Harold "Pee Wee" Reese was the captain of the wonderful Brooklyn Dodgers
teams of the late 1940s-1957. Presented is a Type I photo used for the
1953 Topps Baseball Cards. Hall of Famer Reese, a shortstop, played 16
seasons, his entire Major League career, with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles
Dodgers. He broke into the Majors in 1940, missed the 1943-45 seasons
when he was in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He hit .269 lifetime,
with 232 stolen bases, and his main fame came from his defense. He was a
10-time All-Star. He was a part of seven pennant winners and the leader
of the 1955 Dodgers when they won the Dodgers' lone Brooklyn World
Series Championship. His final season was 1957, the Dodgers' first year
in Los Angeles. The Topps 1953 card set was 274 cards actually issued
out of an originally planned 280 set. Reese's card is #76. The Type I
photos were beautifully colorized to make the 1953 Topps set one of the
most beautifully created baseball sets in history. The cards are
slightly oversized at 2.625x3.75". Reese's hat appeared as blue with a
white letter "B". A box at the bottom of the card put Reese's name in
white letters, his position "shortstop" in red and "Brooklyn Dodgers" in
yellow. On the bottom left of the card is a red Dodgers logo with a
white baseball. The back of the Type I photo has a printed notice from
the Dodgers prohibiting commercial or endorsement use of the photo. The
8x10" photo has been encapsulated and PSA graded "Type I AUTHENTIC,
c.1951." Thus, this 1951 Reese photo, taken by Barney Stein, was used to
produce his 1953 card. The attractive photo makes a great conversation
starter, particularly if placed alongside an actual 1953 Topps Reese
card.