Let's see some postcards

[Kris19]

Very excited to acquire this Winthrop Moving Picture postcard of Joe “Iron Man” McGinnity. I have admired these for a long time. Here’s a short YouTube video of the postcard in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBxmDjEtKb8

Does anyone here have the Mathewson or “Three Finger” Brown from this series?

[h2oya311]

Originally Posted by Kris19

Very excited to acquire this Winthrop Moving Picture postcard of Joe “Iron Man” McGinnity. I have admired these for a long time. Here’s a short YouTube video of the postcard in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBxmDjEtKb8

Does anyone here have the Mathewson or “Three Finger” Brown from this series?

I saw that postcard at auction (online) and thought it would be cool but didn’t know how thick it was! Thanks for sharing the YouTube video!! Now I’ll have to keep my eye out for one! A Matty would be sweet!

[jb217676]

Here's a cool postcard! It's a 1911 RPPC of a N.Y. Giants player "catching a high ball in Cuba". This photo was taken during the N.Y. Giants barnstorming tour of Cuba in 1911.

[Kawika]

Picked up this aerial RPPC of the two ballparks from which sprang my love of baseball. Frequented Yankee Stadium numerous times in the 'fifties while the Polo Grounds sat dark and shuttered across the river. At the upper left you can see the buildings of Columbia upon whose grounds once sat Hilltop Park. The left and right field grandstands of YS haven't been extended yet so the image is probably pre-1936. An eBay purchase.

[Leon]

I think I missed this video last time around, Very cool (neat postcard too, David...as well as the others!!)

Originally Posted by Kris19

Very excited to acquire this Winthrop Moving Picture postcard of Joe “Iron Man” McGinnity. I have admired these for a long time. Here’s a short YouTube video of the postcard in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBxmDjEtKb8

Does anyone here have the Mathewson or “Three Finger” Brown from this series?

[Bicem]

Amazing David, and a tough one.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Kris19

Very excited to acquire this Winthrop Moving Picture postcard of Joe “Iron Man” McGinnity. I have admired these for a long time. Here’s a short YouTube video of the postcard in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBxmDjEtKb8

Does anyone here have the Mathewson or “Three Finger” Brown from this series?

No, but I have the George Dixon:



Super-tough issue; I don't recall the last time I saw one offered for sale. That's a really nice pick-up.

I got this one today, a RPPC of Holman Williams:




Williams was part of a group of African-American fighters in the 147# and 160# classes (welter and middle) nicknamed "Murderers' Row": Charley Burley, Lloyd Marshall, Williams, The Cocoa Kid, Jack Chase, Eddie Booker, Aaron Wade and Bert Lytell. The champs of the time refused to fight them, so they ended up fighting each other dozens of times (62 in all). Five of them have been elected to the HOF so far: Burley, Marshall, Williams, Cocoa Kid and Booker, and collecting them for a HOF set is a real challenge. Booker, Burley and the Cocoa Kid have no known cards; I had to settle for career-issued photos. Marshall appears in the 1940-70 Boxing News set from the UK. Williams has a 1947 Montiel card. This postcard is the first I've ever seen for Williams. It is an AZO four squares back (1924-49 per Playle's). The weight notation and format suggests that this was a self-issued postcard and it dates to his days in the early 1930s when he fought as a lightweight.

[Kris19]

Thanks Adam (and Derek & Leon)! I’ve seen your posts of the Dixon previously, really cool. I was hoping one or more Net54ers might have the Brown or Mathewson. Guess I’ll be searching for those for a long time as well!

[jb217676]

Here's a real nice 1907 Eagle Press Brooklyn Superbas Postcard purchased on the BST. Thanks Jeremy!

[BeanTown]

Originally Posted by Kris19

Very excited to acquire this Winthrop Moving Picture postcard of Joe “Iron Man” McGinnity. I have admired these for a long time. Here’s a short YouTube video of the postcard in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBxmDjEtKb8

Does anyone here have the Mathewson or “Three Finger” Brown from this series?

I was wondering who beat me out on this awesome postcard which is too rare for its own good! Thought it might fly under the radar last month. I own the Matty and Brown since you asked,

[BeanTown]

Picked up this very cool postcard of the imfamous play in game which changed baseball forever. For those that don't know the story, here it is.


Merkle's Boner is one of the most prominent incidents in the history of major league baseball. It occurred in 1908 and involved many future Hall of Fame players.

Fred Merkle was a 19-year-old player filling in for veteran Fred Tenney at first base for the New York Giants when the famous play occurred. During the first decade of the 1900s, the top National League teams were the Pittsburgh Pirates, the New York Giants, and the Chicago Cubs. During the 1908 season, the Giants and Cubs were in a close battle for first place. The Cubs had previously won the pennant in 1906 and 1907, while the Giants had won in 1904 and 1905.

A few days prior to the game in which the play occurred, Cubs captain and eventual Hall of Famer Johnny Evers warned an umpire that he was going to insist on the umpires calling a runner out if he failed to touch the succeeding base at the end of a game. It was common, at the time, if a batter batted home a runner who was on third base to win a game, for a runner on first base to just leave the field instead of bothering to touch second base. The player whom Evers had seen supposedly failing to touch second base was Warren Gill in a game played on September 4th between the Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

On the day in question, September 23rd, the exact same situation happened in New York. Moose McCormick was the runner on third base, and when pitcher Jack Pfiester's offering was hit into the outfield by batter Al Bridwell, McCormick ran home, scoring what he thought was the winning run, and ran into the clubhouse.

Fred Merkle was on first base, and he ran toward second base. Whether he actually reached second base has been disputed over the decades. At some point, he veered off as if to run off the field.

Evers yelled at the umpire Hank O'Day, who was the same man that he had warned a few days earlier. Christy Mathewson, the famous Giants pitcher and eventual Hall of Famer, very quickly saw what was happening, and ran onto the field to stop Merkle from leaving.

Meanwhile, the ball had been hit into the outfield, and was picked up by outfielder Solly Hofman. Hofman at first didn't think there was any rush to return the ball to the infield, but Evers screamed at him to throw it to second base to get a force out on Merkle.

Another famous Giant and eventual Hall of Famer, Ironman Joe McGinnity was coaching at third base that day and saw what was happening. He ran over to second base. As that was happening, the Giant fans in the stands, thinking the game was over, were streaming onto the field. At least one of them was near second base, and as the ball came from the outfield toward second base, he and McGinnity and Evers engaged in a struggle to catch and control the ball, at the same time as Mathewson was manoeuvering Merkle. The fan ended up getting control of the ball, and heaved it into the stands, where it disappeared. An alternate version claims that Rube Kroh, a Chicago pitcher, wrestled the ball from the fan and gave it to Evers, who touched second base.

First baseman and eventual Hall of Famer Frank Chance was the Cubs' player/manager, and he came out of the dugout to argue his team's case with the umpire, who had not given any ruling as to whether the winning run had scored. This was somewhat dangerous, as the Giants fans were all over the field, and while Chance argued, many of the fans got quite angry with him.

Not to be outdone, the Giant manager, eventual Hall of Famer John McGraw, came out to argue the Giant side of the story. The umpire listened to both sides, gathered the other umpire, Bob Emslie, and went into the umpires' room (which was merely a "cage" of metal bars under the stands), where they tried to discuss the problem amidst the raucous yelling of Giant fans trying to influence the decision.

The police were called as a result of the pandemonium, and the Cubs team had to be escorted by the police from the stadium in front of thousands of angry Giant fans.

The umpires ruled the next day that Merkle had not touched second base, and therefore that the Giants had not won the game. The league president eventually ruled that the game was a tie and had to be replayed in its entirety. When it was replayed, the Cubs won. At the end of the season, the Cubs finished one game ahead of the Giants for the pennant. Johnny Evers' smart move had won the pennant for the Cubs against the Giants.

[RUKen]

Originally Posted by BeanTown

Picked up this very cool postcard of the infamous play in game which changed baseball forever...On the day in question, September 23rd, the exact same situation happened in New York. Moose McCormick was the runner on third base, and when pitcher Jack Pfiester's offering was hit into the outfield by batter Al Bridwell, McCormick ran home, scoring what he thought was the winning run, and ran into the clubhouse...Fred Merkle was on first base, and he ran toward second base. Whether he actually reached second base has been disputed over the decades. At some point, he veered off as if to run off the field...The umpires ruled the next day that Merkle had not touched second base, and therefore that the Giants had not won the game. The league president eventually ruled that the game was a tie and had to be replayed in its entirety. When it was replayed, the Cubs won. At the end of the season, the Cubs finished one game ahead of the Giants for the pennant.

On the front of the postcard is the statement, "The Famous Post Season Game deciding the Pennant between Chicago and New York. Polo Grounds, October 8, 1908. Witnessed by 80,000 people." This is an image of the replay game, not the Merkle game. (It's still an interesting postcard.)

[celoknob]

The McGinnity postcard is really nice, but I always thought he had a distinctive submarine-type delivery—looks like he’s coming over the top in flip sequence.

[seattlerainiers]

Here are a few nice Vernon Tigers RPPCs, snapped at the same LA ballpark as many of the Dingman team cards. Wonder if the whole Vernon team posed for these? Would sure love to happen across some teammates.

[slidekellyslide]

Dave, do you know who the players are? What year? One of my favorite players played for Vernon in 1916. (Chief Johnson)

[Baseballcrazy62]

Great postcards!! Please keep posting them. They are awesome to look at.

[jb217676]

Here's a few Pick-ups:

• 1933 Babe Ruth RPPC - from LOTG
• 1933 Babe Ruth (Hand-tinted) RPPC - from LOTG
• 1933 Snapshot (6" x 4") of Babe Ruth - from LOTG
• 1939 C.W. Hughes & Co. "Cavalcade of Baseball" Postcard - Includes Babe Ruth

[BeanTown]

Originally Posted by RUKen

On the front of the postcard is the statement, "The Famous Post Season Game deciding the Pennant between Chicago and New York. Polo Grounds, October 8, 1908. Witnessed by 80,000 people." This is an image of the replay game, not the Merkle game. (It's still an interesting postcard.)

Card says 50,000 people and its the "play in" or the "make up game" cause of the Bonehead Merkle play from the earlier game.