If You Collect Scorecards or Programs, Show 'em Here!

[MVSNYC]

100 years old...

[Scott Garner]

One of my favorite pickups from the National in Chicago is an unusual exhibition scorebook that I had never seen that has some interesting historic significance.

Monday, August 15, 1932 was the Bicentennial Anniversary of Washington DC.
Virtually all MLB baseball teams did not play on this date.

To commemorate the Washington DC Bicentennial, a special Exhibition game was played that pitted members of the 1924 World Champion Washington Nats team that included HOF Walter Johnson and Goose Goslin vs. the current 1932 Washington Team managed by WaJo.

WaJo pitched some of the innings for the 1924 World Champion squad and Marberry pitched the rest. Alas, the upstart 1932 Washington team best the 1924 Champions 6-2 in the game.

Here are some pictures of the scorebook which is remarkable shape considering it's over 90 years old.
I included a closeup of the inside of the scorebook that highlighted the individual significance of WaJo's only win in the World Series in a terrific HOF career.

Enjoy!

[Topnotchsy]

One of my favorite barnstorming programs. Was from a Paige/Feller All-Stars dual in 1945, and this one featured Jackie Robinson not long before he signed his contract with the Dodgers.

In an interview after the game, Feller expressed skepticism that Jackie was a good enough player to play in the Majors. The comment strained their relationship. (Info from Satch, Dizzy and Rapid Robert if my memory is not failing me.)

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

One of my favorite barnstorming programs. Was from a Paige/Feller All-Stars dual in 1945, and this one featured Jackie Robinson not long before he signed his contract with the Dodgers.

In an interview after the game, Feller expressed skepticism that Jackie was a good enough player to play in the Majors. The comment strained their relationship. (Info from Satch, Dizzy and Rapid Robert if my memory is not failing me.)

Sounds like Rapid Robert had a chapped ass after Jackie Robinson lit him up and went 2-4 with two doubles in the game! LOL

[tippedfinger]

I think this one is my favorite -- probably a top five game of all time, some might argue for the top spot. One of the greatest rosters ever assembled (and lest we forget the competition) -- and the background story is incomparable.

Game 7 of the 1937 Ciudad Trujillo tournament.

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

Sounds like Rapid Robert had a chapped ass after Jackie Robinson lit him up and went 2-4 with two doubles in the game! LOL

Yup!

[ramram]

Bob Feller related 1936 Iowa State Amateur Baseball Tournament scorebook. Playing against much older seasoned ballplayers was a 16 year old high schooler named Bob Feller. This was the tournament at which Feller was "found" by superscout Cy Slapnicka. He was signed shortly after. The scorebook was the official scorers book kept by the Iowa Amateur Athletic Association's State Chairman Joe Campbell. Feller's team of farm boys ended up winning the tournament against many of the well sponsored city boys. Feller was probably 8 - 10 years younger than most of the participants.

In the tournament, Feller pitched 27 1/3 innings, had 49 strikeouts and gave up 14 hits, 10 walks, 4 runs (1 earned run). The only earned run was on a home run.

IMG_5688.jpg

IMG_5687.jpg

[seattlerainiers]

Jeff's posts motivated me to scan some more of my barnstorming program covers...here are a few more.

Here are a few

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

[B]One of my favorite pickups from the National in Chicago is an unusual exhibition scorebook that I had never seen that has some interesting historic significance. Monday, August 15, 1932 was the Bicentennial Anniversary of Washington DC. Virtually all MLB baseball teams did not play on this date. To commemorate the Washington DC Bicentennial, a special Exhibition game was played that pitted members of the 1924 World Champion Washington Nats team that included HOF Walter Johnson and Goose Goslin vs. the current 1932 Washington Team managed by WaJo. WaJo pitched some of the innings for the 1924 World Champion squad and Marberry pitched the rest. Alas, the upstart 1932 Washington team best the 1924 Champions 6-2 in the game. Here are some pictures of the scorebook which is remarkable shape considering it's over 90 years old.
I included a closeup of the inside of the scorebook that highlighted the individual significance of WaJo's only win in the World Series in a terrific HOF career. Enjoy!

Hi Scott, very cool scorecard. I handled a number of these as a collector and dealer, and of course always thought they were great, with the '24 Nationals playing the '32 team in a full game! What that had to do with George Washington I can't tell you, but so cool nonetheless. And historical in the sense that this was the last game Walter ever pitched for Washington, albeit an exhibition.

[jethrod3]

No new scorecard to show at the moment, but definitely something about scorecards to talk about...

I noticed that one company that grades comic books had been grading and slabbing Sports Illustrated mags for some time, much like comic books. But I had never, until very recently, noticed that they are also grading and slabbing scorecards! Perhaps I have been living under a rock for some time! When did any company start doing this?

I have not noticed many examples of graded/slabbed scorecards. Those that I've seen I've just happened to stumble on by chance (one that comes to mind is up for bid in an auction I was browsing through earlier today). But the things that I found most amazing are that 1) there was no description by the TPG as to whether the scorecard was filled out, and 2) the grading system has nothing to do with how a card might be graded. The grading system seems pretty lenient compared to cards, as no torn/tattered card I have ever seen would escape with a grade of 3. But for scorecards, it looks like a whole different ballgame. I also wonder whether the lack of mentioning of scored vs. unscored is a statement to the effect that it doesn't matter, although all scorecard collectors will tell you that they'd prefer a scorecard that is neatly scored vs scoring done with very poor penmanship and that is unintelligible.

So...the million-dollar question would be whether the majority of scorecard collectors will now make a move to grade and slab at least some of their scorecards if the pricing is not too outrageous. Of course, while the right slabbed scorecards may bring top dollar, the trade-off would be that a collector would no longer be able to experience the enjoyment of opening and gazing at the inside of that scorecard again.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by jethrod3

No new scorecard to show at the moment, but definitely something about scorecards to talk about...

I noticed that once company that grades comic books had been grading and slabbing Sports Illustrated mags for some time, much like comic books. But I had never, until very recently, noticed that they are also grading and slabbing scorecards! Perhaps I have been living under a rock for some time! When did any company start doing this?

I have not noticed many examples of graded/slabbed scorecards. Those that I've seen I've just happened to stumble on by chance (one that comes to mind is up for bid in an auction I was browsing through earlier today). But the things that I found most amazing are that 1) there was no description by the TPG as to whether the scorecard was filled out, and 2) the grading system has nothing to do with how a card might be graded. The grading system seems pretty lenient compared to cards, as no torn/tattered card I have ever seen would escape with a grade of 3. But for scorecards, it looks like a whole different ballgame. I also wonder whether the lack of mentioning of scored vs. unscored is a statement to the effect that it doesn't matter, although all scorecard collectors will tell you that they'd prefer a scorecard that is neatly scored vs scoring done with very poor penmanship and that is unintelligible.

So...the million-dollar question would be whether the majority of scorecard collectors will now make a move to grade and slab at least some of their scorecards if the pricing is not too outrageous. Of course, while the right slabbed scorecards may bring top dollar, the trade-off would be that a collector would no longer be able to experience the enjoyment of opening and gazing at the inside of that scorecard again.

I'm with you on that one!
Why would you slab a scorecard that allowed you to view all the pages and content?
That's beyond me...

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

I'm with you on that one!
Why would you slab a scorecard that allowed you to view all the pages and content?
That's beyond me...

It shocks me that people slab comics the way they do, but it is clearly a huge market.

[bigfanNY]

I cannot tell you how many times I have lit up with joy reading something in a scorecard or program. Stories cheers songs, scorecards are priceless moments in time.... but it dose increases the value by multiples. So as long as I dont have to sell them I am gonna keep reading them.

[Hankphenom]

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

It shocks me that people slab comics the way they do, but it is clearly a huge market.

+1

[jethrod3]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

I'm with you on that one!
Why would you slab a scorecard that allowed you to view all the pages and content? That's beyond me...

Yes, and actually, unless the scorecard is marked on the front or back cover, not being able to view the pages inside can leave everlasting doubt as to whether you actually have the scorecard you believe you have in that slab!

[jethrod3]

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

It shocks me that people slab comics the way they do, but it is clearly a huge market.

Same here. I don't have an extensive collection but most of my comics are not slabbed, and I regret buying the 3 #1's that I did happen to buy already slabbed! I'd like to read them!

Originally Posted by bigfanNY

I cannot tell you how many times I have lit up with joy reading something in a scorecard or program. Stories cheers songs, scorecards are priceless moments in time.... but it dose increases the value by multiples. So as long as I dont have to sell them I am gonna keep reading them.

The scorecards that are actually program/scorecards are neat little time capsules that I also enjoy thumbing through. And in some cases, you lose a lot by simply not being able to hold them and feel the paper. As an example, I have several scorecards from the WWII era, and there's just a different feel to them that you can't experience if they are slabbed.

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by bigfanNY

I cannot tell you how many times I have lit up with joy reading something in a scorecard or program. Stories cheers songs, scorecards are priceless moments in time.... but it dose increases the value by multiples. So as long as I dont have to sell them I am gonna keep reading them.

One of my favorite parts of the hobby is flipping through old scorecards and the like.

Couple of exceedingly rare ones:

- 1945 GI World Series - Played in Nurmberg with Hitler's bunker in the background. I'm sure only a tiny number made it back to the US.

- Jackie Robinson All-Stars Program - All Robinson All-Stars programs/scorecards are rare. But 98% of them were a standard design for the whole tour. This one is specific to a particular game.

[bigfanNY]

I picked this recently a 1935 Charity game between the Pirates and the Braves. Played on June 21st 1935. Literally in the middle of the season. The Pirates played a few games in Boston and then both teams traveled up to play this game. Lots of Hall of Famers and I collect Baseball items from Maine.. Portland Maine to be specific. My Grandfather played breifly in the Eastern Leauge in 1928 a few games with Portland then a few with Worchester Mass. My holy grail item is a scorecard with him listed.

[jethrod3]

Nice piece, Jonathan, and good luck with your search!!

[5-Tool Player]

Originally Posted by bigfanNY

I cannot tell you how many times I have lit up with joy reading something in a scorecard or program. Stories cheers songs, scorecards are priceless moments in time.... but it dose increases the value by multiples. So as long as I dont have to sell them I am gonna keep reading them.

Amen, I LOVE to follow the scored program and watch baseball history reveal itself......GREAT job and keep up the passion !

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

One of my favorite pickups from the National in Chicago is an unusual exhibition scorebook that I had never seen that has some interesting historic significance.

Monday, August 15, 1932 was the Bicentennial Anniversary of Washington DC.
Virtually all MLB baseball teams did not play on this date.

To commemorate the Washington DC Bicentennial, a special Exhibition game was played that pitted members of the 1924 World Champion Washington Nats team that included HOF Walter Johnson and Goose Goslin vs. the current 1932 Washington Team managed by WaJo.

WaJo pitched some of the innings for the 1924 World Champion squad and Marberry pitched the rest. Alas, the upstart 1932 Washington team best the 1924 Champions 6-2 in the game.

Here are some pictures of the scorebook which is remarkable shape considering it's over 90 years old.
I included a closeup of the inside of the scorebook that highlighted the individual significance of WaJo's only win in the World Series in a terrific HOF career.

Enjoy!

This was the Bicentennial of the birth of George Washington, not of the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia was created January 5, 1792. It is something I need to know for some of the legal research I do in D.C.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by Michael B

This was the Bicentennial of the birth of George Washington, not of the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia was created January 5, 1792. It is something I need to know for some of the legal research I do in D.C.

Thanks Michael!
BTW, Hank Thomas shared the same info with me, so I stand corrected.
Certainly, an interesting reason to celebrate a bicentennial (?), but pretty cool nevertheless...

[jethrod3]

Originally Posted by Scott Garner

I'm with you on that one!
Why would you slab a scorecard that allowed you to view all the pages and content? That's beyond me...

So I was thinking a bit more about why tickets seem so much more desirable than scorecards and programs...

Tickets take up less space, that much is true. But as others have mentioned when considering whether or not they might get their scorecards or programs slabbed if they had the opportunity to do so, you'd miss out on all the great content. In this case, the content, at least in older programs, includes photos (sometimes early photos) of the players that are playing. Tickets can be ornate and some will have a specific player on them, especially season tickets printed in the last 30 years or so, but half of my tickets have no images. So it's just tough to figure out why there is such a disparity in pricing between programs and scorecards/program. I can't imagine that for any given game, more scorecards/programs were saved than tickets.

[Ulidia]

Originally Posted by jethrod3

Tickets take up less space, that much is true. But as others have mentioned when considering whether or not they might get their scorecards or programs slabbed if they had the opportunity to do so, you'd miss out on all the great content. In this case, the content, at least in older programs, includes photos (sometimes early photos) of the players that are playing. Tickets can be ornate and some will have a specific player on them, especially season tickets printed in the last 30 years or so, but half of my tickets have no images. So it's just tough to figure out why there is such a disparity in pricing between programs and scorecards/program. I can't imagine that for any given game, more scorecards/programs were saved than tickets.

Many of the pre World War Two World Series programs are items of absolute beauty. The Cincinnati 1919 issue above is a case in point but also the Subway Series of Yankees & Giants 1921 to 1923 (and same format for Yankees vs Pirates in 1927).

New York Giants issues of 1910s are particularly attractive and way ahead of their time. Boston Braves, Brooklyn Dodgers also had stunning World Series programs in this era.

[Scott Garner]

Originally Posted by jethrod3

So I was thinking a bit more about why tickets seem so much more desirable than scorecards and programs...

Tickets take up less space, that much is true. But as others have mentioned when considering whether or not they might get their scorecards or programs slabbed if they had the opportunity to do so, you'd miss out on all the great content. In this case, the content, at least in older programs, includes photos (sometimes early photos) of the players that are playing. Tickets can be ornate and some will have a specific player on them, especially season tickets printed in the last 30 years or so, but half of my tickets have no images. So it's just tough to figure out why there is such a disparity in pricing between programs and scorecards/program. I can't imagine that for any given game, more scorecards/programs were saved than tickets.

Just an opinion, but I actually believe that more scorecards//programs were saved.

Have you ever noticed how many earlier vintage scorecards have a vertical crease running down the middle?
Male fans frequently folded the scorecards in order to stick them in their breast pockets. This would allow them to pull them out during the game and also bring them home.

Regular gameday tickets not so much, as they were often tossed as trash based on what I have observed in my lifetime.
Notable exceptions would include playoff games, World Series and All Star Games IMHO.

[bigfanNY]

I definitely agree with Scott about Tickets being easily discarded especially early Baseball and Basketball stubs. Most were very simple versus the scorecards and programs which were larger and attractive. Also being small and not always easily identified many were dropped in Drawers or in scrapbooks only to be discarded after the original attendees passed on. Many of the best stubs I came across were removed from scrapbooks.

Now I know this thread is dominated by Yankee and Dodger fans, but on the off chance someone who collects scorecards is a Giants fan I have these two Minor Leauge scorecards from the 1950 Trenton NJ Giants with Willie Mays playing Center Field for the Giants. One is a home program the other away playing the Lancaster PA Red Roses. Mays signed the away and the home is signed by 4 players 3 I have identified Bob Myers Eric Rodin and Boetto, the Forth looks like Duffy Dyer ( catcher for the Mets ) but no idea why he would be on there? ..

[jethrod3]

Here's a neat program for an event that welcomed Ted Williams back from Korea toward the end of the 1953 season.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by bigfanNY

Now I know this thread is dominated by Yankee and Dodger fans...

And because of that, here is a Pirates game at the Polo Grounds where Tom Hafey (cousin of Chick, brother of Bud) made his MLB debut for the Giants, and hit his first of six career homers.


https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/...210NY11939.htm

[doug.goodman]

And here's the Phillies winning the Opening Day game of the 1915 season, in Fenway versus the Braves.

[67Rally]

Originally Posted by Topnotchsy

One of my favorite parts of the hobby is flipping through old scorecards and the like.

Couple of exceedingly rare ones:

- 1945 GI World Series - Played in Nurmberg with Hitler's bunker in the background. I'm sure only a tiny number made it back to the US.

I have the same GI World.Series scorecard with the September 2 date, indicating it was from the opening game.


I have this one from the preceding series, the 7th Army Championship.

[jethrod3]

Here's a Brooklyn scorecard I just picked up, with Matty pitching for the Giants. According to my research, it's from the game that Mathewson notched his 265th win and 2,000th strikeout.

[MVSNYC]

Thought it was appropriate to post this here...Decided to part with my 1923 Yankee Stadium Opening Day Program...in REA now.

https://bid.robertedwardauctions.com...?itemid=164601

[Jay Wolt]

Sarno I remember when you got it, figured you would always have it & pass it down
.....along w/ my old Yankee Stadium seat

[MVSNYC]

A wise man once said, "We don't own these things...we just hold them for a while."

The seat will get passed down

[Jay Wolt]

Originally Posted by MVSNYC

A wise man once said, "We don't own these things...we just hold them for a while."

He sounds like a genius

[MVSNYC]

Funny, his name is Jay also. What a coincidence

[doug.goodman]

With a stub...

[jethrod3]

Just picked up a nice little scorecard that has evaded me the only 2 times I'd seen it available. It's from a game in which the military all-star team faced off against the A.L. all-star team, which had previously beaten the N.L. all-star team the day before to gain the honor of playing the men on the Services team. For this reason, and because it featured stars like DiMaggio and Williams playing for the A.L., and Feller pitching for the military all-stars, it is generally regarded as one of the more notable exhibition games to raise money for the war effort.

Curiously, I received this ticket with the scorecard. I've seen tickets for reserved seats before, and they have info about the game being played that day, but I've never seen a bleacher seat associated with that game. That's probably because it has no identifying features. And so...like so many other tickets that accompanied scorecards and programs but have no identifying features, absolute proof of the game it admitted it's fan to does not exist unless the team itself kept careful records of the tickets. That seems doubtful!

[jethrod3]

For some reason, one of my pics did not load. Here's a pic of the cover of the All Star game between the Service All Stars and the A.L. All Stars. I neglected to mention in the above post that the game was played at Cleveland Stadium on July 7, 1942.

[67Rally]

Originally Posted by jethrod3

For some reason, one of my pics did not load. Here's a pic of the cover of the All Star game between the Service All Stars and the A.L. All Stars. I neglected to mention in the above post that the game was played at Cleveland Stadium on July 7, 1942.

That's an historic game! Great find!


https://chevronsanddiamonds.org/wart...ice-all-stars/

[jethrod3]

Originally Posted by 67Rally

That's an historic game! Great find!
https://chevronsanddiamonds.org/wart...ice-all-stars/

Thanks! I had found the info on your site to be very helpful some time ago when I'd tried unsuccessfully to add that scorecard to my collection the first time!

[67Rally]

Originally Posted by jethrod3

Thanks! I had found the info on your site to be very helpful some time ago when I'd tried unsuccessfully to add that scorecard to my collection the first time!

I'm glad that it was helpful. That's exactly why the site was created.

As far as the ticket is concerned, I have only seen reserved seat tickets from the game that show the date. It is very possible that it is a bleacher ticket from that game if it was in the program.

[jethrod3]

Originally Posted by 67Rally

I'm glad that it was helpful. That's exactly why the site was created.

As far as the ticket is concerned, I have only seen reserved seat tickets from the game that show the date. It is very possible that it is a bleacher ticket from that game if it was in the program.

It was extremely helpful! And yes, it's possible, but the probability of getting a third-party grading company to do the research necessary to validate or dispute the date would probably be close to zero!

[jefferyepayne]

Just stumbled upon this great thread. But it needs more very early football!

My earliest football program


Walter Camps first game






jeff

[Directly]

1896 St Louis Browns v/s Cleveland Spiders==Cy Young Spiders 5 --Browns 2

[71buc]

I have quite a few programs. However these are two of my favorites. Sept. 24, 1971, at Shea Stadium 35,936 fans watched the Pirates beat the Mets 3-2 in just under two hours. Clemente was the honoree that night in a pre-game ceremony at Shea Stadium. With his wife, three sons and parents were in attendance, he stood proudly alongside a contingent of Puerto Rican civic and community leaders from the New York area.

Vera Clemente said that of all the accolades he received during his baseball career, the heartwarming weekend, dubbed “Superstar — Roberto Clemente,” on Sept. 24-25, 1971, touched his heart.

These celebratory festivities included an opening reception at LaGuardia Airport and a press conference at the Hotel Commodore. Before the Pirates-Mets game Friday night, community organizers held a pre-game ceremony in Clemente’s honor. The following evening, a dinner/dance inside the Grand Ballroom of the defunct hotel capped the weekend.

Here is a program to the game and an ultra rare Superstar program that was made available for attendees of the diner/dance at the Commodore Hotel. I am aware of one other copy of the Superstar program. The first photo (courtesy of the Clemente Museum) is of the Ballroom event. The second is a Type 1 of Roberto and Vera taken at the game. It includes a ticket stub to the game and a pinback given to fans by WADO which was a Spanish language radio station that was a sponsor of the events.

[icollectDCsports]

Originally Posted by 71buc

I have quite a few programs. However these are two of my favorites. Sept. 24, 1971, at Shea Stadium 35,936 fans watched the Pirates beat the Mets 3-2 in just under two hours. Clemente was the honoree that night in a pre-game ceremony at Shea Stadium. With his wife, three sons and parents were in attendance, he stood proudly alongside a contingent of Puerto Rican civic and community leaders from the New York area.

Vera Clemente said that of all the accolades he received during his baseball career, the heartwarming weekend, dubbed “Superstar — Roberto Clemente,” on Sept. 24-25, 1971, touched his heart.

These celebratory festivities included an opening reception at LaGuardia Airport and a press conference at the Hotel Commodore. Before the Pirates-Mets game Friday night, community organizers held a pre-game ceremony in Clemente’s honor. The following evening, a dinner/dance inside the Grand Ballroom of the defunct hotel capped the weekend.

Here is a program to the game and an ultra rare Superstar program that was made available for attendees of the diner/dance at the Commodore Hotel. I am aware of one other copy of the Superstar program. The first photo (courtesy of the Clemente Museum) is of the Ballroom event. The second is a Type 1 of Roberto and Vera taken at the game. It includes a ticket stub to the game and a pinback given to fans by WADO which was a Spanish language radio station that was a sponsor of the events.

Great stuff. I’ve seen those pinback buttons but didn’t know the story behind them. Thanks

[Topnotchsy]

Originally Posted by jethrod3

For some reason, one of my pics did not load. Here's a pic of the cover of the All Star game between the Service All Stars and the A.L. All Stars. I neglected to mention in the above post that the game was played at Cleveland Stadium on July 7, 1942.

Outstanding program! I have one, though not in as nice condition. I also have a few photos from that game. Super cool!

[bigfanNY]

This is a Program From January 1902 and Stanley Cup challange which was 3 Games. Manitoba won 2 to 0 over The Iron Dukes of Toronto. Previous to this program popping up the Earliest known Stanley Cup " Finals" program was from 1920. The 1920 program is currently listed on ebay. I contacted the Hockey Hall of fame and the earliest Finals program in their archives is 1922.
In 1894 Lord Stanley donated a Silver Cup to be given to the winners of a hockey Tournament in Montreal. From then until 1913 other Hockey teams could Challange the current Holders to a best of 3 series for the right to hold the cup. Attendance at many of these challange matches was in the Hundreds and some were held outdoors so it is likely not every challange had a program. This program was a giveaway from a Hardware store in Manitoba. I am looking for any other early Stanley Cup Challage programs. And I have a feeling someone on this board has at least one.