1940 sets. In essence, the 1941 cards were a colorized version of their 1940 counterparts, except the baseball gear has been removed. Many players are shown with the same photo used for 1940 with color added. A banner appears below the player with his name (and often a nickname).
Backs are similar to the other Play Ball sets, with a lengthy biography. A caption at the bottom reads: "Watch for other famous sports stars, famous fighters, tennis players, football heroes, etc. in this series." The set seems to have been intended as part of a larger "Sports Hall of Fame" set, but the other cards never surfaced. Any cards that are missing that caption simply contain an ad for Blony gum.
Having color on the cards wasn't the only thing that makes them stand out; it's the way that color was used. Backgrounds are vivid and sometimes multi-colored. Shadows and perspective are shown. It was a combination of the Art Deco design that made 1934-'36 Diamond Stars stand out and the comic art of 1938 Goudey.
1941 Goudey features a number of stars and Hall of Famers, but is notable as the only major baseball card issue to feature all three of the DiMaggio brothers (Joe, Dom and Vince). It also features a rookie-year card of Pee Wee Reese. Of the three Play Ball sets, this is perhaps the easiest to complete because of its small number of total cards.
There are some 1941 Play Ball cards that are printed on paper rather than cardboard. It has been speculated that these cards were part of a promotion.
Key 1941 Play Ball Baseball Cards:
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1941 Play Ball Baseball Card Checklist
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