In baseball, legends and numbers mean a lot; they contribute to the rich culture of the sport. Ted Williams was one of those legends. The “Splendid Splinter” holds a record since 1941 that may never be broken. He was the last player to hit .400 over the course of a full season – .406 to be exact. It’s astounding to consider that he lost 5 seasons in the prime of his career to military service. What his career totals could have been! Let’s take a look at some of Williams’ most important vintage baseball cards.
PLAY BALL 1939 TED WILLIAMS
1939 Ted Williams Play Ball | PSA
RELATED: 1939 Play Ball Ted Williams Rookie Recently Sold for $9,600
Ted William’s rookie card shows the hitter in post-swing pose, in classic black and white. The card companies at that time were shifting to real photographs of players instead of the artwork released in previous years.
PLAY BALL 1941 TED WILLIAMS
1941 Ted Williams Play Ball | PSA
RELATED: Ted Williams Stars in Near Perfect Baseball Card Set
Williams’ 1941 Play Ball card is from the year that he hit .406, making it special for collectors of his cards. This set was back to paintings instead of photography, but what a great piece of artwork! The inclusion of his shadow really makes the card, as well the great use of color. A beautiful baseball card. This was the last release by Gum, Incorporated of their Play Ball series and one of the last major releases for three years – the U.S. had become involved in World War 2 and everything needed to be conserved – even cardboard and paper.
LEAF 1948 TED WILLIAMS
1948 Ted Williams Leaf | PSA
Leaf got into the game in 1948 and released a set full of stars and legends, making it a true jewel of the hobby. Williams’ card shows the hitter, back from serving in World War 2, post-swing with his eyes on the ball. Again, these old vintage cards just pop – the card companies really knew how to work with color.
BOWMAN 1954 TED WILLIAMS
1954 Ted Williams Bowman | PSA
Arguably Williams’ best looking card, and that’s saying a lot. A great portrait against a blue sky with a facsimile signature underneath, this beautiful card comes with a story – it brought on a lawsuit! Bowman had an exclusive contract with Williams, but that didn’t stop Topps from also printing a Williams card – Bowman didn’t like that at all and filed suit against Topps. 1954 was the only year that Williams appeared on both sets.
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