At Love of the Game, we do our best to avoid excessive hyperbole, saving it for those cards that are truly deserving. When we were made aware of the existence of this card, we were skeptical – could an autographed Zeenut Joe DiMaggio with the coupon still attached really exist? In high grade? It seemed impossible. And yet here it is: the most incredible Zeenut the hobby has ever seen, bar none. Well-deserving of all the hyperbole we can muster. Presented here is as much a “perfect storm” of cards as there is. The two Zeenut Pacific Coast League cards to feature Joe DiMaggio are the first to picture the future Hall of Famer in a professional baseball uniform. They are considered the most important cards in Zeenut’s 27-year run of producing baseball cards and are incredibly rare and desirable in any grade. The degree of difficulty increases exponentially when considering the coupon at the bottom of the card; collectors typically removed the coupon for redemption offers, so finding an example intact is a rare achievement. Indeed, PSA has graded 18 examples of DiMaggio’s throwing pose with the coupon removed, and just five – including this example, just graded – with the coupon intact (SGC has graded just one). When they are found, Zeenuts are typically at the lower end of the grading scale: just 20% of the cards from this issue graded by PSA are at the VG/EX level or greater, and this PSA 4 is the second-highest graded of DiMaggio’s throwing poses. The card appears far stronger than its grade; the PSA grader notes with this card refer to the corner wear and light surface scratches and nothing more. The eye appeal is tremen- dous for any Zeenut; more so when considering the player pictured on the card. What vaults the card into the stratosphere, however, is the back: a period autograph from the future Yankee Clipper. Graded NM 7 by PSA/ DNA, the autograph was applied in graphite pencil, likely at a PCL game where such pencils were handed out with scorecards. DiMaggio’s signature was elegant even at this young age; he was just 20 years old in 1935 when this card was issued. DiMaggio had already signed with the Yankees by this time; torn knee ligaments suffered in 1934 made teams wary of him, so the Yankees elected to have him play one season in San Francisco to prove he was ready. He responded by winning the batting title, hitting .398 with 34 home runs and 154 runs batted in, winning the league’s MVP, and earning a trip to New York. By the following summer he was a national celebrity, appearing on the cover of Time magazine and batting .323 in his first major league season. Joe DiMaggio was an American icon. As quoted in his SABR biography, our friend Rico Petrocelli said of DiMaggio, “We were in the bleachers, and Joe DiMaggio was still playing. I looked around and noticed nobody was watching the pitcher throw the ball. Everyone was looking at DiMaggio. When he’d catch a ball, he’d lope after it. It was just beautiful to watch. I’ll never forget it.” Though statistically, there were players who eclipsed the numbers posted by DiMaggio over his brief career, very few baseball players matched his celebrity and his- torical significance. Emerging from a Depression and a war when America needed heroes and inspiration, Joe DiMaggio provided both. When reflecting on the loss of true American heroes, iconic songwriter Paul Simon penned the immortal lyric “Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.” Joe DiMaggio has meant more to America than just sports. Even today, a quarter century after his passing, Joe DiMaggio remains a truly iconic American name that transcends sports – he is truly one of the few athletes that have managed to achieve a level of significance well beyond the parameters of the game. Joe DiMaggio’s name belongs on an exclusive list of the most important figures to emerge from the world of athletics. An incredible baseball card like this – a high-grade rarity with a period autograph from an American icon, the only known example of a signed Zeenut DiMaggio with the coupon still attached – belongs in an elite collection. It’s not hyperbole to state that this card is the single greatest Zeenut known , and by extension the single most important PCL card. Its rarity and historical significance transcend card collecting and propel this incredible piece into the realm of consequential American memorabilia. MINIMUM BID: $50,000
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