1922 Eastern Exhibit, Harry Heilmann ⭐ Legendary Hall of Famer
Today's mail brought me this 104 year-old baseball card.
It has survived the Great Depression, World War II, the integration of Major League Baseball, the expansion era, and the entire modern baseball-card boom.
Extraordinarily beautiful in its simplicity -- just Harry Heilmann, wearing his Detroit Tigers uniform, holding a bat, photographed more than a century ago.
The Hall of Fame specifically notes his .342 career average and identifies him as the third-highest modern-era right-handed hitter by career average.
Heilmann won the American League batting title every other year from 1921 through 1927.
1921 — .394
1923 — .403
1925 — .393
1927 — .398
That is a remarkable accomplishment, particularly considering the competition.
He was playing with and against other legendary hitters: Ty Cobb, George Sisler, Tris Speaker, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Rogers Hornsby.
And his 1923 season was phenomenal.
Heilmann batted .403, becoming one of the last players in American League history to surpass .400, until Ted Williams, hit .406 in 1941 (the last to do so).
This is a prime playing days card issued in 1922, immediately following Heilmann's first batting championship in 1921, when he hit .394, and before his .403 season in 1923.
Harry Heilmann, despite his extraordinary accomplishments, does not enjoy the collector following of Ruth, Cobb, or several other legendary contemporaries.
Collect What You Love.❤
