March 2011 pick-up thread
 

A new month, and hopefully it's full of new pickups for all of us.

My latest pickup, to add to my growing collection of 19th century Harvard sports collectibles, is this scorecard from "Class Day" in 1882, featuring a game between the Harvard baseball team from 1877 vs. the 1882 squad.

Most notable in the lineup of the 1877 is "Thayer, C", which is none other than Frederick Thayer, inventor of the catcher's mask.

Nice item!

Can you tell me what the initials after the players name mean on the 77 team card?
I think c - catcher, p - pitcher, L - left, r - right, but what are h, m, b, and the 2 s'?

Thanks,
Mark

Great observation, I totally missed that!

I tried to Google and find an answer but came up empty, so if anyone happens to know what these designations may mean, I would love to hear it.

A few new pins:)
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q...11060744PM.jpg

James Tyng, also on the card, was the catcher who wore Thayer's mask in 1877.

Found this booklet in my local antique mall last night...dated 1893.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../chadwick1.jpg

New York player on the cover - reversed for some reason...Buck Ewing?
http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3.../chadwick2.jpg

Here are some great scans I picked up from the Boston Public Library:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...dler/Kelly.jpg
Mike 'King' Kelly

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...0Nationals.jpg
Boston Nationals, 1890

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...1903Series.jpg
Pittsburgh Pirates and Boston Americans, 1903 World Series

Man, these guys looked like ballplayers. I can't wait to get them on canvas.

Woot!

Graig

03 Series
 

Graig, love that '03 World Series pic. I could look at it for hours.

Me too, Jimmy.

I especially love this part of the photo:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...eindler/HW.jpg

Yes, it's pretty cool that Wagner is so young looking, but what the hell is he doing with that ball on Tom Hughes (?) head? Awesome.

Graig

Graig (or others), any chance that is Nuf Ced McGreevey hovering in the background behind Wagner? Maybe the folks standing behind the ropes are the Royal Rooters?

Nuf Ced is visible in the background. He's standing between the third and fourth players from the right in the last row. He's the smiling chap in the bowler with the mustache.

Good eye!

Agreed - nice spot!

Great photos and good luck with them, Graig!

There's a bunch of Boston and McGreevy/Royal Rooter related photos at a Flicker site where someone has compiled items from the Boston Public Library archives. Graig's 1903 picture is there with all the players named. Have a look: http://tinyurl.com/ykhjl5t

http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_...%20Cabinet.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_...reevy%20PC.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_...Saloon%202.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/kawika_...e%20Saloon.jpg

Thanks David for posting those
 

Boy, would I like to belly-up to that bar. I could spend hours there staring at all the photos on the wall behind the bar. Just amazing.

I wonder what happend to all of "Nef Ced's" stuff. Sure wish it would turn up here in Hot Springs!

1960's Stan Musial Original 35mm Negative shot by award winning photographer Arthur Rickerby.

If I'm not mistaken, I think I remember the 3rd Base Saloon (and unfortunately, all of the memorabilia inside) went up in flames during a fire.

Great shot of Stan the Man.

Is that King Kelly or Nuf Ced next to the moose head?

I'm not sure about the physical items that were in the bar, but a good deal of his photo and ephemera collection (maybe all of it) was donated to the Boston Public Library. Those are the items that David is referring to on Flickr.

Have one as well
 

Mine is in bad shape, but from the same year.

http://i518.photobucket.com/albums/u...e/e301e6f1.jpg

The Nuf Ced McGreevey collection at the Boston Public Library is impressive. We have obtained copies of many for an on-going Spring Training photo display at the Hot Springs Convention Center.

The library along with the National Archives are both very helpful when you are looking for photographic help.

Love that Bar picture
 

.....while not nearly as neat, if anyone is in or near Lake County, Illinois NW Burb of Chicago, specifically Wauconda.

Check out:

http://www.lcfpd.org/discovery_museu...verymuseum.org

They have a real depression/bootleg era bar. And some neat Al Capone related items as he used to vacation in Wauconda/Lake Zurich and over the border to Wisconsin.

Neat stuff.

Just picked up a few Dan Tobey (Nebraska Indians player) photos from Will Hays...thanks to Dave B. for pointing them out to me.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...antobey1-1.jpg

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...antobey2-1.jpg

A practical collectible???
 

I work from home and have been in the market for a new office chair for some time...about a month ago I received an e-mail from the San Francisco Giants...and here's what arrived this afternoon...

http://www.collectorfocus.com/images...ir-s.f.-giants

It's MLB Authenticated and signed by it's original owner, Roberto Kelly.

1936 Yankee team signed baseball with Lou Gehrig,Lazzeri,Combs,Dickey,Gomez. Kind of a surprize when i got the ball, it's a Babe Ruth Home-Run Special.

Brock, now THAT'S something I would covet. Beautiful piece.

Very cool, Matt.

Johnny "Double No-Hit" Vander Meer's personal copy of his 1938 Reds Players Contract
 

I just picked up an awesome item for my no-hitter collection.

As many of you are aware, Johnny Vander Meer is the only pitcher in baseball history to throw back to back no-hitters. After a lackluster 3-5 beginning in his 1937 rookie season, Vandy would have had no idea that when he signed his 1938 contract that he was just about to set a baseball record that may never be broken. The contract that I just purchased was Vander Meer's personal copy of the contract. The back of the contract is signed by Reds VP and HOF'er Warren Giles.

Pete Rose, who knew a little about the difficulty of breaking iconic records, stated in an interview once that he believed that Vander Meer's back to back no-hitters was perhaps one of the most unassailable in the game. His point was that someone may eventually tie Vander Meer's record, but nobody would ever break it. In approximately 140 years of baseball, it's only happened once.

Three back to back to back no-hitters? C'mon!!! :D

Vander Meer
 

Great Vander Meer items, Scott! In case you are interested in adding to your collection, this auction might interest you: http://cgi.ebay.com/1939-newspaper-L...item3f01e79f97

Best,
Charles

Scott, congratulations are your superb pick-up. That contract would be a proud item in anyone's collection!

I picked up this 35mm negative shot with a fisheye lens from Wrigley Field

Vandy 1938 Reds Player contract
 

Thanks Anthony and Charles! Anthony, that fisheye lens negative shot of Wrigley is very unusual and cool too-congrats!

Picked up this 1956 Dick Stuart Lincoln card that's been signed by him...Stuart wrote and circled a "73" on the card..that was the minor league home run record that he was going after that year...he fell short though and only hit 66. The fact that he wrote the "73" on the card though indicates that it was released during the season and not after like had been speculated in the past.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...eball/stu2.jpg

March Pickups
 

Here are a couple of my recent pickups. The first piece is a letter written by and signed by the Phillies owner GP Nugent in 1933 to Honus Wagner thanking him for his attendance at an old-timers game to celebrate the Phillies anniversary. The letter has a notation on back reading: no answer required. I guess this could be Honus' handwriting. The letter came with a small snapshot of Honus and some others carrying apple baskets.

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/p...Letter0001.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/p...Letter0002.jpg
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/p...Letter0003.jpg

The other pickup, I posted on the basketball thread too, but figured I would post it here since it is a March pickup. It is a trophy basketball from the 1923 AAU Basketball championship game between the Kansac City Athletic Club (KCAC) Blue Diamonds versus the Hillyard All Shines. The ball has National AAU Champions painted in gold at the top, and a large white painted diamond (I guess the diamond shape to coincide with their team name) that is decorated with the score and the starting 5 of the KCAC - George Williams Capt C, George Reeves F, Milton Singer F, George “Pidge” Browning G, and Robert Sanders G

http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/p...n/1923AAU2.jpg

Weird Folk Art Trophy Ball
 

Went to the Valley Forge Show LAST Weekend and found this old folk art trophy ball. It is 10" circumference and 3" high with metal rivets around what I am pretty sure of is a baseball. Nothing is written on it. Darndest thing I have seen so I had to get it.

Anyone seen a ball like this one?

- RaY

Though I got this for resale, Its REALLY cool IMO. 1915 "Wheel" schedule/scorer for Boston Red Sox and Boston Braves w Beer advertising.

Pick Up :
 

1939 Dixie Series 3ft Panoramic of Nashville & Fort Worth : Just need to get it mounted & framed for the office !

I'm excited...
 

On the way from Ebay...

Satch
 

Bill,
That's a really nice looking Satch!! Congrats!

Thanks Scott, I have the entire 1953 Topps team set of the St. Louis Browns and want to re-matte it with a cut signature of each player below each card. So far I have Gordon Goldsberry and Satch of course. need help with the rest if anyone can help. I'm not asking for handouts, I'll pay for them. They dont need to be slabbed, just real. Thanks!

~Wild Bill

Bill, that's a great idea for a project. I believe most of those players are fairly common and inexpensive to get a 3x5 of. A quick check of ebay showed multiple examples of the 10 players I checked...should be easy to compare and tell the legit ones. The one player I didn't find was Earl Harrist, but I checked Kevin Keating and he has one at a decent price so I suspect you would be able to find one from someone on this board at and even better price.
Good luck.

Thanks Mike, I appreciate it! I paid $250 for the Paige and was hoping to get the rest at much more affordable prices.

Bobo Holloman
 

Bobo Holloman didn't have a 1953 Topps card? Forgive my ignorance, but I'm not a huge vintage card guy. I know that 1953 was the year that Bobo threw his no-hitter for the Brownie's....

Bobo did play for the 53 Browns but the 53 Topps cards are for players who were on the 52' team. Bobo's 53 Topps card depicts him in an Athletics uniform.

If anyone has any of these cut sigs, please PM or email me at the email address below. Thanks!

william.biery@fmr.com

Bill I believe Duane Pillette is still alive don't know about the others?

Virgil Trucks...
 

I have a spare Virgil Trucks 3x5 you can have...feel free to pm me with your address and I'll send it over...

Wow...looks like Mike is correct. Mr. Pillette is still alive and living in San Jose and appears to be a good signer through the mail.

One of my most exciting pick ups in awhile. Probably, my favorite mini bat ever. 22 inch "small signature" Lou Gehrig. It came out of the Legendary sale with some real nice mini's that I'll be selling.
Matt

Gehrig small signature mini bat
 

Matt,
That is a dandy- congrats!!