Ballplayer's reaction to card

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Posted By: Bill Stone

Has anyone ever seen a reference by a ballplayer to being depicted on a baseball card. I am especially interested in the period 1908-1912. It seems to me that somewhere, in correspondence, scrapbooks, post cards or interviews a player would have commented on being pictured on a baseball card.
Human nature would tell me that if a player knew he was on a card he would want to collect it or at least see it and send
it home or to his sweetheart. Any thoughts?

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Posted By: Cashews

i would assume every player knew they had a baseball card if they did have one. the only ones who might not have were probably the minor league issues but even they most likely knew. old judge took carefully staged photographs so there's no way those earlier players didn't know. i've never read about a reaction to a card though beside wagner's.

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Posted By: T206Collector

Fred Snodgrass used to like to write about his appearance in catcher's gear in one of his T206 cards (he was primary known as an outfielder and only had 6 games in the Majors at catcher, 3 of which took place in 1908 when he was first called up as a 20 year old rookie).

I have an index card on which he wrote, "You certainly dug up an old picture. This was taken in 1908 when I joined the Giants as a catcher."

He also wrote something similar on the back of a T206 card that was on ebay last year (damn, sniper missed that one!)

You can see the full text of the index card by reading the Signed T206 Cards article on my website.



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Visit http://www.t206collector.com for my blog, interviews, articles, card galleries and more!

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Posted By: Jon Canfield

Well, not sure if this helps but I remember that the famous Wagner strip was found in a jacket pocket (or something similar) in the house belonging to Wagner. I think it is theorized that the ATC sent Wagner the "proof" to show him what his card would look like and to try to get him to give consent to its issue. Certainly, it is interesting that Wagner kept his card.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

In more modern times, say the 1960s-80s, some players noted that it was a thrill to first see their picture on a baseball card. Presumably, they or their friends collected as kids, and they knew you hit the big time when you got your own card.

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Posted By: Darren

I recall reading a quip of a player stating that his major league experience was surreal until he got a card of himself making it real.