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On the Players:
George Bamberger pitched for the Oakland Oaks in 1950, going 17–13 with a 4.23 ERA in 236 innings, including 14 complete games. He later appeared in the majors with the New York Giants and Baltimore Orioles and finished an 18-season minor-league career with 213 victories. After his playing days, Bamberger became one of the most respected pitching coaches of his era with the Baltimore Orioles and later managed the Milwaukee Brewers and New York Mets.
Charlie “Sheriff” Gassaway pitched professionally for 16 seasons and reached the majors with the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Athletics, and Cleveland Indians. He appeared in 39 major-league games, including 19 starts, and won 153 games in the minor leagues. Gassaway also had a strong Oakland connection, pitching for the Oaks from 1946 through 1950. His best Oakland season came in 1948, when he went 15–8 with a 3.09 ERA, followed by a 15–9 record in 1949. He later spent nine seasons as a minor-league manager.
Earl “Irish” Harrist pitched in the major leagues between 1945 and 1953 for the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns, and Detroit Tigers. Over five major-league seasons he appeared in 132 games and recorded 10 saves. Harrist was also an important member of the Oakland staff, going 18–8 with a 3.69 ERA in 1950, with 11 complete games in 23 starts.
Frank Nelson was a right-handed pitcher and occasional outfielder who spent 12 seasons in professional baseball, winning 121 games. Before joining Oakland, he enjoyed an outstanding 1948 season with Spokane, going 24–10 with a 2.91 ERA in 300 innings. Nelson then joined the Oakland Oaks and posted a 14–11 record with a 3.25 ERA in 1949 before returning to the club in 1950.
Together, the four cards form a natural pitcher grouping from the 1950 Oakland Oaks and include three players with major-league experience.
On the Set:
The 1950 Remar Bread Oakland Oaks issue is part of a six-year series of regional bakery cards produced for the Oaks from 1945 through 1950. Collectively, the Remar issues are classified as D317 in the American Card Catalog, with the 1950 set generally identified as D317-5.
The 1950 set contains 27 cards, each measuring approximately 2 1/8\" x 3 1/8\". Fronts feature black-and-white player photographs with the player’s name, Oakland Oaks designation, and position along the bottom. Backs include player statistics together with distinctive Remar Baking Co. and Sunbeam Bread advertising, including the illustrated loaf of bread.
The 1950 issue can also be distinguished from the 1949 set by the statistics on the reverse: the 1950 cards generally present the player’s 1949 season statistics.
Because these were Northern California regional bakery issues tied to the Oakland Oaks and Pacific Coast League, rather than nationally distributed baseball cards, they are encountered less frequently than mainstream postwar issues.
