Can Anyone Identify This Player?

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Posted By: Bruce Babcock

J.U. Stead cabinet of unknown New York player (1892?)



N566 Newsboy cabinet of Doyle (1895)

I picked up this J.U.Stead cabinet at the National. The card does not identify the player nor is there a hand-written identification. The Stead closely resembles the N566 Newsboy cabinet series.

The 2005 SCD Catalog identifies the Stead cabinets as an 1892 issue but checklists only three players, all New York - Connor, Keeler and Tiernan. I don't believe that this player is one of those three. I have a guess and have talked to a couple of veteran collectors who aren't sure. There seems to be agreement that subjects beyond the three checklisted exist.

The 1892 New York roster lists Keeler & Tiernan but not Connor.
The 1893 New York roster lists lists all three.
The 1894 New York roster lists lists Connor & Tiernan.
The 1895 New York roster lists Tiernan only.
The 1896 New York roster lists Tiernan only.

Other possibilities on the 1893 roster include Doyle, Ward, Davis, Fuller, Burke, Stafford, Lyons, Milligan, Wilson, Kelley, McMahon,
Howe & Kinsler + Rusie, Baldwin, German, Crane, Petty, King, Davies, Schmit, Foreman, Donahue, Sigsby and Jones.

Any thoughts, anyone?




The only other Stead cabinet I've found so far, from the New York Public Library collection.

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Posted By: Kyle

I think its this guy, whoever he is.

Image from oldcardboard.com.

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Posted By: Jimmy

It sure looks like John Ward to me as stated above, and with the New York uniform in the photo the card dates to the late 1880s - early 1890s

Jimmy

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

The first person to mention Latin names for parts of the outer ear dies!

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Posted By: barrysloate

Bruce emailed me last week and I told him it was not John Ward, and I still don't think so. Difference of opinion, I guess.

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Posted By: leon

from those comparisons....Doesn't look like Ward to me....

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Posted By: boxingcardman

With Honus Wagner behind him...

Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: Shawn

I believe it to be...... Charley Bassett (What do you guys think?) He did play for New York at that time.





edited for misspelled name

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Posted By: Jay

It is definitely not John Ward. I'm with Shawn--Charley Barrett

http://images.indianahistory.org/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/dc016&CISOPTR=10&CISOBOX=1&REC=2

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Posted By: Bruce Babcock

It took an hour and 20 minutes but it appears we have our man - and no Latin was involved.

So now the J.U. Stead cabinet checklist has four names. I believe the photo in the 2005 SCD catalog is Connor. Has anybody seen any of the others?

Keeler was a rookie in 1892, playing in only 20 games. He split 27 games between NY and Brooklyn in 1893. So where are the cabinets of Ward, Rusie, Fuller, Burke, etc., all of whom were prominent NYG players in 1892-93? Or King Kelly, for that matter, who finished his career with NY in 1893?

Could these be one of a kind, or are multiple copies of each player known to exist?

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Posted By: Jay

Bruce--I found the Keeler cabinet on ebay and it was later sold, in a restored state, in a Mastro auction. That is the only copy I have ever seen.

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Posted By: Tim Newcomb

no offense to anyone (least of all Adam), but why do people ALWAYS feel compelled to make the "it's Joe Jackson with Babe Ruth in the background" type joke, har-de-har, whenever an inquiry like this is made? I know no one was ragging on Bruce personally, but it's not like the photo does not depict a significant baseball player. Bruce is obviously asking a serious question that doesn't deserve a derisive response.

On the other hand, when some clueless newbie comes on with a hopeful(or hopeless) notion that their cabinet photo of Cousin Jimmy in a local uniform is actually some lost major league star, I don't think they deserve our derision either. Just gently educate them--

My two cents...

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Posted By: Shawn

I would like to see more on Charley Bassett. Does anyone have any other images of this guy? (Other than the Buchner)

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Posted By: Duke42

The player is Mike Tierman

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Posted By: Shawn

Certainly does not look like Mike Tierman to me.... IMO I am sticking with Charley Bassett on this one. Check out the difference with the noses...

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Posted By: Robert Klevens

This card was included in lot 842 from the 1991 Sotheby's Copeland Collection.
The lot sold for $13,200

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Wow! They only sold for $10 each?! Even for nearly 20 years ago, what a steal!

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Posted By: Robert Klevens

That should be $100 each. Which was still much lower than the estimate.