Rare card from a very rare 1948 set. Recently graded SG 1.  Card #1 features the Philadelphia Athletics.  Slight blue ink stain on Bing Miller.  Combined shipping available.

The 1948 Swell Bubble Gum Sport Thrills baseball set is comprised of 20 cards, each measuring approximately 2-7/16” by 3”. Produced by the Philadelphia Gum Company, the set honors the National Pastime’s most thrilling moments up to the post-war world. The cards have a black-and-white image framed with a baseball-themed border, the title “Sports Thrills Highlights in the World of Sport” at the top of the card, and the title of the card along the bottom. The backs give the story of the event pictured on the front. Most also promote Bob Feller’s then-recently printed “How to Pitch” book. The set is anchored by Dramatic Debut: Jackie Robinson ROY (#3), Most Dramatic Homer: Babe Ruth Points (#12), Great Slugging: Lou Gehrig’s Four Homers (#14), and Three Run Homer in Ninth: Ted Williams’ Homer (#16). Card #s 9, 11, 16, and 20 are more difficult to obtain than the other cards in this set, although the entire set is a challenge to secure in high grades due to their unusual sizes, resulting in many being found with folds or wrinkles along the edges.


Edmund John “Bing” Miller (August 30, 1894 - May 7, 1966) was an outfielder for 16 seasons with the Washington Senators (1921), the Philadelphia Athletics (1922-1926, 1928-1934), the St. Louis Browns (1926-1927) and the Boston Red Sox (1935-1936). He was a member of three consecutive American League pennant-winning Athletics clubs from 1929-1931, capturing the 1929 and 1930 World Series titles. Bing Miller finished his career with 1,934 hits including 389 doubles and 116 home runs, 946 runs, 990 RBI and a .311 career batting average.

Gordon Stanley “Mickey” Cochrane (April 6, 1903 - June 28, 1962) continues to sit atop the list of the greatest catchers in Major League Baseball history. Cochrane helped lead the Philadelphia Athletics to three American League pennants and two World Series championships (1929, 1930) and the Detroit Tigers to two pennants and one World Series title (1935). Mickey Cochrane compiled a .320 batting average, had 1,652 hits and drove in 832 runs in his 13-year career the Philadelphia Athletics (1925-1933) and Detroit Tigers (1934-1937). He was considered one of the best catchers in the game at the plate and behind the plate and retired with a .985 career fielding percentage. Cochrane’s career was halted when he was hit in the head by a pitch that nearly killed him in 1937. Gordon Stanley Cochrane was elected tot the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1947.

George William “Mule” Haas (October 15, 1903 - June 30, 1974) was a victim of Connie Mack’s gutting of the Philadelphia Athletics in 1932 in order to keep the franchise from folding. Mule was shipped to the Chicago White Sox with All-Star Jimmy Dykes and Hall of Famer Al Simmons for cash. Haas came up briefly in with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1925, before returning to the bigs for good with Philadelphia in 1928. He played centerfield and first for the Athletics (1928-1932, 1938) and the White Sox (1933-1937). During his 12-year career, he hit .300 or better three times and had over 150 hits four times. Haas was a member of two Philadelphia Athletics World Series champions in 1929 and 1930. Mule blasted two series changing home runs in the 1929 World Series against the Chicago Cubs to help the A’s capture the title. Mule Haas finished his career following the 1938 season with 1,257 hits including 254 doubles, 706 runs, 496 RBI and a .292 batting average.

Aloysius Harry Simmons (May 22, 1902 - May 26, 1956) was a favorite of Hall of Fame manager Connie Mack, so much so his was the only photograph Mack kept on his desk in his Athletics’ office during his 50-year tenure in the City of Brotherly Love. When asked who was the most valuable player he ever managed, Mack quipped, "If I could only have nine players named Simmons." Simmons was a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, native who grew up as a fan of the Athletics, but in 1922, he signed with his hometown Milwaukee Brewers of the American Association. After batting .398 in 24 games in 1923, the Philadelphia A’s purchased Simmons and brought the hitting machine to Philadelphia where he would enjoy many successful years. With his quirky, but extremely effective, “bucketfoot” step toward third while in motion at the plate, Simmons gained the nickname "Bucketfoot Al". In 1925, Simmons’ second year in the big leagues, he led the American League in hits (253) and total bases (392) while finishing second slugging percentage (.599) and runs scored (122) and third in batting average (.387) and RBI (129) to finish second in AL MVP voting. Al led the American League twice in hits, also doing so in 1932 (216), and won back-to-back AL batting titles in 1930 and 1931 with a .381 and .390 batting average, respectively. The three-time All-Star selection, alongside future Hall of Famers Lefty Grove, Mickey Cochrane and Jimmie Foxx, helped lead the Athletics to three consecutive World Series (1929-1931) winning in 1929 over the Chicago Cubs and in 1930 over the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1932, under a money crunch, Connie Mack sold many of his players and Al Simmons was shipped to the Chicago White Sox for cash. Simmons played outfield, primarily for the Philadelphia Athletics (1924-1932, 1940-1941, 1944) and had 11 straight seasons batting over the .300-mark while collecting more than 100 RBI 12 times during that span (1924-1934, 1936). He also spent time with the White Sox (1933-1935), the Detroit Tigers (1936), the Washington Senators (1937-1938), the Boston Braves (1939), the Cincinnati Reds (1939) and the Boston Red Sox (1943). Simmons retired with a .344 career batting average with 2,927 hits, 1,507 runs scored, 307 home runs and 1,827 RBI in 20 seasons. At the time of his retirement, Al had more hits (2,927) than any other right-handed batter (until Al Kaline surpassed him in the 1973) and he remains the fastest player to reach 2,000 hits, accomplishing the feat in 1,390 games. Simmons also gained the respect of his peers playing left field, almost goading hitters to try to extra bases before gunning them down. He would post a .982 fielding percentage with 169 outfield assists for his career, but his intensity and skills held hitters in check, likely limiting the number of extra base hits holding runners to singles when they might otherwise take two. Aloysius Harry Simmons was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953.

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James Emory “Jimmie” Foxx (October 22, 1907 - July 21, 1967) was not only one of the most imposing figures in baseball, but he backed it up with versatility, durability and strength. Jimmie grew up on a farm in Sudlersville, Maryland, where his extensive and often grueling chores helped to define and build his tremendously powerful physique. After his grandfather regaled 10-year old Jimmie with tales of his exploits during the Civil War, Foxx attempted to run away and join the Army, but was turned away. He had to settle for school, where he proved to be a good student and in athletics where he excelled in track and field and soccer as well as baseball. Expansion of the Eastern Shore League to nearby Easton brought manager and Hall of Famer Frank “Home Run” Baker to Foxx’s neck of the woods and Baker took notice of the strapping farm boy’s power, signing the high school junior immediately. Though Foxx returned to finish his senior year, he dropped out to attend the Philadelphia Athletics spring training, but was eventually sent to the Providence Grays of the Eastern League for seasoning, considering he was only 17. Jimmie returned to Philadelphia in 1926, but road the bench for much of the 1926 and 1927 seasons. The 1928 season offered more opportunity for Foxx as he played regularly either at first or third.