Bill Dickey (1907-1993) is best remembered as a catcher in MLB with the New York Yankees from 1928 to 1943. After time spent serving in World War II, Dickey finished his career as player-manager of the Yankees in 1946.
Dickey ended his career with a .313 batting average, 202 home runs, and 1,209 runs batted in. He was an easily selected 11 time All Star, which would have been higher but the All Star Game started in 1933. With Dickey’s assistance, the Yankees won the World Series seven times.
Dickey was selected for induction to the Hall of Fame in 1954 on 80.16% of the seventh ballot. In addition, the Yankees retired his number 8 jersey.
Born in Bastrop, Louisiana, Dickey had six siblings and an athletic family. His father worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad and played semi professional baseball on the side. Dickey’s brother, Gus, played semipro ball too, and his younger brother, George, would play in MLB.
Coming from a family of baseball players, Dickey was a great player from an early age. While playing baseball for his local high school team, he also made appearances on local semipro teams.
Dickey joined the Little Rock Travelers from the Class A Southern Association in 1925 at the age of 18. After performing well in several leagues, Dickey was picked up by the Yankees in 1927. His contact was purchased for $12,500.
By 1929, he was starting for the Yankees. Replacing Hall of Famer Benny Bengough, Dickey came into high expectations.
Dickey met those expectations. As a rookie, he hit .324, 10 home runs, 65 runs batted in, and he made 95 assists.
Dickey continued to perform, but he had a good problem. That good problem was that Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio were his teammates. So, despite having some of the best seasons by a catcher, which included over 20 home runs and 100 RBIs from 1936 to 1939, he was largely overshadowed. The good side was that his team had immense World Series success.
In 1936, Dickey had a .362 batting average, which set a record for a catcher. Mike Piazza tied it in 1997, and it was not beaten until 2009 with Joe Mauer.
Dickey was also durable, a laudable quality for a catcher. He had thirteen seasons in which he caught at least 100 games, which is an MLB record. The streak ended in 1942, and he was considered on his way out after that. Other records include the most double plays for a catcher, as leading the AL with a .994 batting average.
Dickey entered the United States Navy in 1944, which interrupted his declining career. He returned to the Yankees in the middle of the 1946 season. He finished his playing career that year. As manager-player, the Yankees had a 57-48 record.
In 1949, the retired Dickey returned to the Yankees as a first base coach. The legendary Yogi Berra was already a great hitter, but Dickey is credited for helping Berra become a phenomenal defensive catcher as well.
Dickey played on several great Yankees teams, and he is influential on baseball as a catcher. There are several great cards, and this article will take you through some of the best.
1932 U.S. Caramel Bill Dickey
There are 32 cards in this set, and Bill Dickey sits at #6. Each card measures at 2 ½” x 3”. In addition to a few boxers and golfers, there are several Hall of Famers from baseball. To name a few, in addition to Dickey, there is Rogers Hornsby, Mickey Cochrane, Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth.
There are over 2,000 cards from this set registered with PSA, which ought to lend a reference point. Only 80 or so of these cards are
Dickey cards. Thus, this is an uncommon card and set.
This is an expensive Dickey card if you can find it. A Mint copy sold for $13,200 in April of 2019, and to buy this card on a budget of $1,000, you would have to drop to a PSA 6 or lower.
1933 George C. Miller Bill Dickey
This unnumbered set has 32 entries. There are 16 AL players and 16 NL players. Each card measures at 2 ⅜” x 2 ⅞”.
There are only 794 cards from this set registered with PSA, and only 25 of them are Dickey cards.
As a result of his rarity and general lack of interest, this card is infrequently sold. A PSA 5 sold for $1,380 in August of 2020.
1933 Goudey Bill Dickey
Bill Dickey is at card #19 in this set of 240 entries. Each card measures at 2 ⅜” x 2 ⅞”. This set is considered one of the Big Three of card collection (along with the T206 and the 1952 Topps) because it is a bigger set, bigger cards, colorful illustrations, thicker card stock, and it is loaded with Hall of Fame talent.
PSA has 91,000 cards registered from this set because it has been so popular. Nearly 600 cards are Dickey copies.
While PSA 8’s have sold for $3,000 to $5,000 for the last decade, PSA 6’s can be bought for under $1,000.
1937 O-Pee-Chee Bill Dickey
Bill Dickey sits at #119 in this set. He is between Joe DiMaggio at #118 and Bob Feller at #120.
Designated as V300 by the American Card Catalog, this set has 40 cards that measure 2 ⅝” x 2 15/16”. The set is known for its Hall of
Fame cast.
There are only 788 cards registered with PSA from this set, and only 20 cards are Dickey copies.
Still, a PSA 8 sold for $1,260 in September of 2020.
1941 Play Ball Bill Dickey
There are 72 cards in this set, and each measures 2 ½” x 3 ⅛”. Dickey sits at #70. The major keys to this set are Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams. Though not nearly as valuable as those two, Dickey remains sought after.
PSA has 20,000 cards from this set registered, and Dickey makes up over 400 of them.
A Mint copy sold for $7,200 in May of 2020, but an experienced collector could find a PSA 8 for around $1,000.
Conclusion
While Dickey is often overshadowed by players like Lou Gehrig or Joe DiMaggio from his best seasons, as well as Yogi Berra (whom Dickey himself called the greatest catcher ever), he stands out in his own right when you look into him. Upon inspection, Dickey deserves to be called an all time great catcher, and his baseball cards help collectors to display that.