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Rube Waddell Collection – T206 Cards, Photos, Articles and Some Original Material.
Lot 189. Rube Waddell Collection – T206 Cards, Photos, Articles and Some Original Material. These items are assembled in about 200 pages in a three-ring binder, apparently placed there by someone who planned to write a book about the eccentric and effective Hall of Fame pitcher. Waddell may very well have been the zaniest character ever to don a major league uniform. Wherever he went, chaos ensued. Generally, so did success. In 13 major league seasons, he won more than 20 games four times and had two seasons with 19 victories. His 1904 record of 349 strikeouts lasted until Sandy Koufax broke it in 1965. Stories of the craziness that surrounded Waddell in and out of baseball are captured in copies of various articles in the binder by such authors as Connie Mack, J. G. Taylor Spink and Lee Allen. Spink wrote that “As P. T. Barnum was known to the circus, so was Waddell to baseball.” Three 1909-11 T206 cards are in the collection – Waddell’s portrait (Piedmont back), the card that shows him throwing (Sweet Caporal back) and a card of Ossee Schreck (Schrecongost), who caught for Waddell with the Philadelphia Athletics. All three cards are glued onto black paper. The Schreck card shows back damage; whether the Waddell cards could be removed without damaging the backs is unclear. The fronts are f-g to g. The collection includes more than 60 images of Waddell, all second or later generations or from magazines or newspapers. A number of 1940s-60s postcards with group images are included; some photos are photocopies. Uncommon images show Waddell with Los Angeles of the California League, the Minneapolis Millers and Eau Claire Academy. Finally, a small quantity of notes is present from the individual who assembled the binder. One typed note quoting an unidentified source says that “Rube carried himself like a stage comedian. He had a long bent-kneed farmers (sic) stride. His arms, because of his round-shouldered posture, seemed even longer than they were. His hands hung down heavily as if they were too heavy for him.” This is an interesting assortment concentrating one of baseball’s best and most interesting players. Given the volume of material, it could very well contain some “sleepers.”
Winning Bid $264.
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