Mickey Mantle's 1st Baseball Photo: 1947 Whiz Kids Owned by Teammate

[Jobu]

$old net to me.

A panoramic photo of the semi-pro 1947 Whiz Kids, featuring a 15-year-old Mickey Mantle.

This is Mantle's first baseball photo - nothing earlier is known. I have only seen one other photo of the 1947 team (see post #3 below) but that photo is slightly different so this is the only copy of this photo I have been able to locate. If the two additional guys in the photo in post 3 are there because they were late, that would make mine technically Mantle's first baseball photo by a minute or so. There are two or three different images from the next season's 1948 team, each with several copies that come up from time to time.

Mantle was signed by the Yankees off of the 1948 team when a scout came to look at teammate Bill Johnson. As a fun addition to this piece, Bill is one of the handful of players who has signed my photo.

This photo was owned by the team's bat boy, Guy Crow, who is the kid on the left end of the bench on the right. I have a nice article written about his experiences on the team (where Guy is holding recent copies of the Whiz Kids photos) and screen shots showing the photo at the Crow-family estate auction where the person I bought this from initially got it.

The photo measures 8" x 22" and the frame measures 24.5" x 11.5". I had it professionally framed with an acid-free mat and museum glass, so this piece is all set to go. The frame style fits it perfectly.

The condition is a bit rough. It was the life-long prized possession of its original owner, and it looks like he started loving it when he first acquired it as a 12-year-old kid. All part of the history and the fun - fortunately the image is still good and Mantle looks good. There is some surface/emulsion loss, some heavy creases - one or two of which might be tears (I am sorry to say that I don't recall from when I had it framed).

There is a later-in-life Mantle signature on the piece - I have enjoyed imagining Guy and Mickey reminiscing about the Whiz Kids when Guy got this signed. There are also a few hard-to-read ballpoint pen signatures from a few other players: Leroy Bennettre, Bob Meyers, Bill Johnson - the reason the Yankees scout visited the following year.

From L-R:

Back: Mickey Mantle, Dick Barret, Barney Barnet

Front:
Left Bench: Leroy Bennett, Nick Ferguson, Bill Crow, Jim Bowers, Bob Myers, Bill Johnson, Calvin Mishler, Wiley Pitts
Right Bench: Guy Crow (owner of the photo), Jim Kenega, Don Vaught, Bob Steele, "Frog" Haevens

Also included are electronic copies of the article about Guy's time playing ball with Mantle "Playing Ball with a Legend" and the estate auction screenshot I mentioned that show the photo (unfortunately they do not print catalogs).

There is a better picture on my Flickr page here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/132359...7677532628734/

I am happy to answer questions or provide additional photos.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Jobu

From L-R:

Back: Mickey Mantle, Dick Barret, Ben Craig, Barney Barnet

Front: Bob Myers, Bill Crow, Nick Ferguson, Jim Bowers, Wiley Pitts, Bill Johnson, Leroy Bennettre, Calvin Mishler, Guy Crow, Jim Kenega, Don Vaught, Bob Steele, "Frog" Haevens, Bob Myers.

Apologies in advance for a sort of "nitpicky" question, but I'm honestly confused.

You list 4 people in the back row and 14 in the front row, but I only count 3 and 13.

Pretty f'n cool photo though.

Doug "I could count yesterday, really" Goodman

[Jobu]

Good spot Doug - thanks for posting!

In solving my issue, I realized the source. I based my ids on the photo below and without examining it terribly closely, did not realize that there are a few differences because people shuffled around between the two photos and the photo below has a two more people in it.

It turns out it makes mine one-of-one as the photo below is the only other 1947 Whiz Kids photo I can find. I'd like to think that Ben Craig, in the top row of the other photo and missing from mine, was late to the shoot so they had to take another photo after he ran up --- this would make mine the very first baseball photo of Mantle and the only copy.

I've updated my initial post accordingly. Thanks again for checking my math Doug!

[doug.goodman]

There is of course the chance that Ben Craig was arrested after he smacked Bob Myers up side the head for running around past the photographer to get in the photo twice the first time it was taken, making yours the second photo taken...

[Jobu]

100% possible! Less fun for me though. Other guys moved spots too, so it was more shuffling than just Mr Craig chewing Bob out under the grand stand - which makes me think they took one and people got up before being told to sit back down again. All just conjecture though.

[JoeDfan]

Holy moly!!!!
What a photo!!!

Good luck with your sale; I wish I could sneak that one by the home accounting office!!!

[Jobu]

Thanks Sean! We could do layaway to keep the monthly totals below the threshold that would make the boss wary...

Originally Posted by JoeDfan

Holy moly!!!!
What a photo!!!

Good luck with your sale; I wish I could sneak that one by the home accounting office!!!

[Qiot]

Unbelievable photo! We were just in Commerce yesterday (drive through) antique shopping in NE Oklahoma (found a great store in Vinita).

Been on the hunt in that region for some junior high/high school stuff of the Mick.

[Jobu]

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[Jobu]

Any Mantle fans out there?

[Jobu]

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[Jobu]

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[Jobu]

Been a while since I bumped this. If you are interested, please feel free to shoot me an offer.