November 18, 2021: Fall Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/18/2021
Offered is an intriguing near set of one of the more unusual minor-league card issues of the postwar era, the 1947 Signal Gasoline set that incorporates the pen-and-ink artwork of former New York Giants pitcher Al Demaree on 5 9/16-by-3 ½-inch cards featuring players and managers from the five of the eight Pacific Coast League clubs that agreed to be part of the promotion. This was at a time when the highest-classification minor league was often referred to as The Third Major League, a nod to the quality of play in the years before the major leagues expanded to the West Coast 10 years later. The breakdown: 1) Los Angeles Angels (18/18) – with 12 Ex-Mt, two Excellent and four Very Good; 2) Oakland Oaks (19/19) – Excellent to Ex-Mt, with Stengel – Very Good and Vince DiMaggio – VG-Ex; 3) Sacramento Solons (10/16) – mostly Ex-Mt, missing Dasso, Fitzgerald, Ripple, Rizzo, Warner and Zipay; 4) Hollywood Stars (19/20) – generally Ex to Ex-Mt with a couple VG or Good, and missing Woody Williams; and 5) Seattle Rainiers (20/20) – generally Ex to Ex-Mt, with Jonas – Good.
1947 Signal Gasoline PCL Near Set (82/89)
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