Whenever vintage collectors think of baseball cards and television, it’s usually the 1955 Bowman set that comes to mind. That release would be Bowman’s last one before being taken over by Topps.
What some collectors don’t know, however, is that the look was not an entirely new one. In 1950, Drake’s offered a set of baseball cards with a similar design.
1950 Drake’s TV Baseball Series Overview
Classified as D358 in the American Card Catalog, the Drake’s TV Baseball Series was a unique one. Cards were issued by Drake’s Bakeries, which is why this set is classified as a bakery/bread issue. They were distributed in packages of the company’s Oatmeal and Jumbo cookies.
Fronts of the cars included a player photo inside of a mock television set. The pictures were ‘set’ inside of a thick black border. While they look spectacular in high-grade condition, the black borders make even minimal damage easy to spot.
Unlike the 1955 Bowman issue, the TV was in black and white instead of color. Color TV, of course, had not been popularized by the time this set was released. Even in 1955 when the Bowman set was issued, it was still mostly a new concept available to few homes. Backs include a small copyright with a 1950 date, which allows us to determine when they were created. While no names are on the fronts, backs have the player’s name and a biography.
The shape of the cards was a bit of a throwback to the earlier 1930s and 1940s gum issues. They were technically a little different in that they measured a perfect square at 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″.
Some of the images will look familiar to collectors. Take Duke Snider’s card, for example. It is clearly the same picture used for the creation of his color 1951 Bowman card (both shown here).
However, the shape wasn’t one that would be used for much longer as both Topps and Bowman would go to a larger, more rectangular type of card. For what it’s worth, these were close to Bowman’s size that year, which was only slightly narrower.
These cards were available to collectors in packages of Drake’s products. We don’t know exactly how long they were offered but backs of the cards indicate they were found in Drake’s oatmeal cookies and their ‘jumble’ cookies.
A Unique Find
As expected, the cards were not printed in the same quantities as the more mainstream Topps and Bowman sets. That is evidenced by their survival rate. To date, PSA has graded only a little more than 1,000 of these cards, making them somewhat rare.
While they are usually seen in smaller quantities, a somewhat large find of them was made several years ago. That year, REA offered a lot of 98 of them, which was consigned by the family of a delivery driver for baked goods. The driver was said to have been the original owner, acquiring them in 1950 before storing them away.
While 98 cards is not a particularly large amount compared to some 1950s sets, finding that many of this issue together at once is not terribly common.
Checklist
The 1950 Drakes TV Baseball Series set has only 36 cards but includes a star-studded lineup. Among the highlights are: Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Duke Snider, Phil Rizzuto, Warren Spahn, and Pee Wee Reese, among others. Unfortunately, it came just before the major league debuts of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays. Still, there’s plenty here to keep collectors busy.
A few other players could have been added to boost the intrigue of the set. While Dom DiMaggio is included, the more popular Joe DiMaggio is not. Ace pitcher Bob Feller is nowhere to be found. But Ted Williams is probably the most notable omission. He was still in the prime of his career and had just come off of an MVP season in 1949.
Here’s the full checklist:
- Preacher Roe
- Clint Hartung
- Earl Torgeson
- Lou Brissie
- Duke Snider
- Roy Campanella
- Sheldon Jones
- Whitey Lockman
- Bobby Thomson
- Dick Sisler
- Gil Hodges
- Eddie Waitkus
- Bobby Doerr
- Warren Spahn
- Bud Kerr
- Sid Gordon
- Willard Marshall
- Carl Furillo
- Pee Wee Reese
- Alvin Dark
- Del Ennis
- Eddie Stanky
- Tommy Henrich
- Yogi Berra
- Phil Rizzuto
- Jerry Coleman
- Joe Page
- Allie Reynolds
- Ray Scarborough
- Birdie Tebbets
- Maurice McDermott
- Johnny Pesky
- Dom DiMaggio
- Vern Stephens
- Bob Elliott
- Enos Slaughter
Rarity and Prices
Decent commons in this set start on eBay at around $25 with stars selling for more, depending on condition and the player. Most mid-grade Hall of Famers start around $100.
While complete sets are not typically offered for sale, they do pop up occasionally. REA sold a mid-grade set of PSA graded cards in 2018 for $4,800.
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