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Charlie Gehringer
(b. May 11, 1903 - d. January 21, 1993)
His efficient and dependable play at second base for the Tigers earned Charlie Gehringer the appellation "The Mechanical Man." He regularly led the league in fielding and hit over .300 in 13 of 16 seasons. He had over 100 RBI and 200 or more hits in seven seasons. In 1937, his loop-high .371 average made him AL MVP. He retired with a career .320 batting average, 2,839 hits, 1,774 runs scored, and 1.427 RBI.
 
Inducted in 1949
 
 
1936 R311 Leather Finish Charlie Gehringer PSA 6 EX-MT
     
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Comments: The first portrait for this HOFer - a 1939 PlayBall PSA 3 purchased via eBay in November, 2002. A month later I upgraded to a PSA 7 with another eBay win. In October, 2004 another eBay win rewarded me with PSA 8. In May, 2007 I decided to replace the PlayBall with another type card, since I also had a PSA 8 Klein. I won the following R311 SGC 70 through eBay from seller David Bryan:

I have not seen a better copy available since.

UPDATE: I waited 17 years for an upgrade to show up - BAM!!! A 1/2 point upgrade may not stand out compared to other acquisitions but when you toss in the opportunity to replace an SGC-graded card with one graded by PSA it becomes a more interesting proposition.  Since PSA acquired SGC in February 2024, they have yet to allow collectors to add SGC-graded cards to the registry.  So, I had this SGC 5.5 Gehringer but wasn’t able to load it as part of my collection.  When I saw a PSA 6 come up for auction on eBay I decided to go after it.  On Dec. 2nd, 2024 my last second snipe bid did the trick and I was the new owner of the highest graded example of this particular card.  It’s always fun to claim ownership of the hobby’s best.

   
Card Details Below:  
Year(s): 1936
ACC Set Designation: R311
Set Name: Leather Finish
Country: United States
Description: This set of unnumbered cards, issued as a premium in 1936, is distinctive because of its uneven, leather-like surface. The cards measure 6# X 8" and display a facsimile autograph on the black and white photo surrounded by a plain border. The cards are unnumbered and include individual player photos, multi-player photos and team photos of the 1935 pennant winners.