Moonlight Graham

[marcmandel]

Looking to add a "big card" to my PC and have been pursuing leads for a Moonlight Graham card. Any one of you guys have any ideas or leads? Willing to pay up for the right example and card.

[mrreality68]

Good luck with your hunt. Many of us have looked for his card and it is a hard find

[Casey2296]

I don't know of any cards other than his Rose PC (maybe Ryan can post his for an example), and there's a team card I think.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by Casey2296

I don't know of any cards other than his Rose PC (maybe Ryan can post his for an example), and there's a team card I think.

That is all I remember seeing as well. For most of us, we have to settle for the book or the movie to get our Moonlight Graham fix.

Brian

[Rhotchkiss]

Here is the Rose Co PC - I know of two of them. There is also a team PC and a W601 (maybe 1907) of the Scranton team that has Moonlight. His stuff is crazy rare and, in my opinion, cool as hell.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

Here is the Rose Co PC - I know of two of them. There is also a team PC and a W601 (maybe 1907) of the Scranton team that has Moonlight. His stuff is crazy rare and, in my opinion, cool as hell.

Wow that is awesome

And crazy rare is an understatement

Thanks for sharing

[Kawika]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

Here is the Rose Co PC - I know of two of them. There is also a team PC and a W601 (maybe 1907) of the Scranton team that has Moonlight. His stuff is crazy rare and, in my opinion, cool as hell.

You, Kevin Struss and me. So at least three.



I picked up this 1908 Scranton team photo from REA a few years ago. Doc Graham is in the back row, second from right. The photobomber kid is not me. I had chores that day.



This is the 1906 Scranton team postcard. Not mine. Scabbed the scan from the internet. (There is also a postcard out there somewhere with Graham and a crowd of Scranton teammates in an old open car. Don't have that image).

[sbfinley]

Originally Posted by Rhotchkiss

Here is the Rose Co PC - I know of two of them. There is also a team PC and a W601 (maybe 1907) of the Scranton team that has Moonlight. His stuff is crazy rare and, in my opinion, cool as hell.

I’m fairly certain this example was in a lot of Rose PCs in REA about 12 years ago. I was going to bid, and would have went 2x-3x times higher than the close bid but REA made no mention of it’s significance and at the time I wasn’t 100% sure it was him.

[Gorditadogg]

If I see a Moonlight Graham available, I will outbid you!

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

[bgar3]

Ashenback’s Humor in the Minors, 1911 is a good book and nice Graham placeholder example.

[irishdenny]

Although It's Not iN the League of the forementioned,

& I'm Not so sure of what a "Big Card" is to most...

*I'm jus a humble Student of David's

I do hav this of Mr. Graham's to pass on to a New Collector...
I've been wantin' to put'em on the BST all this week!

Soon He'll be there ~

[Baseball Rarities]

Originally Posted by irishdenny

Although It's Not iN the League of the forementioned,

& I'm Not so sure of what a "Big Card" is to most...

*I'm jus a humble Student of David's

I do hav this of Mr. Graham's to pass on to a New Collector...
I've been wantin' to put'em on the BST all this week!

Soon He'll be there ~

That is a great card and very scarce in its own right, but that is George "Peaches” Graham, not Archibald "Moonlight" Graham.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by Baseball Rarities

That is a great card and very scarce in its own right, but that is George "Peaches” Graham, not Archibald "Moonlight" Graham.

...perhaps he was also known as George "Moonlight Peaches" Graham? Which of course would then make it a suitable replacement for an Archibald Graham card.

Brian

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by Gorditadogg

If I see a Moonlight Graham available, I will outbid you!

Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

would be great demand and many bidders beyond us. but i would hope i would outbid you

[topcat61]

I saw a 1907-08 Rose Co. Postcard of Moonlight Graham, which shocked me. I thought there was a possibility that he was in this set since the discovery of several minor league player of the New York State League, but I don't think there are many of this particular card. Possibly just a handful.He also is in a 1902-03 team cabinet with Charlotte of the North Carolina League, a 1906 Scranton Miners team postcard and I believe a Sporting Life team postcard as well. I don't know who would have a copy of any of these and I've never seen any in person which I believe are rarer than a T206 Wagner.

[Bigdaddy]

Apologize for the slightly off-topic question, but does Moonlight's status above lots of other common players rest almost entirely on his inclusion in Field of Dreams? Did his cards carry a premium before the movie?

I for one, was not aware of his story before the movie came out, and even then, was not sure that his character was an actual player.

There was a recent thread about why certain players cards are more desired than others given similar on-the-field performance, and a major reason that came out was having a relevance to something outside of baseball. That seems to certainly be the case for Moonlight Graham, thanks to Burt Lancaster and Kevin Costner and WP Kinsella.

[brianp-beme]

Originally Posted by Bigdaddy

Apologize for the slightly off-topic question, but does Moonlight's status above lots of other common players rest almost entirely on his inclusion in Field of Dreams? Did his cards carry a premium before the movie?

I for one, was not aware of his story before the movie came out, and even then, was not sure that his character was an actual player.

There was a recent thread about why certain players cards are more desired than others given similar on-the-field performance, and a major reason that came out was having a relevance to something outside of baseball. That seems to certainly be the case for Moonlight Graham, thanks to Burt Lancaster and Kevin Costner and WP Kinsella.

I read the Shoeless Joe novel (a great book, by the way) shortly after it was released in 1982, and I highly doubt anyone really knew about Graham before the novel. I don't think it was on collector's radar even after the novel was released. The Field of Dreams movie that was released in 1989 is what really brought him more widespread interest, but I still think it wasn't until the internet era that slowly unearthed and identified what was available for him (note sbfinley's mention of this REA lot of Rose postcards https://robertedwardauctions.com/auc...anton-players/ that had a Graham in it, without identification, actually less than 10 years ago), and only after all of this did Archibald Graham finally become something for many collectors to pursue/crave.

W.P. Kinsella really set this cornfield craze into motion. Heck, there have even been Major League games held in Iowa cornfields now, which just adds to the mythical luster surrounding Graham (and Shoeless Joe too).

Brian

[Shoeless Moe]

So who won it?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/31436781333...rdt=true&rt=nc

[sbfinley]

Damn, at least let the stamps get applied. But it wasn’t me. Got blown out at the last second. It was crazy this thread started about 12 hours after I saw it. Wrong category, no mention… I thought it would slip by most.

Originally Posted by Shoeless Moe

So who won it?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/31436781333...rdt=true&rt=nc

[Baseball Rarities]

Originally Posted by topcat61

I saw a 1907-08 Rose Co. Postcard of Moonlight Graham, which shocked me. I thought there was a possibility that he was in this set since the discovery of several minor league player of the New York State League, but I don't think there are many of this particular card. Possibly just a handful.He also is in a 1902-03 team cabinet with Charlotte of the North Carolina League, a 1906 Scranton Miners team postcard and I believe a Sporting Life team postcard as well. I don't know who would have a copy of any of these and I've never seen any in person which I believe are rarer than a T206 Wagner.

Ryan - The only Minor Leaguers in the 1908 Rose Co. postcard set are the 14 players from the Scranton Miners, who won the New York State League pennant that year.

I do not believe that he is pictured on a Sporting Life team postcard. AFAIK, only Major League teams are part of that set.

[topcat61]

Originally Posted by Baseball Rarities

Ryan - The only Minor Leaguers in the 1908 Rose Co. postcard set are the 14 players from the Scranton Miners, who won the New York State League pennant that year.

I do not believe that he is pictured on a Sporting Life team postcard. AFAIK, only Major League teams are part of that set.

Your probably right. I thought it was a team composite which I haven't seen in a while.

[Moonlight”Doc”Graham fan]

I wanted to share with Moonlight Graham collectors that our family recently discovered another Graham signature. In 1951 my mother was a senior at Chisholm High School where Doc Graham was the school doctor. That year, the yearbook was dedicated to him and my mother asked him to sign his dedication page. The signed yearbook will be auctioned at the MLB All Star Auction 7/11/2023.