An original, raw 1940 Play Ball Joe DiMaggio card (No. 1), securely housed in a classic four-screw plastic holder.

The 1940 Play Ball set issued by Gum, Inc. stands as one of the definitive and most elegantly designed black-and-white baseball card sets of the pre-war era. To capture collectors' attention immediately, the company assigned the coveted number one spot in the checklist to none other than the "Yankee Clipper," Joe DiMaggio. Coming off a spectacular 1939 season where he won the American League MVP award and batted an astonishing .381, DiMaggio was the undisputed king of New York. The card's front design features a majestic, full-length action photograph of DiMaggio completing his legendary, powerful swing, accented by a small "1939 Pennant" flag to celebrate the Bronx Bombers' championship and an artistic banner scroll at the foot flanked by a catcher's mitt and mask.

The card features stong eye appeal for a raw pre-war specimen. The monochrome imagery remains bright and clear, with deep contrast that avoids the typical muddy presentation found on heavily handled copies. The factory margins are well-framed and exceptionally square. The edges and corners exhibit light, uniform vintage softening that aligns perfectly with a raw card that has likely spent decades shielded from atmospheric wear within a screw-down holder.

The reverse features a detailed biographical write-up on "Joseph Paul DiMaggio, Jr.," comparing his fly-chasing skills to Ty Cobb and Tris Speaker, while chronicling his dominance in the 1939 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. This surface is incredibly clean (e.g., no gum stains), retaining rich, dark typography against a strong tan cardboard stock - a challenging condition to find with this particular set.

[Sports, Sports History, Sports Memorabilia, Autographs, Signatures, Baseball]

The card is in very good to excellent raw vintage condition.