1952 Berk Ross
The 1952 Berk Ross set consists of 72 cards, each one 2” x 3”. Manufactured by the Berk Ross Company of New York City, card fronts have a posed “hand-painted” color likeness with the player’s name in white script. The images are framed in white. Card backs feature the player's name, position, team, personal data, and a line of statistics from the previous season. A headline at the top proclaims the set as the “Hit Parade of Champions.” Key cards include Joe DiMaggio (though he retired at the end of the 1951 season), Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Stan Musial, Jackie Robinson, and Ted Williams. (The DiMaggio and Williams cards were not available in the 1952 Bowman or Topps sets, making the Berk Ross examples highly collectible). This unnumbered set is also anchored by a plethora of Hall of Fame subjects and stars including Richie Ashburn, Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Bob Feller, Gil Hodges, Ralph Kiner, Johnny Mize, Pee Wee Reese, and Duke Snider. The set has a few notable errors: the backs of the Ewell Blackwell and Nellie Fox are switched, while the Phil Rizzuto card was issued with two different poses – one bunting and the other swinging.