2008 Playoff Prime Cuts IV Baseball will mark the first time since 2005 that Lou Gehrig and Jackie Robinson game used memorabilia / patch cards will appear in a Donruss trading card product. More than 400 swatches were taken from a game used Lou Gehrig jersey for the product. Another 400 swatches were taken from a Jackie Robinson game used Brooklyn Dodgers jersey and jacket.
The Gehrig pieces hail from two important jerseys worn late in his career - a 1938 home flannel pinstripe uniform (both jersey and pants) and a 1939 road jersey worn by The Iron Horse. The road jersey was purchased by Donruss in auction in 2003 and, because Gehrig played in just eight games in '39 and his last game was on the road in Detroit, the jersey is very likely the last worn by The Iron Horse as a major league player.
The road jersey originally belonged to a longtime Yankees scout related to Hall of Fame catcher Gabby Hartnett. The 1938 home jersey and pants show the thicker pinstripe of the day, and the uniform displayed significant wear. The collar featured "L. Gehrig" stitched in red, while the size "38" is also stitched in red in the inside tail of the jersey. The waistband of the pants also featured "L. Gehrig" stitching along the waistband. Some of this red stitching can be found on Gehrig's Prime Cuts IV cards.
Donruss Brand Manager David Porter said via written press release, "We're thrilled with the chance to bring Lou Gehrig to collectors one more time. These historic pieces will no doubt be the cornerstone of many collections."
The Robinson items came from 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers home jersey purchased by Donruss in auction in 2001 and featured "Robinson 52-2" in blue stitching near the tail of the jersey. The jersey exhibited game-use. The Brooklyn Dodgers jacket was worn by Robinson in either the 1954 or 1955 season, and was purchased in auction in 2000. At the time of the sale, a COA from Robinson's widow, Rachel, in which she writes the jacket was worn by Jackie and is "guaranteed to be authentic and original. Hope you enjoy it" accompanied the jacket.
Donruss is able to include both legends in Prime Cuts IV as terms remaining on a contract signed to get both in Donruss Americana in late 2007. With one more usage available before the expiration of the contract on December 31st of this year, Donruss was able to barely squeak both baseball legends into the Prime Cuts product.
"Due to a production error at the time of pack-out, some 31 copies of a Wade Miley card mistakenly were inserted into packs of 2008 Playoff Prime Cuts Baseball.
