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Card # 75
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Helmar This Great Game
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| Player |
Position |
Team |
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Jackie Jensen
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Arm leading outside frame
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Boston Red Sox
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| Top Auction Price |
Total Sold |
Avg # Bids |
Avg # Bidders |
Last Sold |
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$ 135.50
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12
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7
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4
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August 16, 2023
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CLICK TO GO TO BIDDING SECTION!
About the Player
From the 'This Great Game' card back: Fastballs? No problem. Defensive backs? No problem. A jet plane? Yikes. That was Jackie Jensen, who starred on the gridiron and the diamond, but walked away from his baseball career because of his fear of flying. Jensen was the true All-American idol: football star at USC, star in the first College World Series, and movie star good looks. The Yankees groomed him to replace DiMaggio in center field, but Jackie’s star was destined to shine outside of The Big Apple. He was a powerful hitter and run producer for the Red Sox, where he was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner. But just two seasons after winning the MVP award, he retired rather than fly on planes to play a boy’s game.
About the Series
This series marks a step in a new direction for Helmar. For the first time we take a serious look at baseball in the 1950's and then, perhaps, the 1960's. The game found itself changing dramatically in this post WWII era, influenced by both the larger society and technological innovation. The color barrier may have been officially broken in 1947 but the acceptance of black players by the big league clubs came slowly, if surely. Reliable and inexpensive air transportation paved the way for geographic expansion. The game, which had been centered in the East and Midwest, found new opportunities along the West Coast.
The very center of the baseball world through the decade was New York City. New York teams competed in every World Series through the decade except for 1959. In many of those years both teams competing were from the city. Interestingly, New York also became the center of the art world at the same time. Migration after WWII brought many creatives to the Big Apple and movements such as abstract, modernism, surrealism and avant-garde.
Studying the era has inspired Helmar to use bold, often surreal colors in this series. We hope that you will join us as we explore this era of change.
Card size: 3' x 4'
Individually Numbered 1-20
Related Cards in the Series
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