Classic baseball cards have long held a special place in the hearts of collectors and fans alike. Documenting the history of the game through images and statistics on small pieces of cardboard, baseball cards have become an American pastime unto themselves. For collectors of these vintage cards, one name that often comes up is Frank Slocum.
Born in 1885 in Boston, Massachusetts, Frank Slocum made his Major League debut in 1908 with the Boston Doves at the age of 23. Primarily a second baseman and shortstop, Slocum would go on to play parts of six seasons in the big leagues with Boston, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and Cleveland Indians between 1908-1914. While he never put up huge offensive numbers, Slocum was considered a slick fielder and solid contributor during his time in the early 1900s.
It was during his playing career that Slocum first appeared on baseball cards. One of his earliest is from the 1909-1911 series produced by the American Tobacco Company featuring players from teams like the Boston Doves. On this card, a young Frank Slocum is pictured in a Boston uniform with stats from the 1909 season when he hit .252 in 108 games. Slocum’s rookie card in this set has become a key piece for collectors looking to document the early days of the game.
In 1910, Slocum was featured in the famous T206 series issued by the American Tobacco Company. Considered one of the most iconic sets in card collecting history, the vast majority of players from the era appeared in the T206 set. Slocum’s card shows him as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, sporting their road gray uniform. Numbered around 100 in the set, Slocum’s T206 is a highly sought after card by vintage collectors. With its colorful images and history behind it, a high grade Slocum T206 can fetch thousands of dollars.
After being sold by Brooklyn midway through the 1910 season, Slocum finished that year and played 1911 with the Cleveland Naps. He was included in Cleveland’s team set issued that year by the Allen & Ginter tobacco company. Pictured in a Naps uniform, it was one of the last baseball cards issued featuring Frank Slocum as an active player before he retired following the 1914 season. While not as valuable as his T206, Slocum’s Allen & Ginter card remains a nice piece for collectors of early 1900s Cleveland teams and players.
In the years after his playing career ended, Frank Slocum took on a number of jobs mostly in the Boston area. He worked as a clerk for an insurance company and also managed a sporting goods store for a period of time. All the while, Slocum remained a fan of the game he used to play. He was known to attend Red Sox games at Fenway Park well into his later years.
Sadly, Frank Slocum passed away in 1950 at the age of 65 in his hometown of Boston. While he didn’t put up the biggest numbers as a player, Slocum left his mark through the classic baseball cards issued documenting his MLB career from 1908-1914. For those who collect vintage cards, a well-preserved Slocum rookie, T206, or Cleveland Naps card serves as an important historical artifact from the early days of the game and a player who was part of those foundational seasons. Over 70 years after his playing days, Frank Slocum continues to be recognized and his cards sought after by dedicated collectors preserving baseball’s rich history.
The journey of Frank Slocum’s baseball career and the classic cards that captured his image span eras from the Deadball period to well past his retirement from the game. Although he didn’t achieve stardom on the field, Slocum’s place in card collecting history is cemented through some of the most iconic and valuable issues from the sport’s early decades. For those with an appreciation of the game’s origins and growth told through cardboard, the story of Frank Slocum lives on.