Lot 8. Scarce Lou Brock Signed Letter on Cardinals Stationery. Letters signed by Brock are scarce. This autograph is nm-m 8 to mint 9 on a 1978 letter with this baseball content: “Breaking Ty Cobb’s record was a big honor for me and it was nice to receive your letter of congratulations.” And “I’m looking forward to seeing that plaque in the Hall of Fame showing Louis Clark Brock had a lifetime total in excess of 3,000 hits and 1,000 stolen bases.” Brock surpassed his first goal but fell short of his second. In his first year of eligibility in 1985, he was elected to the Hall of Fame. He died last year at the age of 81.
Winning Bid $403
Lot 17. Dizzy Dean Acme Newspictures Photo Dated April 13, 1931. This wonderful 8” x 10” sepia photo presents 21-year-old “Jerome Herman Dean,” as he is identified on the back of the photo, in a pitching pose. In his first MLB season in 1930, Dean appeared in one game and pitched a complete-game three hitter. In 1931, he spent the season with the minor league Houston team – purportedly because his boasting irritated Cardinals manager Gabby Street. In 1932, Dean earned a spot on the St. Louis roster, won 18 games, and led the N.L. in strikeouts. An Acme Newspictures stamp is on the back of the photo, which has an area along the upper left side where the print is incomplete, and also has minor editing for publication. The photo also has small chips in the lower corners, a ¾” tear near the lower right corner and some light surface creasing. The vintage photo provides an outstanding image and representation of one of baseball’s best pitchers and most colorful characters.
Winning Bid $1,052
Lot 18. Teenie Harris Signed Photo of a 1940s Negro Leagues Baseball Game at Forbes Field. From 1935-75, Charles “Teenie” Harris was the top photojournalist for “The Pittsburgh Courier,” a prominent Black newspaper. He documented African American life in Pittsburgh, including baseball. His archive of more than 70,000 photos covers from World War II into the Civil Rights movement and includes entertainers, local and national black leaders, sports figures, the role of churches and everyday life. These photos are preserved in the permanent collection of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh. Harris’ autograph on the 14” x 11” b&w print is nm-m 8, strong on a dark background. The photo, printed in the 1980s from an original negative, also is nm-m. Harris not only photographed Negro Leagues baseball, but also played for the Crawford Colored Giants, which, in the early 1930s, became the Pittsburgh Crawfords. He died in 1998. (For a Type 1 1910s photo by Paul Thompson, a Charles Conlon contemporary, please see Lot 378.)
Winning Bid $180
Lot 376. Late 1800s Cabinet Photo of a Baseball Player Wearing Quilted Pants. In this wonderful b&w photo, the player holds a baseball. A glove is attached to his belt. The elliptical photo is 3.5” tall and almost 2” wide on a 4” x 7” mount. Nm photo with strong contrast, vg+ to ex mount.
Winning Bid $40
Lot 377. Pair of Early, Vintage Photographs – Bill Abstein and HoFer Rabbit Maranville. An original 3.5” x 5” photo from 1907-08 shows Bill Abstein during his time with Providence. Primarily a first baseman, Abstein played briefly for Pittsburgh in 1906. A starter in 1909, he represented the Pirates in the T206 card set. In 1910, he appeared in 25 games for the St. Louis Browns. The second photo is a quality 3” x 4.75” snapshot of Rabbit Maranville from 1927, his first year with the St. Louis Cardinals. Maranville played 23 seasons at second base or shortstop in the N.L. and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1954. The Abstein photo shows a good bit of wear and tear while providing a strong action image; fair to good. The Maranville photo is ex with a very nice appearance and a light crease in the upper right.
Winning Bid $35
Lot 378. 1910s Type 1 Photo of Pittsburgh’s Babe Adams by Noted Baseball Photographer Paul Thompson. Like Charles Conlon, Thompson was important in the development of baseball photography and its contribution to capturing the sport’s history. After graduating from Yale University in 1901, he joined the staff of the “New York Evening Sun” as a reporter and became sports editor. From 1908-29 in New York City, he owned and managed a business that provided news photographs; baseball was among the topics covered. Thompson was responsible for many of the portraits used in the T205 1911 baseball card set. His photos are infrequently offered. This 6.5” x 8.5” photo of Adams has a stamp on the back that Thompson used primarily in the 1910s. Adams’ uniform and other similar photos indicate the photo is from 1918. There is a chip and a small tear in the upper left corner, a very small chip on the lower left corner and a couple of minor creases. After appearing in one game for St. Louis in 1906, Adams pitched for Pittsburgh in 18 seasons. He won at least 20 games twice and concluded his career with a 194-140 record for a .581 winning percentage.
Winning Bid $83
Lot 379. Rabbit Maranville 1921 Photo – with the Image Used for His 1922 E120 Card. The image in this 6.5” x 8.5” sepia photo was used also to produce Maranville’s American Caramel card. A partial caption found on the back of another copy of the photo indicates it is from May 20, 1921. The catcher’s glove and hand in the photo do not appear in the card. Printed on relatively thin photographic paper, the photo has multiple light creases and a couple of heavier corner creases. With a copy of the card, it will make an especially interesting display item. (A photocopy of the card is in our online presentation and will accompany the photo.) Playing second base and shortstop, Walter James Vincent “Rabbit” Maranville had a Hall of Fame career in the 1920s-30s with the Braves, Pirates, Cubs, Robins and Cardinals.
Winning Bid $61
Lot 380. Original 1921 Charles Conlon Photograph of "Dots" Miller, Type 1. This photo measures 4.75” x 7.25”. Text on reverse, written in Conlon's hand, notes "Pittsburgh 1909". While Miller did, in fact, play for Pittsburgh in 1909, this photo clearly dates from 1921, the first year that they wore this uniform style. An infielder, primarily at first and second base, Miller played for the Phils only in 1920 and 1921. Conlon’s image of Miller is sharp with excellent contrast. The photo has a vertical light scratch outside Miller’s image and a tiny indentation at the left.
Winning Bid $30
Lot 381. 5 Vintage 1920s-30s Photos Featuring Pittsburgh Pirates Pitchers. Some uncommon images are among these photos. Four Pittsburgh pitchers appear in a 6” x 8” photo with an Aug. 6, 1931 stamp and a very light International News Photos stamp on the back: Ervin Brame, Glenn Spencer, Larry French and Ray Kremer. Kremer helped the Pirates to become World Champions in 1925 by winning 17 games in the regular season and two more in the World Series. He twice led the N.L. in wins and ERA. The photo has a moderate crease near the lower right corner. Emil Yde is one of four Pirates players in individual photos. A Pittsburgh pitcher 1924-27, he is the subject of a 6.5” x 8.5” photo distributed by Pacific & Atlantic Photos, which placed its stamp on the back. The photo has several light or light-to-moderate creases, primarily in the corners, writing in the left border and a chip in the bottom border. His photos are not abundant. Neither are those of Drew Rader. His photo offered here has been neatly trimmed to create a 6.5” x 4.5” die-cut with scrapbook residue on the back. Several light-to-moderate creases are present. Rader’s MLB career consisted of one game for the Pirates in 1921. He pitched two scoreless innings without a decision. A Sept. 26, 1938 World Wide Photo, 5” x 7”, provides a portrait of Robert Klinger, who pitched for the Pirates from 1938-43. The date is on a caption attached to the back of the photo, which is stamped Oct. 1938. In six seasons with Pittsburgh, Klinger’s record was 62-58 with nine saves and an ERA of 3.74. He lost the 1944 and 1945 seasons to World War II. Primarily a relief pitcher in 10 MLB seasons, five with Pittsburgh, Mace Brown is presented by International News Photos in a vintage 5” x 7” portrait. The photo service’s stamp is on the back, along with stamps for Oct. 1938 and June 4, 1939. The photo has several minor creases.
Winning Bid $68
Lot 382. 4 George Burke Photos Featuring Vintage Images. Decades after his passing, Burke remains one of the most respected and collected baseball photographers. Three 4" x 6" Burke photos offered here are indexed and stamped on the reverse with his 847 Belmont Avenue address in Chicago. One of the players is Gus Suhr, a first baseman for Pittsburgh 1930-39 and then for Philadelphia in 1939 and 1940. A second, identified as “Ernest Osborne,” appears to be Earnest “Tiny” Osborne, a pitcher for the Cubs 1922-24 and the Brooklyn Robins 1924-25. The third player has the name “Homer Betts” on the back of his photo, which may be inaccurate. These photos have strong images and are nm. A 3.5” x 4.5” photo is stamped on the reverse with Burke's RDM Studio, and on the front, with "Burke and Brace Photo" and a N. Drake Avenue address. The player is Russ Bauers, who pitched for Pittsburgh 1936-41 and was among the N.L.’s better pitchers in 1937 and 1938. Ex. Also, a 3.5” x 5” color photo of Pep Young, an infielder, primarily a second baseman, for the Pirates 1933-40. Ex-m to nm.
Winning Bid $45
Lot 383. 1934 Acme Newspictures Pre-World Series Dizzy Dean Photo. Dated Oct. 1, this 6” x 8” b&w photo captures Dean in a pitching pose two days before the start of the World Series between the Detroit Tigers and the St. Louis Cardinals. A caption on the back notes that Dizzy and his brother Daffy won 49 games for the Cardinals – more than half of their victories – during the regular season. In the World Series, the Dean boys improved: they were responsible for 100 percent of the Cardinals four victories! In the seven-game series, Dizzy was 2-1, and Daffy, 2-0. The photo shows editing for publication and has some light surface creases.
Winning Bid $102
Lot 384. Pie Traynor Vintage Portrait and Wedding Photo. Harold Joseph “Pie” Traynor had a Hall of Fame playing career with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1920-35. He also managed the team from 1934-39 and appeared in five games in 1937. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1948. A 5” x 7” photo from World Wide Photo, dated Oct. 1, 1938, provides a close-up of the popular Pirate, who became a broadcaster in Pittsburgh after baseball. An attached caption misidentifies Traynor as “Russ Bauers,” a Pittsburgh pitcher. An accompanying Certificate of Authenticity from “The Baltimore Sun” for the “Original Archive Photograph” correctly identifies Traynor. The photo has a light, minor crease. A Jan. 4, 1931 Acme Newspictures photo, 6” x 8”, captures the wedding ceremony of Traynor and Eva L. Helmar in Cincinnati. The minister in the photo is identified, but the bridesmaid is not. The photo has a light horizontal crease toward the bottom. A dated caption is attached to the back, which has a Newspaper Enterprise Association stamp dated Jan. 13, 1931, as well as an Acme Newspictures stamp.
Winning Bid $30
Lot 385. News Photo of Dizzy Dean (St. Louis) and Lon Warneke (Chicago) on Opening Day, 1935. In a 6” x 8” Acme Newspictures photo dated April 16, Dean (at left) and Warneke are pictured shortly before their expected “pitchers’ duel” to open the 1935 baseball season in Chicago. The duel was short-lived, however, because in the first inning, a shot off Freddy Lindstrom’s bat struck Dean in a leg, and he had to leave the game. In 1934, Dean and his brother Paul pitched the Cardinals to a World Championship. In 1935, he recovered from his opening-day injury to lead the N.L. in victories for a second consecutive season. Warneke won 22 games for the Cubs in 1934, and 30 in 1935. The Cubs made it to the 1935 World Series, and Warneke did his part to make them World Champions by winning two games. Unfortunately, his pitcher teammates went 0-4. The photo has an Acme Newspictures stamp on the back, a small chip in the lower left corner and several light creases. Vg-ex with a strong image.
Winning Bid $35
Lot 386. Two Vintage Pirates Photos – One of Pie Traynor and Paul Waner, and One of Lloyd Waner. An April 10, 1937 Associated Press photo shows Paul Waner signing his 1937 contract “to end a prolonged holdout” as Traynor, the Pirates’ manager, looks over his shoulder. The 7” x 9” photo has a dated AP caption attached. A date stamp on the back is easily readable, while the Associated Press stamp is extremely light. The photo has moderate creases on the images and heavy creases and a small tear along the right edge. On the back, the 6” x 7” photo of Lloyd Waner is dated Jan. 1967 and marked to occupy three columns. Apparently from an unidentified newspaper, it shows moderate and heavy creases. Traynor and the Waner Brothers are all Hall of Fame members, Traynor inducted in 1948, Paul (“Big Poison”) in 1952 and Lloyd (“Little Poison”) in 1967.
Winning Bid $55
Lot 387. Two 1938 Vintage News Photos of Al Todd, Pittsburgh Pirates Catcher. In a 6.5” x 8.5” black & white eye-catching glossy photo from International News Photos, Todd strikes a catcher’s pose in full gear. In a separate 6” x 8” photo from Acme Newsphotos, the veteran catcher looks skyward for a foul ball. Interestingly, both photos are dated Sept. 20, 1938 and have a caption presenting the possibility that Todd would be the Pirates’ catcher in the upcoming World Series with the New York Yankees. On Sept. 20, the Pirates led the Chicago Cubs by 4.5 games. When the two teams began a three-game series on Sept. 17, Pittsburgh still led by 1.5 games. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh fans, Chicago swept the series to take a 1.5-game lead – which increased to 2 games in the season’s final week. And Al Todd never did get to play in a World Series game. The photos are winners, however, with a news service stamp and caption on the back. The International News photo has several small, light creases. The Acme example shows minimal, light edit marks on Todd’s chest protector and around his glove, and a crease and some wrinkling toward the bottom. In 11 MLB seasons with the Phillies, Pirates, Dodgers and Cubs, Todd batted .276 with 35 home runs and 366 RBI. For Pittsburgh in 1937 and 1938, he led N.L. catchers in games caught, batted .307 and .265 respectively and drove in 86 and 75 runs.
Winning Bid $40
