Please post pictures of James O'Rourke baseball cards, photos and memorabilia

[orator1]

Jay, thanks for posting the scorecard and for your help in locating O'Rourke cards. It is very much appreciated. Mighty, I've also noticed that $10K cut signature card on ebay for a while...it's too bad the signature is no longer part of the original document. By the way, your HOF autograph collection is pretty amazing.

[mighty bombjack]

Originally Posted by orator1

Jay, thanks for posting the scorecard and for your help in locating O'Rourke cards. It is very much appreciated. Mighty, I've also noticed that $10K cut signature card on ebay for a while...it's too bad the signature is no longer part of the original document. By the way, your HOF autograph collection is pretty amazing.

Thanks! No O'Rourke, of course. I don't currently have the funds for such a tough auto.

I agree about the card on ebay. I have wondered what the signature was cut from (and where Topps purchased it) for awhile now.

This is a great thread. I've learned a lot about your relative.

[orator1]

Originally Posted by mighty bombjack

Thanks! No O'Rourke, of course. I don't currently have the funds for such a tough auto.

I agree about the card on ebay. I have wondered what the signature was cut from (and where Topps purchased it) for awhile now.

This is a great thread. I've learned a lot about your relative.

Here is some more info about O'Rourke from the website www.thefirsthit.org:

Born: September 1, 1850, at East Bridgeport, Connecticut
Died: January 8, 1919, at Bridgeport, Connecticut
Batted: right
Threw: right
Played for: Middletown Mansfields, Boston Red Stockings, Boston Red Caps, Providence Grays, Buffalo Bisons, New York Giants, New York Giants (PL), Washington Senators (NL)
Elected to Hall of Fame by Committee on Baseball Veterans: 1945

-The owner of the National League's very first hit on April 22, 1876, Jim O'Rourke played baseball until he was past the age of 50, after which he continued in the game as a manager, umpire and minor league president.

-Nicknamed "Orator Jim" due to his clever and robust use of the English language

-O'Rourke began his pro career in 1872 and played on six pennant-winning clubs in seven years, from 1873 to 1879.

-O'Rourke captured the National League batting title in 1884 by hitting .350, and in 1888 and 1889 helped New York to its first two league championships.

-When Jim O'Rourke took the field as catcher for the New York Giants on September 22, 1904, he set a record for oldest player ever to play in the National League.

-O’Rourke played Major League ball from 1872 - 1893 posting a lifetime .311 batting average

-Fiercely proud of his Irish heritage James refused to drop the “O” from his last name when signed by Boston in 1873

-James O’Rourke and his brother John were the first brothers to play on the same ML team in the outfield together (1880)

-O’Rourke is the first man to have played Major League ball in 4 different decades: the 1870s, 1880s, 1890s and one game in 1904 (at the age of 54!)

-When O'Rourke was courted by the New York Giants the team promised to make him one of the era’s highest paid players, but Jim would not sign until the Giants agreed to pay for his Yale Law education. The club consented and Jim graduated with Yale’s Class of 1887, and the Giants marched into the postseasons of 1888 and 1889.

-As owner, manager and player for the minor league Bridgeport Victors, Attorney James O’Rourke signed the first African-American to play for a Bridgeport pro team in 1895

-In a 1910 Boston Globe interview with Tim Murnane, O'Rourke states that "Baseball is for all creeds and nationalities"

-For the period 1876–1892, he ranks behind only Cap Anson in career major league games played (1644), hits (2146), at-bats (6884), doubles (392) and total bases (2936), and behind only Harry Stovey in runs scored (1370).(wikipedia)

[GaryPassamonte]

I'm slipping, Jay. I don't know how many good years I have left.

[orator1]

Thank you to those who sent me PMs regarding the 1889 High School report card of Jim O'Rourke's daughter Sarah, which is signed by Jim O'Rourke. As a follow up to post #37, O'Rourke's great-granddaughter (my mother) decided to put the report card up for auction with REA. I submitted a letter detailing the report card's history within our family, which I posted below. This is the first time we've auctioned anything related to O'Rourke. The few items we did have were donated decades ago to the Baseball Hall of Fame (signed baseball, 1879 Providence Championship pin). Hopefully someone from Net54 will be the winning bidder.
Paul

REA's description:
The signature of nineteenth-century Hall of Famer Jim O’Rourke is exceedingly rare and is often absent in even the most advanced autograph collections. Offered here is not only an outstanding example of that great rarity, but one that is accompanied by the ironclad provenance of originating directly from the O'Rourke family! O'Rourke's signature, penned "Jas. H. O'Rourke," appears on a Bridgeport High School report card, dated March 29, 1889, issued to his daughter Sarah, a member of the junior class. The signature, executed in black fountain pen within the appropriate box, grades "7," with the top portion of the "J" a little light. O'Rourke was probably extremely proud in signing this, as it is noted on the report card that Sarah was currently second in her class with a cumulative average of "98." It is also interesting to note that Sarah scored "97" in declamation, which was a course in oratory. The apple does not fall far from the tree and that is a grade truly befitting the daughter of "Orator Jim." Some advanced collectors might already be familiar with this piece because it was first made public on the Net54 chat board in January 2012, by our consignor: the great-great grandson of James O' Rourke. In his accompanying letter of provenance, he details the report card's history.

The remarkable provenance accompanying this piece cannot be overstated, especially when it relates to such a rare nineteenth-century Hall of Fame signature. Authenticity is always of paramount importance to autograph collectors and rare signatures, by their very nature, are the most difficult to authenticate in part because of the lack of exemplars. The fact that the offered piece comes directly from the family, and is accompanied by such a well-documented history, is probably the best assurance one can possibly have of its authenticity, outside of hopping in a time machine, setting the dial to 1889 and watching O'Rourke sign it personally. Adding to both the appeal and significance of this piece is that it was signed during O'Rourke's active playing career and is, to the best of our knowledge, the earliest known O'Rourke signature example.

O'Rourke was a member of the New York Giants' 1888 and 1889 World Championship clubs, and he finished the 1889 campaign with 3 home runs, 81 RBI, and a .321 average. O’Rourke played in the National Association, the National League, and the Player's League over the course of his nineteen-year career. One of the top hitters of his era, he finished his career with a .310 lifetime average and one batting title (1884 with Buffalo). He is also noteworthy for having made the first hit in National League history, in 1876. Twenty-eight years later, at the age of fifty-two, O'Rourke again made history by becoming the oldest player to play a complete game in the Majors. Coaxed out of retirement for one game by John McGraw, O'Rourke caught all nine innings for the Giants in a game against the Reds at the Polo Grounds on September 22, 1904. O'Rourke had one hit in four at bats as the Giants defeated the Reds 7-5 to clinch the National League pennant. O'Rourke originally retired after the 1893 season but remained in baseball in a number of capacities: managing in the minors, umpiring for one year in the Majors, and serving as president of the Connecticut League (which later became the Eastern Association). O'Rourke passed away in 1919 and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1945. Although O'Rourke served in an official capacity for a number of years, his signature remains one of the most elusive of all Hall of Fame players.

The report card (5 x 6.5 inches) displays handling wear commensurate with its age and former use, including light, uneven, toning, a few small border tears and creases, and a tiny stain in the lower left corner. In Very Good condition overall. LOA from James Spence/JSA. Reserve $2,000. Estimate (open).
http://bid.robertedwardauctions.com/...x?itemid=22424

[barrysloate]

"Any number below 70 should cause solicitude to the parent."

Gotta love it!

[kkkkandp]

My mother was a teacher in the same public school system that I attended through the 8th grade. That caused a great deal of solicitude for the both of us.

My mother, however, got the last laugh - she sent me to Catholic high school.