Card Statistics
Al Simmons is shown with the Philadelphia Athletics at the finish of a throwing motion, his body turning across the mound-like patch of infield as his throwing arm extends outward. The pose is somewhat unexpected for a player remembered chiefly as one of the great hitters of his generation, giving the card a different character from a conventional batting portrait. His pale uniform, blue-striped stockings, and light cap stand against a broad green field and softly glowing yellow-and-rose sky, producing a balanced, open composition.
The original artwork was painted by Natalia Valiukavich in watercolor. She models Simmons’s uniform with light cream, gray, and pale blue washes, using subtle shadow along the folds to give the figure weight and movement. The glove is treated with deeper brown tones, while the blue accents in the stockings and cap provide structure near the edges of the figure. Behind him, the softly layered sky and distant field are handled broadly, keeping the emphasis on Simmons while preserving the luminous surface of the watercolor medium.
Al Simmons was one of the premier hitters of the 1920s and 1930s and a central figure in Connie Mack’s second Philadelphia Athletics dynasty. He joined the Athletics in 1924 and quickly established himself as an elite offensive player, batting .387 with 253 hits in 1925. Simmons later won consecutive American League batting titles with averages of .381 in 1930 and .390 in 1931. Alongside Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Cochrane, and Lefty Grove, he helped Philadelphia win three consecutive pennants from 1929 through 1931 and World Series championships in 1929 and 1930. Simmons finished his career with a .334 batting average, 2,927 hits, and 1,827 runs batted in, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1953. (Society for American Baseball Research)
Numbered #53, the Simmons card follows Lefty Grove in adding another cornerstone of Connie Mack’s great 1929–31 Athletics to the T3 checklist. For Philadelphia collectors, it helps the series move beyond the earlier Baker-Collins-Plank-Bender championship generation and into Mack’s second dynasty. Simmons’s Hall of Fame stature and reputation as one of the period’s great pure hitters also make the card an important individual target within the set. (Helmar Brewing Co.)
Produced in Helmar’s distinctive handcrafted tradition, the card combines original watercolor artwork, one of the great offensive players of the interwar era, and a vintage presentation inspired by the grand-format baseball cards of the tobacco era.
Original watercolor artwork by Natalia Valiukavich.
- Description: Tossing follow through
- Team: Philadelphia Athletics
- Population (# Sold): 20
- First Date Sold: 2020-04-21
- Latest Date Sold: 2025-06-04
- Card Status: Retired
- # Sold in past year: N/A
- Highest Auction: $ 48.00
- Average Auction Result: $ 27.03
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Visit these teammates on the Philadelphia Athletics in the T3-Helmar series
Click the Card # link to go to Card Info, Click the Player Name link to go the the Player Biography
