Need Help On A Vintage Photo Update

California Digital Newspaper Archives (which is really behind) has one newspaper reference to the Cotati team:

"The Tomales baseball team defeated the Cotati team at Cotati Sunday afternoon in the presence of a big crowd. The score was 17 to 8 in favor of the Tomales boys." (June 16, 1900, Sausalito Press) in your time frame. Searched 1890-1908

A gentleman named Walt Woolery is referenced as the "Cotati baseball manager"in the early 1900's. He also owned a pool hall/barber shop on LaPlaza Street shown here:
http://cotatihistoricalsociety.org/history-of-cotati

The historical society gives a pretty good overview of the towns history, may want to try to contact them for more information. Looks like they had a "renowned baseball team" in the 1920's (seemingly every small town did), and they built a huge, wooden racetrack for automobiles ("the same size as Indianapolis") in the 1920's. A two and half mile track in the middle of nowhere is hard to believe but.....
http://www.ci.cotati.ca.us/sections/...racetrack.html

Good luck, and GREAT PHOTO!

[batsballsbases]

Thanks Guys for all the info should have the photo this week!

[Runscott]

Al, that is a great piece. I would put a higher value on it - $300-500, due to the size (cabinet itself is probably about 9 x 12), clarity and composition, and the fact that you have info on the team and it appears to be Hispanic. If that's an original frame, it might help the value.

I would remove it since the glass is busted anyway, scan top and bottom halves and 'sew' scans together, then post pics of it both in and out of the frame.

My guess is that the age is 1905-1910, but easier to tell once you can see the entire mat, and the back of it.

[batsballsbases]

Thanks Scott I should have the piece by the end of the week. I had a feeling that it might be worth more than a hundred or so. Yes I do believe that my friend took the glass out before he shipped the piece. He didnt want to risk it being damaged. I really want to have it in my possession to see the size for myself. But he did tell me that the frame also is very nice 15/17 . I also liked the frame alot. It was the content of the picture that impressed me the most.

[perezfan]

Because of the Pillbox Hats, Lace-front Jerseys, Emboidered Cuffs and Quilted Pants, I would say pre-1900. I would guess early - mid 1890s, based on the Equipment, style of pose, ornate backdrop and overall appearance. Look at the length of the crotch area (ok, not too closely) and how low it goes... almost to the knees on the shorter guy!

Terrific piece with tremendous clarity for a photo of that vintage. Normally these are faded, out of focus, and/or washed out. This one was obviously well cared for.

[Runscott]

Clearer pics, especially of the entire mount, will help a lot. I would not be surprised at all to find out it's late 1890's.

The photo shown below was taken in 1922. You could still get pillbox hats then, but they were not common.

A little more digging on this.... The town patriarch of Cotati was a man named Dr. Thomas Stokes Page (1815-1872). He had 13 children, seven boys. In his will, Dr. Page stipulated his ranch could not be subdivided until his youngest son, William Delano (born 1867) was 25 years old. When William turned 25 the Rancho Cotate was subdivided into parcels to establish the town of Cotati in 1893.

Looking at Dr. Page's image and your photo side-by-side might help but I think the catcher bears a possible family resemblance. William Delano Page would have been 25 to 32 years old in the time frame (1893-1900). The next youngest male in the Page family, George Thomas Page would have been about 35 to 42. Awesome photo, well worth adding to any collection.

Dr. Page's story is pretty amazing....
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-...516223&id=I325