Heritage lot 13976 - claimed to be a NY Mutual player who may be Jack (Candy) Nelson
 

Heritage lot 13976 description:
"Circa 1870's New York Mutual Green Stockings Jack Nelson(?) Cabinet Photo. Offered is a rare C. 1870's cabinet photo of New York Mutuals Green Stockings of who we believe to be 3rd Basemen Jack Nelson."

First, how do we know that this player is a member of the NY Mutuals (NA or pre-NA)? The uniform does not match that worn in the 1867 or 1870 (the only years that I know of for which we have a record of their uniforms).

In any case, he is not Nelson. Photo in question is below left, Nelson exemplars center (1882) and right (c1888). Nelson appears to have much lighter hair, and the hairline is very different. More importantly, the face and skull shape are grossly different. The same can be said for the nose. With certainty, the guy is not Nelson.

They certainly are not close on this one. Being a guy who is shy I tend not to study faces too closely, and could see how the previous Bancroft examples could be misidentified. But this mismatch is shy guy evident. It appears they were using the "dart thown in the air and whose name it lands" type of identification in this case. Good job Mark.

Brian

They used the time-tested process of elimination. Once they learned that Nelson was the only male in the 1870s who sported a moustache - it was relatively easy.

That's awesome!

ID's
 

Always love your posts Mark; another job well done.

Analogous to the black guy at the NAACP convention Nice work, Mark.

Or the fat middle aged white guy at the card show.

Wait...

Tom C

LMAO, a much better analogy. You forgot to add "balding" though....which, most of us are that too.....

Some of are well beyond balding.