Can anyone ID this?

[Sean_C]

A buddy of mine asked if I could check with the experts here to see if anyone knows what this is:

http://cardcop.org/sean_collection/Baseball_Cards/norwalk.jpg

if anyone has any info or even suggestions as to what it may be from, it would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[barrysloate]

It looks to be mounted on a cardboard backing. Is that correct? Looks like a printed page from a book or guide, but tough to tell from a scan.

[Smokey Joe]

to view this way....the team is from my state of CT. By the looks of deterioration, it does seem to be a newspaper/paper article pasted on cardboard but hard to tell exactly unless you have it in your hand.

http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x198/SquareframeRamly/norwalk.jpg

[slidekellyslide]

1888 Connecticut State League Champions. I don't think it's a newspaper cutout pasted to board, I think it was made that way by someone to be distributed. It survived, but it's barely breathing. Still a neat item.

[tothrk]

It appears to be some sort of photo of eleven men. Five of the men have moustaches. Nine of the men are wearing a cap. The man sitting on the far right in the middle row has a rather angry look about him. He also appears to have a vicious left. These men hail from someplace called "South Norwalk." Sorry. Couldn't help myself.

[smokelessjoe]

Hi Sean,

Found this cabinet photo in the Hunt auctions with one of the "Norwalk" players: "C. Larkin 2nd Base"

Perhaps this is of some help?

https://www.huntauctions.com/online/imageviewer.cfm?auction_num=37&lot_num=5&lot_qual=

[slidekellyslide]

Nice find Shawn. Looks like the guy sitting in the front row at left.

[asoriano]

In my opinion, it looks as if the piece was once part of a cigar box; possibly the top that would flip open.

[Sean_C]

Thank you all for all of the help! I'll try to see if I can get more info about the backing and what not of the item. My guess was that it was some kind of locally distrubted cabinet item, but had no clue.

Thanks!

[brianp-beme]

In case no one else noticed, the chewed-up print along the top appears to read "Champions"

Brian

[aelefson]

Hi-
Scanned below is what appears to be a very similar piece. I always assumed that this was a cutout from a yearbook pasted into a vintage frame (could have been done in the 1890s or the 1970s). Like yours, mine is falling apart. I prchased it for a dollar at a flea market in MA. a year or two ago.
Alan Elefson
aelefson@hotmail.com

[bmarlowe1]

I agree with Dan that the guy front left may be C. Larkin.

This is really an interesting photo - SABR has a minor league listing for Norwalk in the Conn State Lg for 1888, but no roster and no league standings.

There is a minor league listing for a Charles Larkin for the right time frame, but they don't list any teams for him.

[smokelessjoe]

Alan,

The picture you posted above... Is there any mark on the back as to the maker of the board? I have seen similar and some have a (sometimes) very faint seal impressed on the back.

Mark,

I agree that it is probably a match on the two cabinets photos "C. Larkin". I to noticed the SABR reports and had the same thoughts you had. What is very frustrating for me is that I am having a difficult time finding anything on this team (of which I did not think would be the case). I would think a team report with a roster is somewhere out there. Perhaps more research will eventually provide some answers.

[slidekellyslide]

The minor league database is far from complete and there are some errors...I've been documenting the changes that need to be made on the Lincoln teams and will turn that over to them when I am complete. They just need some help getting this thing as complete as is possible. There are also some things that need to be fixed...when you click on Lincoln it will come up with only 47 teams, but easily seen (by me) is that it's missing the teams from 1947-51. They are on there if you look through the Western League listings, but I'm not sure why they don't come up in a team search.

I'm sure finding a roster for the Norwalk, CT team would be a simple thing to do for someone who lives in Connecticut to just go to the historical society and scan through the newspapers from the Spring/Summer of 1877.

[bmarlowe1]

My views match Dan and Shawn.

The SABR minor league database is a work in progress and is weak in the 19thC. They are of course always looking for volunteers. Anyone who lives near Norwalk has a distinct advantage in figuring this one out. Rosters can be derived by going thru the contemporary sports news on micofilm. If you're lucky you might find a photo or more likely a woodcut.

Some small town papers are available on line - I'll have to check newspaperarchive.com and geneology bank.com to see if they have anything helpful here.

[JEFFV96MASTERS]

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