Highlights

  8 Lots      

Also see 9, 33, 46, 103, 131, 141, 345, 356, 395, 406



Lot 1.  Complete run of 562 Baseball Magazines from the first issue in May 1908 to the last in 1965. It’s been over 10 years since a complete run of Baseball Magazine has been offered as one lot at auction, which was in our April 11, 2001 sale. It went for $21,436 and was sold to our current consignor, a major league baseball executive, who upgraded it with what he had. We’re pleased to offer the complete run, from the first issue of 1908 to the last issue of 1965. The original run of the magazine ended in 1957. An ill fated attempt to resurrect the magazine came in November of 1964 and lasted 6 issues to April of 1965.

The very rare first issues from May of 1908 through June of 1909 are in two bound volumes and in excellent-mint condition. Every one of the succeeding issues have the original covers except the October 1909 and January 1923 issues, which are missing the back cover. Two back covers have a piece missing (December, 1916 and Sept. 1922). Four early issues, Nov. 1909, Jan. & Dec. 1910 and Oct. 1913, have loose covers with tape, some later issues, perhaps two dozen, have a loose cover or some tape, but really of little consequence. The early issues are remarkable in that the great majority have the spines with the Baseball Magazine Logo and the date intact, save for minor wear or a small piece of tape. The issues from 1918 to 1933 average very good to excellent and the balance of the collection is in average excellent to mint.

Babe Ruth can be found on eight different covers, DiMaggio was on five, Cobb was on four. Condition is overall very good to excellent. An occasional cover has the year written in pencil on the cover.The 1908 issues are in the original binding by Baseball Magazine and were offered by the magazine as an inducement to new subscribers. Noteworthy, is the inscription on the first page, indicating the volume was owned by John Morrill, the Boston Captain of the 1880's. The inscription was signed by Baseball Magazine President Jacob Morse, grandfather of stage actor Robert Morse ("How to Succeed...."). Also noteworthy is the first two issues of 1915 which contain extremely rare insert color photos of Christy Mathewson and Honus Wagner. These inserts are very rarely ever seen, especially still intact in the books. The collection is obviously quite cumberson and heavy. It is in seven 12" x 10" x 10" boxes and weighs 100-125 pounds and would be shipped via Fed Ex Ground with the winner’s approval. THERE IS A RESERVE ON THIS LOT.
Winning Bid $22,727.



Lot 2.  1887 St. Louis Opening Day Program with Silk Souvenir sheet. An incredible silk portraying 11 members of the Browns in familiar Browns striped hats along with owner Chris Von Der Ahe. While the players are not identified this is easily done starting with Charles Comiskey at the top. The silk is pre-printed “SOUVENIR of the OPENING OF THE SEASON 1887 To The Lady Visitors St. Louis Browns With Compliments Chris Von der Ahe, Pres.” I don’t recall this ever being offered in its complete issued form.
Winning Bid $3,661.


Lot 3.  1890 Players League Cabinet of the Chicago White Stocking SGC 50 VG/EX 4. Magnificent composite Cabinet by Chicago’s famous Stevens Studio illustrating and identifying 15 players. There is an ornate advertising back for STEVENS as well as a period purple rubber stamp. The White Stockings led by playing Manager Charles Comiskey finished 4th in the 8 team league. Other prominent players were Hall of Famer Hugh Duffy, James O’Neill, Ned Williamson and Jimmy Ryan. The cabinet has a serrated edge and the photo quality is extraordinary. We would guess the grade was kept down by a couple of minor spots at the bottom of the mount.
Winning Bid $7,986.


Lot 4.  1888 Studio cabinet of Deacon White (the McGreachery pose). From the Deacon White estate which was auctioned in 2006. The Cabinet is from the Fearnaught Studio in Indianapolis though White never played there. What appears to be an ordinary cabinet of a great 19th Century player is actually much more than that. In the 1980’s an N172 Old Judge card was discovered of a player named McGreachery, described as the Manager of Indianapolis. The card became a hobby mystery for many years. Indianapolis never had a player or manager named McGreachery, nor could any record be found with a player or manager with that name. It was years later that the player was identified to be Deacon White, who had one of the more recognizable faces in baseball history. The “McGreachery” card is considered one of the great rarities in the N172 set and this cabinet is obviously the source of the photo and probably “one-of-a-kind”. The fact the cabinet was produced by an Indianapolis photographer with the apparent “one-of-a-kind” N172 card with an Indianapolis team makes an obvious connection. The cabinet has extraordinary photo quality although there is a strip of paper loss at the top of the rear where it was mounted in the White family album.
Winning Bid $4,840.


Lot 5.  Extremely rare 1913 Mohawk Giants Colored Giants team postcard with “Chappie Johnson”. There’s only one copy known of this postcard featuring the famous Mohawk team (Schenectady, N.Y. area). The team was established in 1912 and a year later, the owner engaged one of his players to recruit players. He successfully recruited an amazing young pitcher named Frank Wickware from Coffeyville, Kansas (In the sweater in the back row on the postcard). Wickware, nicknamed the “Red Ant”, outpitched Walter Johnson 1-0, also from Kansas, in an exhibition game in 1913 and pitched to the age of 50. The postcard is in vg-ex condition, has great photo quality and is unused. A typed key to the players is included (“Chappie” Johnson is 2nd from the right in the front row) and a copy of a 1991 article in the SABR Baseball Research Journal about the Mohawk team is also included. Postcards of this type, vintage and rarity have generally sold for thousands of dollars.
Winning Bid $2,197.


Lot 6.  1953 Dixie Lid Baseball partial sheet of 72 lids including a complete set. The sheet, which measures “ 28 ½ x 14 1/2“ shows 11 lids across and 6 lids down. The sheet shows from 1 to 6 copies of each of the 24 lids. One set of 24 is present and only Lemon and Parnell are missing to complete a second set. It seems clear from the layout on the sheet that 1953 Dixie Lids (and probably 1952) were not issued in equal quantities and Carrasquel, Gordon, Jensen, Lemon, Kluszewski, Parnell, Priddy, Reynolds and Roe and distinctly rarer than the other 16 subjects. The partial sheet is overall in excellent condition and includes the rarer Gordon, Kiner, and Spahn and variations.
Winning Bid $1,500.


Lot 7.  Winthrop Postcard of Christy Mathewson An extremely rare Thumb Movie of McGinnity is part of a post card set featuring major league baseball players, mostly New York Giants. The postcard which measures 4” x 2 1/4” and is 3/8” thick, contains 24 pages which, when fanned, show a complete pitch from Mathewson. The postcard reads on the front “Christy Mathewson N.Y. National League Base Ball Team. For Directions See LAST LEAF WINTHROP MOVING PICTURE POST CARD”. The inside back cover has the simple directions for viewing. The Front Cover has “No. 19” and since McGinnity is know to be No. 20, it can be assumed there were at least 20 subjects and I would guess 50-75% of them have never been seen. The Mathewson has to be assumed to be the prize of the set. A Mordecai Brown was in our November 2008 auction and sold for $1,773+ and the McGinnity sold in last year’s auction for 3,461. The “card” is in very good condition despite some creasing on the covers.
Winning Bid $5,363.


Lot 8.  Remarkable Koestlers Bread advertising sheet of 35 cards featuring 16 N.Y. Yankee and 19 N.Y. Giant players. Issued for the 1921 World Series, the first “subway series”. The sheet is a heavy stock and measures about 16” wide and 14” tall. Koestlers cards when cut from a sheet take on the appearance of W575’s and in most cases there is no difference. The sheet leaves no doubt these are Koestler’s Bread cards. There are 19 New York Giants and 16 New York Yankees on the sheet, about 2/3 of the known 52 cards (26 from each team). Included among the images on the sheet is Babe Ruth, still in Boston Red Sox uniform and the familiar pitching pose. The Ruth has been offered individually in a high grade for five figures. The fact is, it is impossible to distinguish a Koesters Ruth from a W575 if its not in a sheet. Other Hall of Famers are Jesse Burkett, a Giant coach and much desired card, Miller Huggins, Home Run Baker, Casey Stengel, Ross Young, George Kelly and Dave Bancorft and notables Roger Peckinpaugh, Carl Mays and Mike Gonzalez. There is a heavy crease between the 3rd and 4th rows and a 1 1/2” cut between the 4th and 5th cards in the bottom row. A list of the 35 players on the sheet is available on request.
Winning Bid $5,849.
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