Bob Feller Baseball Cards (Our Picks For Investment Potential)

Bob Feller was one of the best pitchers in baseball history.  He played for the Cleveland Indians from 1936 to 1956, and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Feller was a hard-throwing right-hander who struck out more than two hundred batters in a season five times. He also pitched three no-hitters, and was the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter on Opening Day.

Feller served in the Navy during World War II, and came back to baseball after the war. He helped the Indians win the World Series in 1948. 

If you are a fan of baseball, then Bob Feller’s baseball cards need to be on your radar.

In this piece we will discuss our picks for the best Bob Feller baseball cards to invest in.

Bob Feller As A Player

In 1936, Bob Feller made his major league debut with the Cleveland Indians. He was just eighteen years old, but he quickly established himself as one of the best pitchers in the game.

Feller was a hard-throwing right-hander who could strike out any batter in the league. He also had an excellent curveball, which made him even more effective.

After the 1941 season, Feller enlisted in the United States Navy. He served during World War II, and didn’t return to baseball until 1945.

Like Ted Williams, Feller’s stats are clouded by the ‘what-if’s?’ given that Feller missed a crucial stretch of time during his prime pitching years. Feller’s duty in World War II caused him to miss the 1942, 1943, 1944, and most of the 1945 season. 

In the three years prior to Feller joining the Navy, the fireballer averaged 25 wins and over 250 strikeouts per season. If we were to add similar stats for those missed three full years, Feller would have finished his career with 341 wins and 3,331 strikeouts.

When Feller came back from the Navy, he was even better than before. In 1946, Feller had one of the best seasons ever by a pitcher. He won twenty-six games, lost fifteen, and struck out an incredible 348 batters.

He helped lead the Indians to the World Series in 1948, and won twenty-two games that season.

”

“It wasn’t until you hit against him that you knew how fast he really was, until you saw with your own eyes that ball jumping at you.” 

– – Hall of Famer Ted Lyons

Feller continued to pitch well into his forties, and retired in 1956. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962.

Bob Feller was one of the best pitchers in baseball history, and he was also considered one of the better guys in baseball.

Let’s take a look at Feller’s Baseball cards.

What Is Bob Feller’s Rookie Card?

This one is often up for some debate as many collectors in the past have considered Feller’s 1938 Goudey card as his rookie card.  

However there are several previous issues that could technically be considered Feller’s rookie card.

The first is a 1937 Goudey (R314) “Wide Pen” premium, an oversized issue from Goudey that was issued in stores to promote Goudey gum. 

Some might argue that since it wasn’t issued as a widely distributed card in major release set.

There’s always the 1937 OPC (V300) Bob Feller card, which is a die-cut stand up cards issued in Canada.

1937 OPC Bob Feller

Lastly, the 1937 Exhibits (W463)  4-1 Bob Feller card could technically qualify as a rookie card for feller.  Exhibit cards were a bit of a specialty issue, however most collectors have warmed up to collecting these cards.

The 18  Best Bob Feller Baseball Cards 

This is not an exhaustive list but features some of the most prominent major release Feller cards. 

1937 Goudey Premiums (R314) Bob Feller #12

Goudey Premiums were offered in stores as a way to help boost sales of Goudey gum.  Since this card of Feller was issued in 1937, it could technically be considered a rookie card.  However, some look at it as more of photo, due to the larger size and thin paper stock.

There were several different subsets issued, Feller can be found in the ‘Type 4’ subset. These are commonly known as “Wide Pens” due to the thick signatures written across each card.

Only 48 graded copies exist, thus while accessible, higher grade copies can be a challenge. An expensive one at that. Lower grade copies are sometimes available for under $1000 on eBay.

1937 (V300) O-Pee-Chee Bob Feller

1937 OPC Bob Feller

The 1937 OPC set is a bit of an oddball.  Only 40 cards are in the set, and the cards have a die cut, which allowed kids to showcase their favorite players.  This issue marked the first baseball issue for O-Pee-Chee.

The cards are very hard to find, and even harder to find in good condition, since they were designed to be popped out.  There are 38 PSA graded copies, with only 8 earning a 7 grade or above. 

Sales are infrequent, but we can safely say that the 1937 OPC is Feller’s most valuable card, with high grades likely to eclipse the six figure mark at auction.

1937 Exhibits (W463) 4-1 Bob Feller

Exhibits were issued in this 4 on 1 style for several years. This Feller card also features fellow Hall-Of-Famer Earl Averil.  These Exhibits are a much harder find than later year Exhibit issues. There are only 22 PSA graded copies. 

If you can find one in decent shape, I’d say snap it up, as even recent auction sales show that the card tends to sell for under $1000.  Don’t forget this is technically one of Feller’s rookie cards. 

1938 Goudey “Heads Up” (R323) Bob Feller

This is the one that most associate as Feller’s rookie card.  Why?

Well, the 1938 Goudey issue was a national release, issued in packs of cards with gum. The set was a much smaller issue as compared to the Goudey sets from 1933 and 1934 as the set only features 24 players.

There are however in total 48 cards, as Goudey decided to issue 24 cards with a blank background and then the same 24 cards (with different numbers) with a cartoon action background. 

Thus, there is a #264 Feller card and a #288 Feller (with background) card. Just based on PSA’s population reports, the #264 card is a bit rarer (180+ graded copies vs 200+ graded for #288).

Goudey Heads-Up #264

Goudey Heads-Up #288

1939 Salutations Exhibits (W462) Bob Feller #18 Pitching

Feller has two cards in the 1939-1946 Salutations Exhibits set, one Pitching and one that is more of a portrait card. Called ‘Salutations’ for the fascimile auto on the cards says either ‘Sincerely Yours’, ‘Yours Truly’ or ‘Best Wishes’.  Cards were produced continuously from ’39 to ’46, and some even into the 50’s thus the dating part of it, is a bit of a turn off for collectors. Still, cheap copies of Feller’s W462 cards are often availble for under $50. 

1939 Goudey Premiums (R303) Bob Feller

Another Goudey Premium issue for Bob Feller, this 1939 Premium is a beauty and maybe one of my favorites.  Again, these are oversized cards, but more like photos as they are printed on thin paper. There are two variations, one in black and white and another in sepia. The sepia variations are much rarer across the set, note that PSA has graded only 28 black and white and 6 sepia Feller cards. 

1948 Bowman Bob Feller #13

This marks the first Bowman issue for Feller and one that for years was erroneously attributed as his rookie card.  While not his rookie, it’s still a highly collectible card.

It’s also a lot easier to track down than most of his 1930 issues.  Over 1200 PSA graded copies exist, thus most collectors can nab a nicely graded copy for under $500. 

1948 Leaf Bob Feller #93

1948 Leaf Bob Feller card

Feller’s Leaf card tends to get overshadowed by other big name stars in the set, but I really love the Leaf design and think the Feller Leaf card is a great long term investment.

It’s considered a short-print and much scarcer (only 120 PSA graded copies exist) than the 1948 Bowman card. PSA graded copies, even in poor to good grades sell for a few thousand dollars. 

1949 Bowman Bob Feller #27

Feller’s second Bowman issue and in my opinion, probably one of Feller’s ugliest cards.  Just not a great pose.  

Although it surprisingly has a lower graded population than his previous year Bowman issue (only 680 1949 Bowman Feller’s graded by PSA).

If you can’t pony up the funds for a 1949 Leaf Feller, this is a good option for a same year card. Ungraded copies in good shape can be found for only a few hundred bucks.

1950 Bowman Bob Feller #6

One of Feller’s best looking cards, his 1950 Bowman issue features him in a beatufiully colored wind up pose at Cleveland Municipal stadium.  Feller was named to the all-star game in 1950, but it was a bit of a mixed year as he finished 16-11 with a 3.43 ERA. 

His ’50 Bowman card is fairly affordable as plenty of cards still exist. 

1951 Bowman Bob Feller #30

Less than 800 copies of Feller’s ’51 Bowman card exist, so it’s not rare, but also not exceedingly plentiful.  It’s an attractive card, with a portrait of a smiling Feller flanked by a blue cloudy backgroun. One of my favorite Feller cards and it can collectors can buy ungraded copies all day long for under $100.

1952 Bowman Bob Feller #43

Not my favorite Feller card, but the 1952 Bowman Feller is still a cool issue.  Also a very inexpensive card compared to some of this pricier early cards. 

1952 Red Man Tobacco Bob Feller #8a

I’m a huge fan of the Red Man Tobacco cards and this Feller is no exception. 

Finding the cards intact with the white tab still on the bottom can be a bit of a challenge. 

Less than 120 PSA graded copies exist, making this a bit more of an under the radar Feller card. 

Lower grade PSA graded copies can still sometimes be found for under $500.

1952 Topps Bob Feller #88

Yes, it’s a later year issue, but the 1952 Topps Feller is one of his prized cards. 

Most associate the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle as the crown jewel of the 1952 Topps set, but other big stars in the set are much more affordable. 

The good thing is that Feller’s ’52 Topps card is not rare, nearly 2000 PSA graded copies exist. 

Thus, the card is in that sweet spot of affordability. Ungraded copies in lower to mid grade can be found for under a few hundred or less.

The remaining Feller cards are great value options as all have somewhat robust supplies.  If looking for any of the following cards as an investment, my recommendation would be to find ungraded copies in near mint to mint condition.

1953 Bowman Color Bob Feller #114

1953 Topps Bob Feller #54

1954 Bowman Bob Feller #132

1955 Bowman Bob Feller #134

The 1955 Bowman baseball card set is one of the classic issues from the 1950’s. The Bob Feller card from the set is a great, affordable option for collectors.  

1956 Topps Bob Feller #200

Our Picks For Best Long Term Investment

1937 OPC

1939 Goudey Premium

1952 Topps

If you’ve got a massive budget, there are a few Feller cards which I’d target. The obvious one is Feller’s 1937 O-Pee-Chee card, a tough find and quite expensive in higher grades. But, given that it’s technically Feller’s rookie card, I think the long term potential is very good. 

I also like the 1937 Goudey Premium Feller, also issued at the same time as his OPC rookie card.  A lot of collectors consider it more of a photo, but it’s a beauty, tough to find and much more affordable than the OPC card. 

Lastly, I like Feller’s 1952 Topps card. The good thing is that it’s affordable (due to fairly plentiful supplies) and its such an iconic set. Pick up one in higher grade for a great longer term investment. 

What do you think? Have a Feller card that think is a great long term play? Let us know in the comments below.

Bob Feller Cards On eBay