[Hankphenom]

$9,550. Shipping and insurance included. From the Walter Johnson estate, with LOA from Henry W. Thomas, Johnson's grandson and biographer. This beautiful 3"x2" oval portrait of the 19 year-old rookie Walter Johnson in his 1907 Washington road uniform was trimmed from an RPPC and pasted by Mrs. Johnson into a collage of photos for display at a banquet commemorating her husband's ascension to the managership of the Washington Nationals ballclub in 1929. A thin crease runs across this stunning image of the young Walter Johnson, otherwise the condition of the photo is excellent and the clarity of the image itself superb. Paste residue on the back. An historic, one-of-a-kind representation of the pitcher many experts consider to be the greatest ever at the very beginning of his spectacular big league career. I didn't realize until I saw the back blown up here that it appears to have been mailed back to Fullerton, California, a few miles from where he lived in the off-season. In addition, I think there is at least the possibility that the script is in his hand. This photo was used by Henry W. Thomas in his award-winning biography, "Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train."