Tin Type ID help please

[DaveH]

I bought this tin type today at an estate sale and wondered if anyone can ID
the uniform or player.
Thanks

dh

[ullmandds]

A garage sale? Awesome piece!!! Was it $1?

[DaveH]

$12

[ullmandds]

That's awesome...congrats!!!

[barrysloate]

It's likely a reverse image so the letter on his uniform is probably an "L." Beyond that it's a needle in a very large haystack.

[Jaybird]

Cool socks!

[barrysloate]

It's a really beautiful image...probably late 1870's, nicely posed with the player holding a bat. Chance of identifying it, however, is slim to none.

[UOFLfan7]

That L looks like the same L that Louisville uses. It's in the same font and everything.

I'll look it up for you...

[UOFLfan7]

Okay, so after doing some research I have established that the player in the picture most likely played for either the Lousiville Colonels, Louisville Grays, Louisville Falls City, or the Louisville Eclipse. This would mean that the picture would of been taken from around 1876 to around 1891.

If you still can't find the player, try the years 1902-1933.

[DaveH]

Thanks guys. This forum is great!!! I'll check it out.

dh

[bmarlowe1]

Originally Posted by UOFLfan7

Okay, so after doing some research I have established that the player in the picture most likely played for either the Lousiville Colonels, Louisville Grays, Louisville Falls City, or the Louisville Eclipse. .

I don't think you have established anything. First of all, the font is not the same as your example. Moreover, that style of lettering was not uncommon on jerseys of the time period (as given by Barry - with which I agree). I can't prove it isn't Louisville, but it could be any town starting with an "L."

[Runscott]

Beautiful tintype.

I wouldn't give up. I once owned a late '70s tintype of an unidentified player - in fact, board members argued against it even being a baseball player - and sold it on ebay. Several years later I spotted an 1800's photo of an id'd baseball player who played for several teams, but in this photo he was wearing the uniform of a team that he played for only in 1876. It was a very odd uniform, and an exact match in all respects, with the photo I once owned.

[UOFLfan7]

Originally Posted by bmarlowe1

I don't think you have established anything. First of all, the font is not the same as your example. Moreover, that style of lettering was not uncommon on jerseys of the time period (as given by Barry - with which I agree). I can't prove it isn't Louisville, but it could be any town starting with an "L."

I don't know...it looks extremely similar to the logo especially the font face. Granted there are a few differences, but keep in mind I am using a modern Louisville logo as my example and logos change over years. I fully stand by my belief that the player featured in the picture played for a Louisville team.

Now granted you are right, it could be any city that starts with a L...however, being somebody who has lived in Louisville, and has researched thier history in basketball, football, baseball, etc. I still believe that Louisville is the best guess at this point.

To each thier own though.

[slidekellyslide]

There is no guessing in identifying players or teams. That player could represent any team that started with the letter "L". Even if you produce a known photo of a Louisville player with a similar uniform, without any provenance at all that tintype will remain unknown.

[bmarlowe1]

[quote=UOFLfan7;1016364]Okay, so after doing some research I have established that the player in the picture most likely played for either the Lousiville Colonels, Louisville Grays, Louisville Falls City, or the Louisville Eclipse. This would mean that the picture would of been taken from around 1876 to around 1891.

Do you have any photos of 19thC Louisville baseball teams with a similar "L"?

[Jaybird]

agreed. Too many options. You can have research angles but have to be willing to keep your mind open to the multitude of possibilities. To say "it is most likely" probably is a bit strong. Especially without any evidence. It's totally legit to have a feeling or a hunch, just back it up with some evidence.

[Matthew H]

Originally Posted by UOFLfan7

If you still can't find the player, try the years 1902-1933.

You could surely scratch 1933 from your list of possibilities...

[barrysloate]

Cameron- I originally said the chance of identifying this would be slim to none. I will now add that the probability that you identified the correct city on a cursory glance is virtually zero. I bought, sold, and collected tintypes for 25 years. I probably handled a couple of hundred of them, many quite old and exotic. I know from experience that there were thousands of unknown players from town teams who simply had the good fortune of having been phtographed wearing a baseball uniform. In no way is it assumed they did so because they were nationally known players. They had a few dollars in their pocket and some proximity to a photo studio, so they had their picture taken. These players will almost certainly remain anonymous for eternity, save we have their image.

To say this player is probably from Louisville without any other corroborating information is very unscientific, with a 99+% probability it is wrong. There are probably more than a thousand cities in America that start with the letter "L". So collectors of these wonderful images, despite hoping to identify them, are content to simply enjoy their aesthetic beauty. I do appreciate your enthusiasm but experienced tintype collectors recognize the great difficulty of identifying these players.