New York Giants cabinet cards by famous New York photographer Benjamin J. Falk. These are cabinet photos of most of the top players from the Giants circa 1903-05 when they won a pennant in 1904 (no World Series that year) and then the WS in 1905. All of the cabinets feature the players in street clothes and Falk's name is at the bottom of the cabinet card.
I have never seen these before; the only other Falk Giants cabinets I have seen (including Mathewson) have the bottoms of the cards cut off, including Falk's name. In addition, many of these players have few cards of them in existence at all, these cabinets are from the 1903-05 seasons and obviously pre-T206. Email or PM if interested, thanks.
Sam Mertes $600
Mertes not only led the league in RBI one year, he was Harpo Marx's favorite player. From SABR:
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/77318d62
In his autobiography, "Harpo Speaks":
“Other kids collected pictures of Giants such as McGraw, McGinnity and Mathewson. Not me. I was forever faithful to Sam Mertes, undistinguished left fielder, the only New York Giant I ever saw play baseball. Eventually I came to forgive Sam for all the hours he stood around, waiting for the action to come his way. It must have been just as frustrating for him down on the field as it was for me up on the bluff. It was easy for pitchers or shortstops to look flashy. They took lots of chances. My heart was with the guy who was given the fewest chances to take, the guy whose hope and patience never dimmed. Sam Mertes, I salute you! In whatever Valhalla you’re playing now, I pray that only right-handed pull-hitters come to bat, and the ball comes sailing your way three times in every inning.”
Fred Knowles, Giants Team Secretary $250
Knowles is found in many of the Giants' team pictures. His job, among other things, was bailing drunken Giants out of jail.
