PDA

View Full Version : 1908 World Series as told by Cobb and Brown postcards; dirty backs are way more fun!


T206Jim
11-25-2015, 01:55 PM
I don't know about you, but for me I prefer prewar postcards that have a period inscription on the reverse that relates to the ballplayer depicted on the obverse of the card. Posted or "dirty" postcards are way more fun than their technically superior "clean" brethren.

Case in point, two of my favorite postcards that relate to the 1908 World Series. A Dietsche Mordecai Brown and a H.M. Taylor Ty Cobb.

Here is the front and back of the Brown:

212883 212884

The handwriting is a little difficult to decipher but it states "Well here we are again, just leave it to the Cubs to win out every time. They won yesterday from Detroit 2-0 and are now Champions of the World for the 2nd time. You can tell how Brown's hand looks on this".

It was posted in Chicago on October 16 the day after the Cubs beat the Tigers in the World Series for the second year in a row for the last time to date. "Three Finger" Brown won games 1 and 4 and you can indeed see he is missing digits in the photo. The missing digits were his secret weapon, he could cause the ball to move in ways his 5 digit friends coudln't.

The second postcard is of Cobb:

212885 212886

It was posted on October 19th, a few days after the conclusion of the series and mentions "Cobb's hit in Chicago won the game for Detroit". Cobb did indeed have a spectacular day in Game 3 in Chicago which was Detroit's sole victory in the series. The card also indicates the sender was at one of games in Detroit. But other part of the back that is interesting is the addressee's town of Peterborough, Ontario. I recently acquired this card, previously unknown to the hobby, from an antique dealer in Peterborough, Ontario who indicates they were conducting an estate sale for a house that had been in the addressee's family since the 1800's and this postcard was in a shoebox in attic. I might not have believed the story myself, but the package that contained it when sent to me was postmarked from Petersborough, Ontario.

So, now I have to decide, should I frame these two together with copies of their backs to go with my other framed displays or should I collect the entire H.M. Taylor postcard set and frame it?

I have the Cobb, Crawford and Detroit team card, but if anyone has other H.M. Taylor postcards please let me know, "dirty" backs preferred but I won't discriminate against those "clean" backs.

Those Cubs they win out every time!

Eggoman
11-25-2015, 02:22 PM
TOTALLY agree about DIRTY vs CLEAN PCs! Although I do NOT have one to share! :(

There is NOTHING like vintage postcards with vintage writing, stamps, etc. MOST messages are rather mundane, however, when you get one (or two!) with GREAT content as yours - they are incredible!

HRBAKER
11-25-2015, 02:25 PM
Wonder what the writer would have thought if he knew that 107 years later he would still be waiting for them to win another?

mybuddyinc
11-25-2015, 02:40 PM
GREAT --------- The DIRTIER the BETTER !!!!!!!!!!!! :D

bbpostcards
11-25-2015, 04:21 PM
A gallery on my website displays some of the things in my collection on this topic. It spans 1903 through 1919. http://www.sportingoregon.com/p902264268 (http://www.sportingoregon.com/p902264268) . When you're done in that gallery you can find more by clicking "Visit the Photo Galleries" in the upper left of that page.

rsn1661
11-28-2015, 07:35 AM
I enjoy reading old postcards especially if it is baseball related. While I was looking at these 2 I noticed that the first one was sent to an address that is about 3 blocks from where I work. I don't know why but I took a picture of the place and am posting it. It just seems kind of weird that over a hundred years ago a card was sent to this house, ended up several states away and then ends here where I see it.

I have a baseball postcard that was written to my grandmother from my grandfather while they were dating. I will try to find it and post it later. First I have to toss back a few cold ones and watch OSU kick some Wolverine ass!

T206Jim
11-28-2015, 08:41 AM
Thanks for posting Rich, very nice, the odds of that coincidence coming to pass was roughly the odds of Cubs not winning a World Series in over a hundred years.