July Pick up Thread

[Joe_G.]

After a long drought I was able to add another N333 SF Hess Newsboy to the collection courtesy Clean Sweep Auction. I've been aware of this trimmed "anonymous" Detroit example for many years and was pleased to see it surface. Upon receiving it I took some high-resolution scans hoping to see evidence of the player's name on the card. Jefferson Burdick catalogued all ten Detroit Newsboys, so I just needed a portion of the name to be visible to make a positive ID. However, the player's name is often difficult to make out even on a complete card as the font is very small, so I knew this was a long shot.

The high-resolution scan paid off and I was able to confirm the anonymous player is none other than Bert Dinsmore, catcher for the Detroit Journal club. I had to adjust contrast and brightness and with a proper squint you can make out portions of key letters.

Bert appears to have played some baseball in his adult life including 1897 with the New England League Newport Colts.

I can't get enough of these cards, hoping more examples continue to surface.