This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 11/25/2018
Occasionally the mere existence of a piece is so astonishing to us that we are unsure of the best way to descibe it. Presented here is such a piece: a meticulously assembled vintage photo album, containing 48 sepia snapshots from the 1914 Boston "Miracle Braves" season. The album, which measures 11" x 7" with heavy chipboard front and back covers, contains 39 pages, most of which contain carefully-placed and beautifully-composed snapshot photos, either posed or depicting in-game action. Each of the photos are carefully captioned in white ink underneath the border, on the black paper backing. Fifteen of the photos have been signed by their subject.
The book opens with snapshots of the individual Braves players, the first pages of which appear Red Smith, Rabbit Maranville (HOF), Johnny Evers (HOF), and Butch Schmidt. Maranville inscribed his photo, and Evers and Schmidt both signed, inscribed, and dated theirs. Additional signatures include Bill James, Hank Gowdy, Joe Connolly, Possum Whitted, Les Mann, Larry Gilbert, Josh Devore, Herbie Moran, Paul Strand, Dick Crutcher, Bert Whaling, and the Mascot William Connor (who is labeled "Johnny Boston Beans"). Following the individual snapshots are two in-game shots (including one with Christy Mathewson on the mound), and two crowd shots, all taken on Labor Day - the last day the Braves did not hold sole possession of first place in the National League.
Next comes two shots of Pittsburgh Pirates - manager Fred Clarke, and the great Honus Wagner. Following those comes four photos taken at Shibe Park in Philadelphia during the World Series. The end of the book contains nine individual snapshots of Athletics players, including Chief Bender, Home Run Baker, Jack Coombs, Wally Schang, Stuffy McInnis, Jack Barry, and more. The quality and value of the photos alone is astonishing, as all appear to be original, one-of-a-kind images, and some represent players for which there simply aren't a lot of available photos.
The entire album, including its contents, are in excellent condition, some noticeable wear at the spine and interior pages simply a result of repeated flipping through the pages over the last 100 years. The photos, which exhibit small amounts of silvering, are wonderful - well-composed, clear and with strong contrast. We can only assume, from the close-up nature of the individual player shots and the identical nature of the inscriptions and signatures on each photo, that the album was assembled by someone with close access to the team. One of the finest "Miracle Braves" pieces we have ever seen, meticulously assembled and remarkably well-preserved, containing 48 snapshots and 15 autographs, many of T206-era players, chronicling one of the most improbably seasons in baseball history. Full LOA from James Spence Authentication.