DESCRIPTIONA 1940s Mutoscope pin-up arcade card with a baseball joke for a caption: \"SURE. SHOW ME A DIAMOND AND I\'LL PLAY BALL.\" A dark-haired young woman with a sly smile stands with her hands on her hips, leaning forward, in a white short-sleeved top with a green belt, black cuffed shorts and black ankle-strap heels, against a solid bright red ground.
Front imprints: \"A MUTOSCOPE CARD\" at lower left, \"PRINTED IN U. S. A.\" at lower right, and a small \"© B&B USA\" mark at right. The art is not signed on the card. Collector checklists list this title in the 1945 Mutoscope \"Artist Pin-Up Girls\" set and attribute the art to Zoë Mozert. Size approx. 3.25 x 5.25 in. (from the scan).
HISTORICAL CONTEXTFor pin-up art collectors. Zoë Mozert (1907–1993), born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, often served as her own model, using cameras and mirrors to capture the pose. She signed an exclusive calendar contract with Brown & Bigelow in 1941, painted the \"Victory Girls\" series during the war, and created the poster art for the film The Outlaw.
One of the \"big four.\" By 1950 Mozert was counted among the \"big four\" of American pin-up art with Rolf Armstrong, Earl Moran and Gil Elvgren. The \"© B&B USA\" mark on this card is Brown & Bigelow\'s.
For baseball collectors. The diamond pun in the caption gives this card crossover appeal for baseball and sports memorabilia collectors.
A penny-arcade collectible. Mutoscope cards were sold one at a time from coin-operated vending machines in arcades and amusement parks during the 1940s. Most carried pin-up art, issued as named sets through the decade; the 1945 \"Artist Pin-Up Girls\" set ran to 64 cards.
CONDITIONVery good. Bright, solid color. A small crease or dent along the top edge near the upper right corner; corners otherwise sharp to slightly soft. Please see the photos, which are part of the description.
ABOUT THE PRINTINGThis card is printed in halftone: under magnification the color resolves into a regular, even grid of dots, the photomechanical process used for mass-produced cards of the period. The caption and imprints are printed in black. The card is flat, not embossed.
PROVENANCEFrom my family\'s estate collections, built over more than 60 years by knowledgeable antiques collectors and traders. Stored in a climate-controlled environment.
ALSO IN OUR STOREFrom the same 1945 Mutoscope set, two Earl Moran pin-ups, \"Inflation Control\": \"Here\'s a Hot Dish\": visit TF sales Intl: and detailed item descriptions are provided as a courtesy only and are not guaranteed to be one hundred percent accurate. Please do your own research. There are generally no receipts available for any items from original purchases. Any dimensions and/or weights are approximate. The absence of a more detailed condition report does not imply there are no condition issues with the item(s). Please inspect images carefully as they are part of the official item description and best representation of the actual condition. Additional images may be available upon request depending on time and availability. Not responsible for internet mis-translations or mis-identification of maker\'s marks if found or assumptions of makers or materials — item descriptions will indicate if it is assumed. If you see a problem, please message us immediately and we will do our best to sort out a solution and confirm the information. With the exception of rules, no returns are accepted.
Ref# 1.0509
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