Show some postcards...

[smokelessjoe]

Hey Dynarl,

Thank you for the info! The two postcards are glued to a scrapbook so I wish I could see what is written on the back??? The scrapbook belonged to Emil Fertig who conversed with baseball players of the day. He was apparently the biggest fan of the Indianapolis Baseball team. He was a referee of sorts and the whole town relied on him for Baseball info. As you can see, A.R. Smith from Nashville, Tenn. is written on the front of the postcards, so I have tried to figure out if Smith has any relation to baseball??? No Luck...

I want to thank Jeremy or JJ or Nashvillebaseball as well. I tried to respond to your email but I am not sure if it went through?

I am posting another pick in case it got lost in translation.

Wonder What Is Going On With This Dog Smoking A Pipe Postcard????? Back Stamp puts is at 1923-1939 - REALLY STRANGE

[Ladder7]

It was a horse, 'til he started smoking

[Exhibitman]

As long as we're going a bit off the beaten path, so to speak:



From Wikipedia:

"Before 1865, when the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was signed, battles royal often appeared on the undercard of boxing matches. These fights would normally involve five or six slaves fighting blindfolded and bare-knuckled. Depending on the pre-agreed rules, these fights would either last until one man was left standing, the winner, or until two remained standing, at which point the blindfolds would be removed from the combatants and the fight continued until one was unable to continue. The owner of the winner would receive the prize, which was usually small.

The practice of fighting battles royal in this context continued long after the abolition of slavery. Some were still fought legally in the 1930s albeit with the use of gloves. However, most bouts in this period were fought illegally at "smokers", unsanctioned and unregulated boxing matches, as preludes to the main event. Almost all fighters at these contests, both legal and illegal, were still black African-Americans, although they were now allowed to keep their winnings. A battle royal is the subject of the first chapter of Ralph Ellison's novel Invisible Man.

Many major black boxers of the early 20th century gained their first in-ring experience at these battles royal. Such fighters include Jack Johnson, Beau Jack, and Joe Gans."

[2dueces]

I must have misses this thread. This is one of the only threads I really can contribute some unique items. This isn't unique but it is the favorite in my collection.

[2dueces]

I have collected quite a few cool postcards. If anyone is still interested in seeing more, just ask and I'll dig up some snapshots of baseball history. One of my favorite fields of collecting. A group of men playing as a team. Imagine them aged and wrinkled with their grandkids on their lap telling stories of their glory years. Pointing to teammates and telling their stories. To me, it tells more in one picture than any single baseball card ever could. Enjoy.

[Bridwell]

These are recent pick-ups, from 3 different sellers:

[Ladder7]

What, No Steinfeldt?.. Terrific display there Ron.