1941 Yankees & 1956 Reds Scorebooks

We just got a collection in that had a ton of rare scorebooks and programs from the 1940's to the 1960's and featured many different teams from both the minor and major leagues. Although many of the different programs and scorebooks were very interesting, we found two that were unique.


The first one is a 1941 Yankees scorebook from a game played July 6, 1941 against the Philadelphia Athletics in Yankee Stadium. The scorekeeper apparently attended or kept score for only the first half of the double-header that day. This game was significant because it was game #47 in Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. The scorekeeper correctly noted that DiMaggio was 4-for-5, with the final score 8-4 Yankees, in the game.

The other scorebook that we enjoyed is from the 1956 Redlegs season. The scorecard is dated August 18, 1956 against the Milwaukee Braves. In this game, the scorekeeper recorded only the final box scores and inning totals. The Reds won, blowing out the Milwaukee Braves 13-4 at Crosley field. The lineups for each team are probably the most impressive part of this scorebook. The Braves have Hank Aaron starting in right field and Eddie Mathews at third, while the Reds have Ted Kluszewksi and his biceps at first and rookie Frank Robinson in center field. One of the most interesting aspects of the scorebook itself is actually on the bottom banner ads on the front cover. The Schott- Lippert Buick dealership was partially owned by Charles Schott, who was married to future Reds owner Marge Schott. Marge was a Reds fan her entire life, but would not buy even minority interest in the team for another 25 years.

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MLB Team Yearbooks

This week, one of our hottest selling products has been MLB yearbooks. Yearbooks date all the way back to the thirties. The earliest that we can locate belong to the Chicago Cubs and Tigers from 1934. Many teams would be regularly printing yearbooks by 1947. Yearbooks are popular because they feature not only players, coaches, and front office staff from that year, but also some great advertisements and cover art.

One office favorite comes from the 1953 Senators team. At the time this yearbook was published, the Washington Senators were coming off of a very average year in which they 2 games over .500 and 5th in the AL. The team did not have many players that stood out as above-average, as demonstrated by the fact that none of their starters batted over .290 and their pitchers had a pedestrian 3.37 ERA as a team. However, their 1953 yearbook features some of our favorite cover art. It shows the U.S. Capitol Building blasting through a baseball and bat. Although the 1953 Senators team wouldn't accomplish much, their yearbook was definitely great.

One of the most expensive yearbooks from the 1960's is the 1961 Yankees yearbook. As most baseball fans know, 1961 was an outstanding year for both Yankees sluggers Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris as well as the team. The Yankees would go on to finish first in the AL and then win the World Series, beating the Reds in 5 games. The yearbook itself is fairly simple, featuring Yankee stadium with red, white, and blue colors overlaid.

With our office located in Cincinnati, we are partial to all Reds memorabilia, particularly those from the era of the Big Red Machine. The 1977 Reds yearbook features some of the key players on the Big Red Machine, including George Foster, Joe Morgan, and Johnny Bench. At the start of the 1977 season, Reds fans were enjoying back-to-back World Series wins as well as back-to-back MVP awards for Joe Morgan.

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