Please Help Identify, Awesome Pickup

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Posted By: chris

Just got this today. Regardless of value this is an awesome find. This is 1 panel of 6 for the calandar year 1901. The others are various non-sport scenes. Anyone have any info? See any recognizable faces? Any info is greatly appreciated.

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Posted By: Anonymous

Dare I say, Mathewson on bottom row, left?

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I double dog dare you to say it!

Actually in 1901 Mathewson was playing for the Giants.

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Posted By: Steve Murray

Don't know whether this helps. Bucknell University Class of 1902. Matty back row second from right.



Edit: Don't know my left from my right.

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Posted By: Frank Evanov

Didn't Matty leave Bucknell in 1899?? He won 20 games for the 1901 Giants and 14 for their 1902 team.

Frank

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Early college annuals and photos often dated their photos to the year of expected graduation. Matty was expected to graduate in 1902, but he left college in 1899 to pursue professional baseball.

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Posted By: chris

After many hours of research I believe I have found some great info. The other 5 panels show town scenes, churchs and schools. Although I cannot with certainty place an exact location on the pieces, I have been able to narrow down the locations to either New York, Pennsylvania or New Jersey. The calandar was most likely regionally distributed or within a certain smaller district. I had thought before posting this thread that the bottom left player could have potentially been Mathewson but it is very tough to be certain, I also did not want to get my hopes up. Mathewson stated his carrer with the Giants in 1900 playing only 3 games. This calandar dates 1902 but was likely created the year(s) before in 1900 or 1901. I have done several photo comparisions, the player in the bottom left definately resembles a young Christy Mathewson. Also many of the churchs and schools mentioned in the other panels, are located in Northern Pennsylvania and New York. Any other ideas? Anyone recognize anyone else? Thanks to everyone offering there expertise.

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Posted By: Richard S. Simon

Mathewson graduated Keystone Junior College in NW Pennsylvania in 1898.
I have no idea if that info is helpful or not.
--

I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.
Unknown author
--
We made a promise. We swore we'd always remember.
No retreat baby, no surrender.
The Boss

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

To me, some of those guys look a bit old for college, that guy doesn't look that much like Matty; and why would a calendar, something that is time-focused, use images that are years old, why do you think the images used would be 2 or more years old???

It is a neat image. But I feel like that has become Matty because you want it to be Matty. What you need is a captioned photo of the Bucknell team of 1899 or so, and match up additional players.

Good luck with it.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

The guy looks similar, but to me it's not enough to say that it's Mathewson. Plus I've yet to find a pic where Matty doesn't part his hair on the left.

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Posted By: chris

"To me, some of those guys look a bit old for college, that guy doesn't look that much like Matty; and why would a calendar, something that is time-focused, use images that are years old, why do you think the images used would be 2 or more years old???"

All I was trying to say is that calandars are usually made the year before they are distributed. Calandar companies today are making 2009 calandars right now in preperation for next year. So in that thought, the calandar is depicting the 1902 calandar year so it was probably made in 1901. If so, the picture would most likely be from 1901 or 1900. Under the photo it states 1901 Base Ball Team but it could have been from the previous year or early in the 1901 season. Thanks for everyones help and thoughts.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

That's true...I had a 1909 Navy Football team calendar with a photo of the 1908 team.

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Posted By: barrysloate

Nice photo, nice calendar...not Matty.

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Posted By: chris

Thanks again for everyones info. Has anyone seen a photo like this? Anyone have any guesses on value or rarity?

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Posted By: Larry

Looks like a photo of a college or a local youth team to me, all clean shaven, with the exception of the guy in the middle, who probably is the coach. I can see no clues in the picture indicating which team it is - can you post some of the other calendar pictures so we can see if there are any other clues?

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Posted By: Seth B.

I agree with the thought that it looks like a young team and is probably collegiate. The guy does have a passing resemblence to Matty, but I think it's too good to be true. BUT...to throw some fuel in the fire, the guy with the mustache could be Van Haltren who was a Giants teammate of Matty's in 1901.

Chris--post some of the buildings and churches, and maybe someone on the board will recognize the area/school.

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Posted By: Denny Walsh

I couldn't copy the Picture from the 1901 Yearbook that a board member sold on the BST, So here is link to the Basketball Photo of Matty in 1901 at Buchnell. Hugh Shoulders and massive arms! The Guy in the above calander is way to small...My Opinion ofcourse...

I just love Matty's Yearbook from Buchnell...Brilliant Photos!
Mr Rucker sold it...Must of hated to see it go!

http://imageevent.com/ruckers/cardsforsale;jsessionid=j7ksdqpy31.buffalo_s?p=7&n=1&m=24&c=4&l=0&w=4&s=0&z=2

http://www.network54.com/Forum/376270/message/1200004421/1901+Christy+Mathewson+Bucknell+College+Yearbook+S OLD

Life's Grand,
Denny Walsh

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Posted By: chris

Here are the other 5 panels to the calandar. It definately would be, to good to be true, if it is Matty.
Anyone recognize any of the buildings below or have any info to further my research?

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Posted By: Joe D.

I don't think that is matty.... and I am usually one of those eager to believe.

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Posted By: Alan Elefson

Hi-
After some very quick Googling, the piece might be from Chester Vermont (I Googled one of the church names along with Vermont because that is where the printer is from). I would suggest further Googling of combinations of the building and street names shown on the other pages. I am guessing it is a town calendar from Vermont (that does not show Matty). I am not sure what a town team photo on a calendar would go for, but depending upon the size maybe about one hundred dollars? That might be a high estimate. Still, an extremely nice odd and interesting piece. Great pickup!
Alan Elefson
aelefson@hotmail.com


edited to change photographer to printer

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Posted By: Chris Counts

I think it's from a town called Malone, New York. Malone has a Memorial Park, an Elm Street and a school for deaf mutes. Also, the calendar was printed in St. Albans, Vermont, which is actually quite close to Malone ...

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Posted By: Chris Counts

It's definitely Malone, New York ... Here's a historical photo I found on the internet. The same image is in the calendar ...

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Posted By: Chris Counts

It's amazing what you can find on Google ... I found an entry in a Vermont history book that said the Northern League started in 1901, and while most of its teams were in Vermont, one team was located in Malone, New York ...

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Posted By: DMcD

Chris is correct. Here are a couple of links to substantiate it. The ticket was "Wead Library"-thought it was "Mead" first (of which there are dozens)-but only one "Wead", in Malone.

http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/ny/franklin/history/1918/malone3.txt
(mentions Wead Library and Deaf Institute)

http://www.hugbugs.com/smalltown.htm
(pictures of town including the Memorial Park)

There's a Franklin Academy school there. Maybe that's worth looking at.


-

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Posted By: Chris Counts

Here's the entry I found that mentioned the Malone team ...

"Organized big-league baseball came to Vermont, northern New York and Canada in the first Northern League (1901-1906). Playing in central Vermont towns such as Barre, Monpelier and Rutland and to the west in Plattsburgh and Malone, New York, and Ottawa, Ontario, the league featured over 100 future major laeguers who played a schedule running from July 4 to Labor Day. Mostly the best collegiate players of the time, some of them aspired major leaguers and others just hoping to earn enough to play for college, they included Columbia’s Eddie Collins, Jack Coombs, Ed Reulbach, Eddie Grant and Larry Gardner. Williams Clarence Matthews broke the color barrier” in professional baseball in 1905 with Burlington ..."

It looks like it's possible there could be a future big leaguer in the calendar photo ...

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

This link will get you to a list of Northern New York Libraries...

http://www.nnyln.org/memdir.php

If you scroll down to the Wead Library, you can click a link to the Librarian.

Email him a scan of the photo. I'd think it is a 1901 team photo of the local team. See if you could send him a few dollars for him to search through old issues of the Malone Telegram for information as to who was on the 1901 team, the 1902 team, and if there are any photos of players in the papers...

Or you could drive to Malone, NY...

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Posted By: Bob Pomilla

Does the guy on the left of the calendar pic look like Ruelbach to anyone else (hair, jawline, mouth)? (Pic borrowed from Jeff Kennedy's B/S/T listing.)

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Posted By: Larry

It does look a bit like Ruelbach.

Does anyone know where he pitched in 1901-1902?

The farthest back I could find was 1904, when he pitched for Notre Dame.

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Posted By: Turner Engle

Hey Chris- I am glad you like the piece. I can tell you that that this piece came out of a basement in an upstate New York home, but I think I already told you that when you bought it at the show. It is definitely a cool item, but I think it is just a local college team.

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Posted By: DMcD

Per "Deadball Stars of the NL" Reulbach pitched for Sedalia of the Missouri Valley League for three seasons in and around 1901 and played for the Montpelier-Barre Hyphens in 1904. From what I learned by perusing the web, the (first) Northern League was an "outlaw" league, and a lot of the players used "ringer" names so as not to jeopardize their amateur standing. Reulbach, for instance, played as "Sheldon" for the Hyphens in '04 and subsequently pitched for the University of Vermont. So if the librarian in Malone does indicate that this was a Northern League team photo of the Malone Question Marks there may still be the wrinkle of pseudonyms. I like Frank's idea of traveling up to Malone. Looks like a lovely upstate New York throwback town.

PS. An enjoyable thread. Sure beats yard work.



Edited to switch out a vowel

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Posted By: Joe

Malone is a nice town. My dad owns a cabin in a small town not too far from there.
I'd highly suggest waiting until May or June, as it's probably 10 below up there now.