This 1914 Jewish Baseball Card Has 2 Collectors at Each Other’s Throats
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Even if you’re a baseball history buff, you’ve probably never come across the name Guy Zinn.
The outfielder played only five seasons and compiled a very ordinary .269 career batting average (to be fair, it’s worth noting that he was the first ever batter in Fenway Park and one of only 11 players to ever steal home twice in one game).
But as a recent report explains, even a player as insignificant as Zinn can be the focus of a six-figure squabble among collectors — especially if that player is Jewish.
A rare card of Zinn is now pitting against each other two big collectors — Jeff Aeder, founder of the online Jewish Baseball Museum, and Dan McKee, who told the Times the worth of his collection is “too valuable to admit to.”
Dan McKee owns the card, which he bought in 1995 for $2,500.
In 2014, collector Jeff Aeder made a $125,000 bid for the card simply because Zinn was Jewish.
When Aeder asked McKee to have the card authenticated, the deal fell apart. The two have ceased talking to each other.
“If Zinn was not a Jewish player, this card is probably worth $10,000,” Aeder said.
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