Help w Very Old Basketball Photo Please

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Posted By: nytere

Someone on ebay sports board suggested I ask you all for information about my old basketball photo. He advised me that its a baseball forum but you all still know about basketball as well.

He said this dates to the 1920s. Does that seem right? Also what team might they be? It looks like a C on their outfits. I was wondering if it was Cornell, perhaps?

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Don't know the team, but would say it's from the late 1910s-20s. It would probably be either a high school or college team-- if I had to guess, I'd say high school as there are only 5 players. The letter on the guy's sweater isn't a 'C,' so I doubt it's Cornell. Maybe those are strange script E's on the jerseys.

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Posted By: Matt

if it's a high school photo, those are some mature looking high school kids.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I would say college and I think it's probably only the Varsity starting 5. I agree with David that it's probably an "E" judging from the sweater. I also agree it is late teens to twenties. Where did you find the photo? That could give a clue as to what school it is...no photographer mark anywhere?

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Posted By: Bob Pomilla

The Gothic arch and what appear
to be stained glass windows. may mark it as a religious institution.

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Posted By: Anonymous

It comes from a house a friend inherited. There wasn't anything similar with it to help identify it. Stuff in the house dated back to the 1800s but nothing I know about the family to help with what team. And, no, no photographer name or any identifying informatin.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Old sports photos like this do have some financial value, even when the team or players remain unknown. A large portion of 1800s baseball photos are of unknown people and are still collectible.

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Posted By: Phil

No question that the letter on the players shirts is a "C". I think the letter on the coach's sweater is a "B".

Not high school......I agree it appears to be a religious building behind.

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Posted By: Joe K.

Definitely a letter "C" on the jerseys, but I don't think it's Cornell. I have a few pictures of the CU Basket Ball team from that era, and none of the jerseys resemble this one. All the CU teams from that period, that I have seen, had a plain looking C on the jersey. Cornell does have several buildings with similar gothic architecture and arches and stained glass windows, but I don't recognize the one in the photo from what I can see - so not necessarily a religious instuition (although could be).

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Nearly all Ivy League colleges had religious affiliation, so a church building would not be incongruous with a private college.

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Posted By: nytere

Could it be Columbia or Chicago?

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Posted By: davidcycleback

Cornell's an Ivy League school as well. Many of the old buildings still stand on campuses, so you could google the current schools images.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

I checked, and it's problably nor University of Chicago or Cornell, as the used a much different style of C on their old uniforms. If the photo had the photographer's address it would be much easier to locate the school. Without it, it will be tough.

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Posted By: nytere

Well, thank you everyone. I guess I'll never know. There isn't a photographer name or any other identifying information on the photo.

I'm going to post it this week to ebay if anyone is interested. My ebay selling name is nytere so you can find it that way if you'd like.

Thanks again for all the help.

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Posted By: nytere

Well, I posted this query to the ebay board and someone just showed an early Cornell pennant with the same shape "C" so perhaps it is Cornell?

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000580516

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Posted By: Joe K.

I really don't think this is Cornell. I have a pennant like that too, with the same style C, which is why I knew it was definetly a C, but that is really no indication of what a school would have as lettering on their uniforms. You'll find schools will have many different lettering variations on pennants, which I have found for Cornell, but that doesn't indicate much about the uniforms.

I went to Cornell. I collect Cornell. I have many many team photos for CU from that period, including several for the basketball team. As I stated earlier, and David repeated, all the CU uniforms I have seen have a different style 'C'. It's not impossible that it could be Cornell, I just haven't see anything supporting it, and I have a lot of examples to compare. I also know all the Gothic style buildings at Cornell, which there are many (Academic buildings, residence halls, and athletic facilities), but I can't match that building and its windows to any of them.

I would probably focus elsewhere as there is no indication this is Cornell, and there are over 150 US colleges that start with the letter C.





Hope this Helps. Good Luck!

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Posted By: nytere

OK. Thanks so much. I give up, I guess. Just going to post it to ebay without knowing.

Thanks for all your help.

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Posted By: CarltonHendricks

nytere, Have you tried reading the engraving on the trophy with a magnifying glass? What city and state was it found in? A church like that is probably still standing...any churches in the vicinity of where the photo was found that match the windows in the photo?

I believe it's a "C" on their chests, see the link below, and the guy wearing the sweater is probably the coach. I speculate the coach is wearing his lettermans sweater from his playing days, which would indicate he wasn't provided a sweater by the school he was coaching, which would hint at the budget of a high school.

Hey Joe, Looks like a nice ring bat at right of the Cornell..post a photo for us
http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GWYE_enUS266US266&q=old%20english%20fonts&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi

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Posted By: nytere

Thanks for the suggestion. I looked at the trophy under a bright light and am not seeing anything engraved on it. Maybe the photo was taken before it had a chance to be engraved? I don't know.

Found in a house my friend inherited in upstate New York, Albany. That doesn't help though because she married a man from Boston who kept his house there for 20 years during their marriage so stuff from Boston area, and the family was from Ellenville, NY and stuff in the house from there too. Probably from other locations too. Just can't think of them right now. There was so much stuff from so many different families found in the house. In the 1940s they took in borders and there was still stuff in the house from their borders. Stuff going back to WWI and WWII. They sponsored a family from England after WWII who came to stay with them for years. And on and on and on.

I think I am just going to post it tonight to ebay without knowing. Thanks so much for all the help and suggestions.

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Posted By: Jon Canfield

Maybe Colonie High School as Colonie is right next to Albany?

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Posted By: Phil

I would say that if it is a high school, finding out what high school it is would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Potential Colleges:
Columbia
Catholic University

Also note that the player in the front right has a slightly different jersey than the rest of the players (for whatever that is worth)

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Posted By: Mark

Can't High School be completely ruled out? That guy in the back left looks to be in his 40s (with the others not far behind...)

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Posted By: Alan

Just saw this thread. Ask Hank Reizes at cager91@cox.net about it. He is an expert in basketball memorabilia. Good luck.

Alan

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Posted By: Jon Canfield

Also you may want to contact Ed Keetz. He has an amazing viantage basketball collection and is based out of the Albany, NY area. 518-377-0219