I like it.

Exibitman and B7999
 

B7999, how good you published, you are right in the price of baseball and boxing, but at that time the 9c stamp was used more, and therefore the baseball label circulated more, now there is another example from 1966, notice that the baseball stamp is 3c, and that was the price of circulation of the envelopes throughout the territory of Cuba.

Hola, Roland! Ah, all right, the "most frequently used" / "most popular" stamp, then, beisbol,
even if it had a lower face value -- we'll allow it.

B7999, regarding the face value we are going to see the 1 dollar bill that has Washington and the Cuban 1 peso bill that has José Marti, these are the most important patriots of both countries and have the lowest face value, in the USA It is followed by the Jefferson 2 dollar bill, and in Cuba the 5 peso bill by Maximo Gómez, the first Cuban bill was printed in 1934, and in Cuba the dollar had circulated since 1898 when the intervention on the island, but before 1959, The dollar and the Cuban peso had the same value, that is, 100 pesos = 100 dollars, although at one point the Cuban peso had 1 cent above the dollar, 1 peso was worth 1 cent more than a dollar, and in Cuba in 1934 the bill The one that was printed the most was the 1 peso one, at that time everything was very cheap and it was the ticket that circulated the most. Now an image of 1 Cuban peso from the 1940s made in the USA by American Bank.

Gracias, Roland!! Funny story -- the $2 Jefferson bill is short-printed compared to the $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, and $100
here in the US, and rarely seen and rarely circulated (many people keep one as a curiosity, rather than spend it).
We had a $2 bill in pocket and offered it as payment for a $2. item at an antique store a couple of years ago.
The store owner had never seen one and thought it was "play money" from a board game or some sort of counterfeit.
It took a while for us to convince her it was real. :D

B7999, you are right, the $ 2 bill is rare, the first one printed in 1862 but with the face of Hamilton, already in 1869 it appeared with Jefferson, but there are issues of 1874, 1928, 1953, 1976, of this last time I got 4 in perfect condition and consecutive numbering, I have seen people who keep it because they say it is lucky, now an anecdote, a few years ago I visited the Plaza de Armas 1 or 2 times a week and sometimes the Hotel Santa Isabel in the same place of the constructions of the 18th and 19th century, on the day that I went to the hotel to see one of the employees I knew, I saw several people at the door and the doorman would not let them in, as they knew me and if I could enter and now Inside I see my friend standing talking with a person who was sitting at a table having breakfast, I approached to say hello and the one who was sitting was the actor Jack Nicholson, and I greeted him, I stayed for a while and Nicholson came out and immediately people surrounded him who were outside, to ask for autographs etc, in That is why a man takes out his wallet and takes out a $ 2 bill and a $ 100 bill, he was undecided and gave him the $ 100 bill to be signed and so it happened, but he dies at me and asks me: What do you believe? and I answer him: you should have given him the $ 2 that you are not going to spend because you have it saved and the $ 100 insurance at some point you will need to use it, but there was no time, Jack got into the car with the driver and his companions and left,

Today, October 26, the 75th anniversary of the inauguration of the Great Stadium of Havana is celebrated, the temple of Cuban baseball, which was inaugurated on this date in 1946 in a game between Almendares and Cienfuegos, I show you a photo of its construction in 1946.

Now I show a card from the 1994 collection, Carlos Tabares, a star of the Industriales team

In the photo the Almendares players appear from left to right Tony Taylor, Orlando Peña, Rocky Nelson and Carlos Paula, it was a game that Peña won, but the 3 that appear in the photo hit homeruns and helped in the victory

Historical photo of the famous Cuban singer Benny More, with Havana players.

Now I show some pennants from the first Cuban National Baseball Series

Babe Ruth
 

I show 2 pictures of Babe Ruth, do any of you know where Babe is?

Peculiar structure in the distance directly behind the Babe... could it be a wall used for climbing practise
at some military base or military school? West Point? Just a stab in the dark...

Exibitman
 

La Estrella boxing card

Ahh, I had a nearly full album plus another half set of these at one point. I am down to one of each type back (blank, blue, black).

Exibitman
 

Kid Chocolate showing his World Champion girdle. do you know the photo?

Now I show an advertisement from 1887, from the High Life Cigarette Factory advertising Base Ball cigarettes, special for members of the Base Ball Club.

I show a group of shirts from the Industrial Team, from different years, some from the 60s

I do not, but that belt looks like the Ring Magazine belt. Wonder where it is now?

Here's a 1928 Exhibit card of the Kid:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...websize/37.jpg

Do you have anything of Florentino Fernandez besides the three Tres Toneles cards?

Dihigo in México

Who was first black player for the Red Sox?
 

Ramón "Mike" Herrera was an infielder in Major League Baseball, playing mainly as a second baseman for the Boston Red Sox in part of two seasons. 261 hits and 1 home run in 5 MLB seasons.

Long before Jackie Robinson and Larry Doby, Herrera was one of the first men to play in both the major leagues (1925-1926) and the Negro leagues (1915-1928). He played for the Cuban Stars (West) of the Negro National League in 1920 and 1921, and for the Cuban Stars (East) of the Eastern Colored League in 1928. He joined the Boston Red Sox in September 1925, appearing in 10 games. He was enshrined in the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963.

From Herrera's SABR biography: Were the Boston Red Sox the last major-league team to sign a black player? Or were they one of the first? Did the Red Sox actually have a black ballplayer long before Pumpsie Green and 22 years before Jackie Robinson debuted with the Dodgers? Havana’s Ramon “Mike” Herrera totaled 276 at-bats in 1925 and 1926 while serving as a second baseman for the Red Sox (an even .275 batting average). He also played for Negro League teams both before and after his stretch with Boston, one of just 11 players who played in both the Negro Leagues and major leagues before World War II.

Before joining the Red Sox, Herrera had played for Almendares in Havana, as well as with La Union, All Leagues, and the (Cuban) Red Sox. The Boston Red Sox purchased him from their Springfield (Eastern League) club. The Boston Globe termed him a “splendid prospect” and he did go 2-for-5 in his first game.

Negro Leagues historian Todd Bolton, asked about Herrera’s history in the Negro Leagues, replied: “In the pre-Negro League years he barnstormed in the US with the Long Branch Cubans and the Jersey City Cubans. When the first Negro National League was formed in 1920, Herrera was a member of the Cuban Stars (West), one of the inaugural teams in the league. He stayed on with the team in 1921 when it became the Cincinnati Cubans. Herrera returned to the Negro Leagues for one final season in 1928 with Alejandro Pompez’ Cuban Stars (East).”

Photographs of Mike Herrera seem to show that he could easily “pass” for white, and for those who want to measure such things, he may have been more white than black. So did he have to “pass for black” when he was in the Negro Leagues? Not really, Bolton explained. There were a number of light-skinned players in the Negro Leagues and even more “white” Cubans. These players were used to playing together in Latin America. It was only in the United States that they were segregated.

Herrera was one of 16 Cubans listed by Pete Bjarkman as having played in both the major leagues and the Negro Leagues. [Bjarkman, A History of Cuban Baseball, 1864-2006, McFarland, 2007, p. 134] Ocania Chalk, author of Pioneers of Black Sport: A Study in Courage and Perseverance, states that Herrera “has been verified as a black“ – however this is determined. [Unattributed clipping in Ramon Herrera player file at the National Baseball Hall of Fame]

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1639052678
https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1639052687

While I think you can make the argument that Herrera was not “white” I think it’s a stretch to argue that he was black. Unlike players like Roberto Estalella and Luis Padron, and Tomas De La Cruz who clearly looked mixed race, Herrera appears to be of entirely white hispanic heritage. . Nothing I have every read other then Chalk - who was terrible with his sourcing and also claimed that Mike Gonzalez was black, suggested that Herrera had any black heritage. This however in no way diminishes Herrera’s story as he was able to move back and forth between white and black baseball like almost no other player. Below is a 1926 minor league team ball with one of the few existing Herrera autographs

Paito Herrera
 

Paito Herrera, thanks to George and Jason for their comments I consider very good, Paito I think that perhaps his grandparents or later, some of them had some race that was not pure white, in Cuba when the Spanish colonized it and then slavery came Of the blacks brought from Africa, the mixture of both races gave rise to what we call "mulatto", but according to the next generations, they were mixed, the color of the skin and hair improved, and some features sometimes remain, and He calls them "triguenos" almost white, but the skin is somewhat darker, but they are considered white, and that is the case of Paito, Almeida, Marsans, Estalella and others, now I show a photo that I edit where Paito appears, who is the first Standing from left to right, we also see Julio Rojo, Alejandro Oms, Bartolo Portuondo and others.

Rafael Almeida
 

Rafael D. Almeida was a Major League Baseball third baseman with the Cincinnati Reds (1911-13). 77 hits and 3 home runs in 3 MLB seasons. Almeida and Armando Marsans debuted together with the Reds on July 4, 1911. They are sometimes named the first major league players born in Cuba, although that is incorrect.

Six years before Cincinnati, Almeida and Marsans both played "Negro baseball" in the United States as 1905 members of the integrated All Cubans. Almeida played winter baseball in the Cuban League from 1904 to 1925 and was one of ten players elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in its 1939 inaugural class.

From Almeida's SABR biography: “Wish we had him. He is not colored.”

Those were the words that Frank Bancroft, the Cincinnati Reds’ business manager, wrote to team president and National Commission Chairman Garry Herrmann in 1911 about Rafael Almeida. The Reds were in the midst of acquiring Almeida and fellow Cuban player Armando Marsans, and, as the first two Cubans to play major-league baseball, their signings marked a significant milestone in terms of who could participate in white Organized Baseball at its top level. However, as evidenced in Bancroft’s letter, Almeida’s presence on the Reds roused the suspicions of the league’s white-supremacist gatekeepers, and questions of his perceived skin color and racial background dominated much of his short playing career in the National League.

Anticipating the intense suspicion regarding Almeida’s racial background, Bancroft and the Reds issued a barrage of letters and press insisting on his whiteness. The club called the players “pure Spaniards, without a trace of colored blood,” but the most infamous of justifications came via the pen of the Cincinnati Enquirer: The two Cubans were of “a noble Spanish race, with no ignoble African blood to place a blot or spot on their escutcheons. Permit me to introduce two of the purest bars of Castilian soap that ever floated to these shores.”

Jack Ryder, the Reds beat writer near the start of his 30-year career with the Enquirer, continued to relay Almeida’s performance and the Reds fans’ reactions to his play. In a characteristic column, Ryder wrote of Almeida’s “timely hitting” as a “great [factor] in the Reds’ success” that day, driving in the two winning runs. A few lines below, he captured the crowd’s feelings and alluded to Almeida’s purported racial makeup: “Almeida was greeted with rousing cheers from the populace and responded by doffing his cap in a polite Castilian manner as he left the field. His double was one of the longest and hardest hits of the day and came just when it was most needed to give the Reds the edge on the contest.”

This sort of writing is emblematic of how many tied Almeida’s skill to his perceived white professionalism and class background, a theme common with Latino players in the pre-Jackie Robinson era. Ryder directly linked Almeida’s good performance, his favor among the Cincinnati faithful, and his “Castilian manner,” an important schema of thought for those invested in upholding the color line. When faced with the prospect of those who didn’t fit the black/white binary upon which the segregated major leagues were built, it became vital for those white gatekeepers to engage in the rhetorical whitening of those players. Rafael Almeida’s major-league experiences are an important piece in the story of Cubans gaining entry — or failing to gain entry — to white Organized Baseball in the United States.

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1639235997

Rafael Almeida
 

George, you always post something interesting, in this case of Rafael Almeida, he married twice and his grandchildren from those marriages, I met them and they visited my house years ago and I got some interesting things, now I show a photo of Almeida in the grounds of the Almendares Park, with the Havana team uniform.

Armando Marsans
 

Armando Marsans Mendiondo was a Cuban professional baseball player who played as an outfielder in Major League Baseball from 1911 to 1918. He played in three different major leagues in his career: with the Cincinnati Reds in the National League (1911–1914), with the St. Louis Terriers in the Federal League (1914–1915), and with the St. Louis Browns and New York Yankees (1916–1918). 612 hits and 2 home runs in 8 MLB seasons.

Six years before Cincinnati, Marsans and Almeida played "Negro baseball" in the United States as 1905 members of the integrated All Cubans. Marsans also played Negro league baseball in 1923 for the Cuban Stars. Marsans played winter baseball in the Cuban League from 1905 to 1928 and was one of ten players elected to the Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame in its 1939 inaugural class. Marsans was also a long-time manager in the Cuban League and won a championship in the winter of 1917 as manager of the Orientals team.

From Marsans' SABR biography: Though almost universally well-liked, Marsáns was known for being headstrong and temperamental, which in 1914 led to the biggest scandal of his career. During spring training he got into a heated argument with his new manager, Buck Herzog, who accused Marsáns of lying about suffering an injury. Herzog suspended Marsáns, who then demanded to be traded, a request that was refused by Herrmann. Then on May 31, Herzog berated Marsáns for getting ejected from a game. “He is too sensitive,” Herzog said. “He should remember that baseball is a red-blooded game for rough and hardy men.”

Herzog’s comments, according to one observer, were “not at all to the liking of the classy outfielder,” and Marsáns responded by jumping his three-year contract with Cincinnati. After being wined and dined by the owners of the St. Louis Terriers, he signed with their outlaw Federal League franchise. Marsáns was offered a three-year, $21,000 contract by the Feds, which he accepted after giving the Reds 10 days’ notice, the same notice a ballclub was required to give before terminating a contract with a player. Cincinnati immediately filed a lawsuit (in federal court because Marsáns was not a US citizen) claiming that its “property” had been jeopardized. After Marsáns had played only nine games with St. Louis, an injunction was issued barring him from playing in the Federal League pending the trial’s outcome.

Marsáns’ case, along with that of Hal Chase, became a cause célèbre for supporters of the Federal League. Baseball Magazine dubbed it “the sensational Marsans case, one of the series of recent legal battles which have thrown the baseball world into an upheaval, and which threaten to wreck the entire game.” Unable to play while the two sides battled it out in court, Marsáns could do little but return to Havana, where he spent his days shark-fishing in the bay. “We are not restraining Marsáns and Chase from playing, but trying to get them to play,” Herrmann insisted. “It is the Federal League that is keeping them from playing, if any one is.” The Reds, who had been half a game out of first place when Marsáns jumped, finished the season dead last.

Because the National Commission had threatened to ban any player who competed against Marsáns, he was forced to play the 1914-15 Cuban Winter League season under the assumed name “Mendromedo.” In February 1915, with Marsáns still on the sidelines, his friend John McGraw visited him in Cuba, offering to trade for Marsáns if he would return to the National League with the Giants. But Marsáns would have none of it. He believed that the press, and New York writers in particular, treated him unfairly, saying they “always thought it funny to poke jokes at me.” Moreover, Marsáns said, the St. Louis owners “have treated me like a white man should be treated, and I am going to stick with the Feds.” Finally, on August 19, 1915, a federal judge in St. Louis set aside Herrmann’s injunction, ruling that Marsáns could play in the Federal League until the case was decided in appeals court. Marsáns returned to the Terriers the next day, and the team finished the season only percentage points out of first place.

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1639315267
https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1639315291

George, good writing about Armando Marsan's career in the Major Leagues, now I show a photo of Marsan with the New York team, in the photo appears John McGraw.

From the collection Caramelos Felices 1946-47 I show the cards with the emblem of the Matanzas team and Silvio Garcia and Bartolo Portuondo.

Silvio Garcia
 

Silvio García Rendon was a Cuban baseball shortstop and pitcher in the Negro leagues, Mexican League, and minor leagues. He played professionally from 1930 to 1954 with several ballclubs, including the Diablos Rojos del México, Azules de Veracruz México and the New York Cubans.

Garcia began his professional baseball career in 1936 with the Marianao club in Cuba. Silvio would spend the next summer in the Dominican playing on the famous Ciudad Trujillo club with Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson & Cool Papa Bell. Garcia also spent two seasons in the U.S. Negro Leagues, playing for the New York Cubans in 1946-47, leading the club to the Negro League championship in 1947. Silvio also spent many summers playing in the Mexican League and winters in the Cuban Baseball League.

From Garcia's B-R biographical info: It is hard to guess how García would have done in the majors - he generally showed good contact, power and speed for his leagues and had great defensive skills (Leo Durocher said that Marty Marion "can't carry his glove") but had poor plate discipline. He had several very good years as a young pitcher but burned his arm out quickly. Tommy Lasorda said that García was one of the toughest hitters he ever pitched to. In various years, he led his league in hits, RBI, homers, steals and average. García was arguably the top Cuban shortstop of the 20th century and only racism kept him from the majors.

There is a story that Branch Rickey had originally considered García as a candidate to break the color line in Major League Baseball; when García was questioned as to how he would respond to racist remarks, he supposedly said he'd kill the individual. That supposedly ended that opportunity.

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1639568365

George
 

Album Felices 1946-47, we see the cards of Fermin Guerra, José María Fernández and the logo of the Oriente team of the Federation championship in La Tropical.

Bartolo Portuondo
 

Bartolome Bartolo Portuondo was a Cuban baseball infielder in the Cuban League and the U.S. Negro leagues. In Cuba he played from 1911/12 to 1926/27 with several teams, most notably Almendares. His American career lasted from 1915 to 1927; he played for the Cuban Stars (East), Cuban Stars (West), and the Kansas City Monarchs, among other teams. 339 hits and 53 stolen bases in 8 MLB seasons.

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1639664796
https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1639664806

Camaguey baseball team 1946-47 Federation Championship in La Tropical, Caramelos Felices, you can see the club's logo, and the "Pollo" Rodriguez and Parrado cards.

Manuel Parrado
 

Teodoro Manuel Parrado was a Cuban first baseman in the Negro leagues and the Cuban League in the 1920s. 55 hits and 2 home runs in 3 MLB seasons. A native of Havana, Cuba, Parrado made his Negro leagues debut in 1921 with the Cuban Stars (West) and played for the club again in 1922. In the winter of 1922–23, he played for the Leopardos de Santa Clara of the Cuban League, and in 1924 he played minor league baseball for the Elmira Colonels. Parrado finished his career with the Cuban Stars (East) in 1927.

https://www.net54baseball.com/attach...1&d=1639915519

Cigars Aguilitas 1928

Miñoso and mexican comedian "Tin Tan"

Merry Christmas, I wish everyone who reads my publications, I show you a greeting card from the 50s that was sent to the supporters of the professional Cuban Baseball teams, there are many different models that are printed every year.

Fascinating Thread
 

Hi to all - what a fascinating thread to read through! Really enjoyed the insights, information, and anecdotes! If I don't mess it up, attached are pictures of the only card I have, which is my fiance's great grandfather. I have heard many crazy family stories from his years playing professional baseball.

Sgar42
 

Sgar42, the card you are showing is from the Tomás Gutiérrez, Pitcher 1924 collection, I will tell you that it is a rare card, you can ask me anything about Cuban Baseball, thanks to you for liking my publications

Cool, thanks! Just trying to learn more about his career (US Professional baseball) and also to see if I can find him on other cards. Where can one learn about the population of a specific card to determine it's scarcity or probability of finding another?

sgar42
 

In an old Baseball Encyclopedia from 1951, that I found, the data of William Piercy appear, I think that in the Card Catalogs, if at the time he played in the major leagues, some of him were made, they will surely appear. Greetings.

Happy new year 2022
 

Happy year 2022 i wish to all those who see my threads, great health and prosperity. Now i show a greeting card for the year 1949 with the managers of that championship.

Here's a link to his cards: https://www.tcdb.com/Person.cfm/pid/...tName=&sBrand=

He has some Zeenut and Exhibit cards, eight cards in total.

¡Próspero Año Nuevo!

...as we say in Los Angeles. Our other big New Year traditions are firing guns in the air randomly and tamales. I prefer the tamales...

Exibitman
 

Billiken y La Moda, Tom Mix 8x10

That's (yet another) I've never seen before. Thanks for posting it.

B.7999
 

B7999, happy year to you, a few months ago we had some comments regarding Niagara bicycles, if they were made in the USA or Cuba, etc, and you sent me some information, but I don't remember which of my threads and look but there are so many things that I did not find it, do you remember?

Today in the afternoon they sent me an email informing me that my 3 catalogs were for sale on eBay Cuban baseball, I don't have an eBay connection, and they sent me photos, this week that ended, a friend took those 3 to Spain that he put them up for sale , I inform you that of volume 1, there are only 10 copies, of volume 2, 3 copies have been printed and of volume 3, only 2 copies have been printed, and since they all have a copyright registration number, but they also have its printing number, of all the volumes 001 are mine, and as you can see from volume 2 there are only two more and from volume 3, there is only the one that is for sale, there has been a lot of difficulty due to the covid and the registry offices 11 months closed, on the other hand, the 1st quality materials for the preparation of the catalogs very difficult to obtain, like the inks for the laser printer, now I show a photo that I took a few minutes ago of the three catalogs and some inner sheets, they are something out of focus and I don't know in good, low light and the camera of my old mobile phone.

Now I show 2 images from volume 2 of my postcard and printed catalogs, see the other of my threads with different images.

Martin Dihigo, Piratas Club 1922 k(amateurs) 1ro rigth