This Don Mueller 1954 Red Man Cutout with Tab Trading Card #7 is the exact item you will receive and has been certified Authentic by REM Fine Collectibles.
Donald Frederick Mueller (April 14, 1927 – December 28, 2011) was a professional baseball player who played mainly as a right fielder in Major League Baseball for 12 seasons from 1948 until 1959. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed, and played for the New York Giants and the Chicago White Sox. He earned the nickname "Mandrake the Magician" for being adept at consistently putting the ball in play and delivering hits through the infield.
Mueller was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 14, 1927. His father, Walter Mueller, was also a major leaguer who spent parts of four seasons during the 1920s with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The younger Mueller was signed as an amateur free agent out of Christian Brothers College High School by the Giants in 1944.
Mueller spent the first ten seasons of his major league career with the Giants, for whom he batted over .300 for three consecutive seasons (1953–1955) and led the National League (NL) in hits in 1954 with 212.
Mueller played a central, but painful, role in the famous October 3, 1951, playoff game that won the NL pennant for the Giants. With New York trailing the Brooklyn Dodgers, 4–1, in the ninth inning, Mueller singled Alvin Dark to third base. With one out, Whitey Lockman doubled to score Dark, but Mueller sprained his ankle sliding into third. He was replaced by a pinch-runner, Clint Hartung, and carried from the field just before Bobby Thomson's "Shot Heard 'Round the World" won the game and the pennant for the Giants. Mueller missed the 1951 World Series due to his injury.
In 1954, Mueller hit for the cycle on July 11, finished second to teammate Willie Mays in the NL batting race, and hit .389 in the World Series to help lead the Giants to a four-game sweep of the Cleveland Indians. In Game 1 of the Series, Mueller was playing right field when Mays made "The Catch" in center field.
Mueller finished his playing career with the White Sox, appearing in 70 games in 1958, and four games in 1959. He was released on May 15, 1959.
In 1,245 MLB games played (1,171 as a Giant) Mueller compiled 1,292 hits, including 139 doubles, 37 triples and 65 home runs. He had 520 RBIs, and a career batting average of .296 with an OPS of .712. While he never hit more than 16 home runs in a season, he hit five home runs in two days, on September 1st and 2nd, 1951.
The 1954 Red Man Tobacco card set consists of 50 cards, each measuring 3-1/2” by 4”. The 25 top players comprised this issue, which eliminated the presence of American League and National League managers found in the prior two Red Man Tobacco editions. Each item featured a colorful, quality likeness of the respective ballplayer resting against a solid background, with his name, team name and biographical data appearing in a white block on the card front. The design was nearly identical to the prior year issues, with company advertising on the back and one of two expiration dates: March 31 or May 31, 1955. Yogi Berra, Roy Campanella, Whitey Ford, Gil Hodges, Willie Mays, Pee Wee Reese, Phil Rizzuto, Duke Snider and Warren Spahn anchor the set. Condition issues abound with the set, including the sensitive nature of the colored borders. As the large cards were sealed in plastic and affixed to the outside pouches of their tobacco product, handling wear and creasing is often problematic. Furthermore, each piece was originally issued with a ½” perforated tab along the bottom of the card, which was often haphazardly removed, resulting in further damage. Four variations exist, technically bringing the total set size to 54 full-color cards. Two cards exist for Gus Bell and Enos Slaughter (both #s 19N), while a trio of American Leaguers are depicted with two different teams: #4A George Kell (Boston and Chicago), #6A Sam Mele (Baltimore and Chicago) and #9A Dave Philley (Cleveland and Philadelphia).