1974 TCMA Baseball Autograph Series #5, Jesse Haines

TCMA printed this direct-to-collectors set of (then) living players with a blank box for autographs, encouraging fans to mail out or seek signatures in person. Pictures come from a range of eras, so I think TCMA assembled their "autographs from living former players" theme from a larger group of available photos.

Card front (blank back)

After 18 years pitching for St. Louis--still a franchise record--Jesse Haines spent 1938 coaching in Brooklyn, as pictured. This both explains the "B" on his cap and makes it a hard-to-find card for Dodger team collectors.

Haines passed away not long after issue, so an authentic signed #5 is nigh-impossible. While all 36 players in its checklist were alive at issue date, just Sandy Koufax remains with us as of 2021.

1. Satchel Paige (d. 1982)
2. Phil Rizzuto (d. 2007)
3. Sid Gordon (d. 1975)
4. Ernie Lombardi (d. 1977)
5. Jesse Haines (d. 1978)
6. Joe Cronin (d. 1984)
7. Bill Terry (d. 1989)
8. Bill Dickey (d. 1993)
9. Joe DiMaggio (d. 1999)
10. Carl Hubbell (d. 1988)
11. Fred Lindstrom (d. 1981)
12. Ted Lyons (d. 1986)
13. Red Ruffing (d. 1986)
14. Joe McCarthy (d. 1978)
15. Bob Feller (d. 2010)
16. Yogi Berra (d. 2015)
17. Ford Frick (d. 1978) and Whitey Ford (d. 2020)
18. Sandy Koufax
19. Ted Williams (d. 2002)
20. Warren Spahn (d. 2003)
21. Al Rosen (d. 2015)
22. Luke Appling (d. 1991)
23. Joe Bush (d. 1974)
24. Joe Medwick (d. 1975)
25. Lou Boudreau (d. 2001)
26. Ralph Kiner (d. 2014)
27. Lloyd Waner (d. 1982)
28. Pee Wee Reese (d. 1999)
29. Duke Snider (d. 2011)
30. Sal Maglie (d. 1992)
31. Monte Irvin (d. 2016)
32. Lefty Gomez (d. 1989)
33. George Kelly (d. 1984)
34. Joe Adcock (d. 1999)
35. Max Carey (d. 1976)
36. Rube Marquard (d. 1980)

Value: Unsigned cards like my #5 cost a few dollars or more for prominent HOFers. Signed versions of players who died in the 1970s run significantly more.

Fakes / reprints: I'd worry more about signature authenticity than a faked card, given the set's otherwise low profile and demand.