Player Identification Help

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I recently picked up these two postcards and I know for sure that one player is Jimmy Archer...the other three I suspect are Detroit Tigers players, but I'd like to hear others opinions before I sway that with my own thoughts.









any help is appreciated...thanks!

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

Can you give us an apporximate timeframe on the snapshots? That first player looks incredibly familiar.

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Posted By: Anonymous

I can't speak for the players in the background, but if we're talking about the player next to Archer I think he would be a St. Louis Brown as opposed to a Detroit Tiger.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Jodi, they are circa 1910.

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Posted By: Shawn

One of these guys?

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Posted By: Rawn Hill

I would guess Bill Donovan based on this picture (not mine).

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Back row 4th from the left.

Rawn

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Donovan is who I had in mind also.

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Posted By: David Atkatz

I don't think the first guy is Wild Bill.

Archer was 5' 10'', and Donovan was 5' 11''. The guy in the photo is quite a bit more than an inch taller than Archer.

(Plus, I don't think he looks like Donovan.)

The guy in the second photo looks a bit like Nick Altrock. But he might not be sufficiently funny-looking.

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Posted By: Jeff Lichtman

It's definitely not Bill Donovan.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I think the short fella in the second photo is Germany Schaeffer...the other guy in the second photo may be Boss Schmidt? I also wouldn't necessarily go by baseball reference, almanac or encyclopedia when it comes to height and weight on players from this era. I've seen unmistakable photos of players together where height doesn't seem right according to the encyclopedia.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Here is Bill Donovan


You guys might be right. The dreaded ear test doesn't pass.

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Posted By: Shawn

I think the man you think possibly may be Bill Donovan is JERRY DOWNS. O Leary bottom right? Davy Jones and Fred Payne seem to be possibilities.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

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Posted By: Shawn

Whats your thoughts Dan... Sure looks like a match to me? Funny how the Hat is cocked the same way... Sure would be nice to find a closer scan of Downs, the angle does make it difficult to tell. Certainly a resemblance.

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

Looks pretty close...could definitely be Red Downs.

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Posted By: barrysloate

It sure looks like Downs to me.

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Posted By: Jodi Birkholm

I think Brian's assessment of the fellow possibly being a Brownie should be taken with greater consideration. Am I wrong in this?

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Posted By: Dan Bretta

I don't think it's a St Louis Browns player...the uniforms which seem to be "blank" are most likely Spring Training uniforms..and since we know that at least one player is Jimmy Archer the teams most likely to be pictured here are either Tigers or Cubs. They may be Cubs? I don't know, but the message on the back of that postcard says "Lil Archer's husband Jim - Cubs Catcher".