Posted By:
leonI received this email this morning and got permission to post it.....Can we help?
Hello Moderator,
My name is Chris Ryan, & I'm the Grandson of the late Raymond (Ray) Ryan, formerly of the 1909 Roanoke SL baseball team.
Unbeknownst to any of my siblings, it appears that my Grandfather was the subject of one of the early T206 baseball cards. (Ryan Roanoke, Portrait, Old Mill Back).
The family legends have always stated that Grandfather was a baseball player, and that he played for the Chicago White Sox.
A couple of years ago, after my Dad died, I got interested in the history of my family- Who came from where, worked with whom, got married to so-and-so, and etcetera. While I was doing some research & going thru a stack of old papers, I came upon the IDEA that "If my grandfather WAS a Major League Baseball Player, then I ought to be able to find his BASEBALL CARD." And so the search began.
After contacting the BASEBALL HALL OF FAME, was sent a photocopy of Grampaw's "Major League Contract Card" (A document maintained by MLB to keep track of various minor league players & their relationships to various teams.), and according to the "Contract Card"
Grandfather was signed to "Roanoke, SL" in March of 1909, and then, in October of 1909, was DRAFTED by "Chicago, AL" (IE, the White Sox), in time for the postseason expanded roster.
Apparently Grandpaw didn't do so good as a White Sox, as by the end of Spring Training in 1910 his contract was released to Birmingham.
So, being as he only played for a short while for Chicago, & then only as a "Expanded Roster" player, & apparently NEVER actually got on the field as a uniformed White Sox during an actual ballgame, it came as no surprise to me that he was NOT the subject of a baseball card (At least not as a Chicago White Sox.)
But then, "Surprise surprise surprise", (Thank you Gomer) I discovered MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL CARDS! Curiously enough, this happened during the week that one of the Honus Wagner "MONSTER" cards was sold & fetched a newsworthy outrageous price.
With a bit of assistance from a Mr. Frank of the Research Dept. at the BASEBALL HALL OF FAME in Cooperstown, I was quickly directed to the subject of "T206" baseball cards, and referred to an online site called "the T206 Museum".
Much to my surprise, one of the T206 cards from the vintage 1909-1911 sets was of... Ray Ryan, Roanoke, 1909.
HURRAH! I think, There he is! My Grandpaw's Baseball Card! HURRAH!
But unfortunately, this discovery only sets in motion a bunch of other questions. (Authenticity, value, availability of subsequent reproductions/reissues of the more valuable original cards, rare variations on the card, etc...)
After contacting Trae Regan (trae@thinkableinc.com) of the T206 museum, (A very nice & reliable fellow in my experience), I was advised by him to try contacting the Net 54 website & try asking the experts at your website for more assistance on the subject of the Ryan Roanoke card.
If possible, I would like to execute the following plan.
I would like to INVEST in obtaining a better quality, authentic Ray Ryan baseball card, seal it in a protective hermetic wrapping, and quietly hide it away in my safe deposit box to become a family heirloom and keepsake to future generations of Ryans. Then, I would ALSO like to acquire a handful (I dunno, maybe 8-10?) of REPLICA CARDS, one of which I would mount on my living room wall, & the rest to be distributed to members of my family as Christmas Presents this winter.
Not a bad plan, as such things go- BUT...
It immediately leads to other questions.
According to the Price Valuator section of the T206 Museum, this card may have been issued in in more than one form. (Various backs and is it printed in black or brown ink being the primary questions, as I understand it.) If so, then, Can you supply me with MORE INFORMATION regarding this particular card? Perhaps you and /or one of your friends, contacts, associates, etc, would be able to tell me more about this particular card- I KNOW it was issued as an "Old Mill" back, in both black and brown, with the brown backs being considered more valuable. However, there remains a question about the possibility of it being released with OTHER backs, and perhaps in OTHER COLORS as well. And of course there are always questions of authenticity, etc.
If you could advise me in any of this, I would be most appreciative. This "My Grandpaw's Baseball Card" quest has become quite the learning experience, as I never before really thought about the issues involved in all this before. Any assistance you and yours can provide to me would be MOST APPRECIATED.
Sincerely "Play Ball!" Yours,
Chris Ryan
PS- I'm a Reds fan, (Like my Dad.) & I also like & follow the Dayton Dragons & the Columbus Clippers.
thanx.
09-27-2007, 02:16 PM
Here's some good stuff...can we help? Ryan SL'er T206
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