Lot # 13: 1934 Zeenut PCL Joe DiMaggio Batting Rookie SGC EX 5 - 1 of 1 - Highest Graded!

Graded EX 5 by SGC. This is the ONLY example graded at this level by SGC with none higher! Presented is an extremely significant rarity that is one of the all-time great baseball cards: Joe DiMaggio's true rookie card! This card was issued in the 1934 Zeenut series of Pacific Coast League players. Zeenut was a brand name of the San Francisco-based Collins-McCarthy Candy Company, which from 1911 to 1938 annually issued cards of Pacific Coast League players with its products. Joe DiMaggio made his debut in professional baseball with the San Francisco Seals of the PCL, and he appeared on Zeenut cards in both 1934 and 1935. This is his 1934 batting-pose card, the very first baseball card ever issued of DiMaggio, years before he joined the Yankees. (On his 1935 Zeenut card, DiMaggio is featured throwing.) Most Zeenuts are found with the coupon at the bottom neatly clipped away, as is the case with the offered example, which is understandable as the coupons were intended to be redeemed for valuable prizes. One of the interesting aspects of DiMaggio’s Zeenut cards is the spelling of his name. When DiMaggio joined the San Francisco Seals team, the local newspapers inadvertently misspelled his name “DeMaggio” (with an "e") and that misspelling, which was repeated often, appears on all of his Zeenut cards. The offered example displays outstanding contrast, even corner wear, and a clean blank reverse. This is an extremely historic card, Joe DiMaggio's true rookie card, dating from his earliest days in the Pacific Coast League!