1/7/10,
I took the week off between Christmas and New Years Dec. 27- Jan. 2nd. Enjoy this week's
feature on the c1910 Purdue vs. Northwestern baseball poster by
Leyendecker
-Carlton
SPORTS
ANTIQUE
OF
THE WEEK
Jan. 3rd-
9th 2010
Standout
items
by
SportsAntiques.com
THIS
WEEKS FEATURE
PURDUE
VS.
NORTHWESTERN
c1910
Baseball
Broadside
GAME
POSTER
Illustrated
by
Joseph
Leyendecker
21
1/2" tall x 14" wide, printed on cardstock
Only
known example of a
Leyendecker
baseball game poster
By Carlton Hendricks
I
got this Purdue vs. Northwestern baseball game poster about eighteen
years ago, from Posters Plus in Chicago.
That was way before the internet
when collectors read the Antique Trader and went to shows. As I
recall I saw an ad for Posters Plus and cold called them to see
if they had any sports posters.
The guy I spoke with told me about this poster plus a football
one for Chicago vs. Northwestern. I seem to recall I paid about
$300.00 each for them.
Antique
literary sports poster examples
THE
DIFFERENT TYPES OF POSTERS
Within
the genera of antique sports posters you have sub categories.
Some advertise products, such as cereal or clothing or
cigarettes. An offshoot of that type would be those that
advertise periodicals, usually referred to as literary posters.
There were also incentive posters with sports themes, most notably
by Mather. Incentive posters were displayed in the work
place by employers to promote integrity and increase
productivity. There
were also posters issued by railroads which advertised special excursions
to sports events, referred to as excursion
posters.
Examples
of different types antique sport
posters
Mather
incentive posters
Railroad
excursion posters
Then
you have school or team issued event posters which advertised
upcoming athletic events. Typically they were posted around a
campus or within traveling distance of the event.
These event posters are sometimes called broadsides, an archaic
term early posters were referred to as. Antique sports event
posters are significantly rare, because they were intended to be torn down
and thrown away after the event. Usually
the older they are the more basic, having little to no graphics,
they relied on the message text to draw people.
antique
sport
event poster examples
SPORTS
EVENT POSTERS - YOU'VE ARRIVED
Event
posters have always been one of my favorite areas of collecting.
Tickets and programs are cute, but owning the poster separates the men from the
boys. Anyone could have bought a ticket or
program, but the poster was never available or intended for
public consumption. They aren't just some souvenir. When you own
the poster that drew people to the event, you possess part
of the very environment that took place....you've captured
it and brought into your room...you've arrived. It gets no
better than the event poster.
Self
Portrait - Leyendecker
Cooking a sausage while working
c1910
Poster for Right Posture Boys’ Clothes, illustrated by
Joesph's brother Frank Leyendecker
This
Purdue vs. Northwestern baseball poster has an image of a
catcher that was illustrated by Joseph
Leyendecker 1874-1951. Leyendecker, who worked mostly out of New York City , was one of
the most well known and successful illustrators of his day. He
illustrated for many publications over a fifty year period
including many covers for the Saturday Evening Post. Leyendecker's
forte was the sophisticate; he was at his best
when showing the wealthy privileged. Leyendecker was to graphic
art what Ralph Lauren is to clothing. The Lauren and Leyendecker
ideal were essentially identical. Like Lauren, Leyendecker was
all about the upper class old money image and it's
surroundings. The
college athlete played into that image perfectly since the
children of the rich all went there. The result of that dictum
was, just more rich good looking people to
illustrate.
1914
SPRING & SUMMER
HOUSE
OF KUPPENHEIMER CATALOG
7
7/8" tall x 5 5/8" wide
J.
C. Leyendecker illustrated
Collection
of Author
While preparing this feature I stumbled on an
on-line reference that got my full attention.
Unlike Rockwell, Parrish and other illustrators who employed photography to help them create their images,
Leyendecker preferred to paint from life. The photograph shows
Leyendecker in his New York studio sketching a model dressed and posed as a catcher.
Which
led me to the website of the Huntsville Museum of Art in
Huntsville Alabama where a Leyendecker exhibition had been
hosted February 24 - April 20, 2008. Which in turn led me to the
exhibition's producer The Haggin Museum in Stockton, CA. I
emailed them and bingo! I got the photo below...can you believe
it!
Finding
the actual photo of Leyendecker illustrating our catcher is no
doubt the end all. I'm almost speechless! After I got the photo
though, my curiosity was piqued
...who what where...Who in Stockton California has a photo of
J.C. Leyendecker in his studio illustrating my catcher? Actually
I think I vaguely recall having a discussion once with someone
at an antiques show, about a museum in Stockton, and the person
telling me about it having a remarkable collection of...I think
it might have been Leyendecker...anyway...After the Haggin
Museum graciously sent the photo, I emailed them back to enquire
more about their Leyendecker collection....get this, their
website says..."The Haggin Museum's collection of original works by
Leyendecker represents the largest held by any museum"...can
you imagine? Boy the east coast Illustration collectors must be
mad about that!...Stockton California isn't exactly Hyde Park
New York. Although actually Stockton California will forever be
a part of the Carlton Hendricks evolution,...genesis
really of collecting...For
it was there in Stockton California that I drove my old 65' Olds
Cutlass to the home of Paul Stagg, sat at his kitchen table with
him...and ended up buying his father Amos Alonzo Stagg's
personal football player bookends....in 1988 I believe it
was....but that's a story for another time.
The Haggin Museum's collection of original works by
Leyendecker represents the largest held by any museum and was assembled in the 1950s by former director Earl Rowland (1890-1963). An admirer of the artists of the "Golden Age of American Illustration," Rowland contacted some of the companies
Leyendecker had worked for to solicit donations. He also contacted individuals, such as the artist's sister, Augusta
Leyendecker, who had inherited a number of his original canvases. His respect for the man led him to secure a headstone for the artist's unmarked grave in Woodlawn Cemetery, New York.
Carlton
Hendricks Collection of
Joseph
Leyendecker Football Posters
"Downed"
32
1/2" x 24
1/2"
Used
for the cover of Nov. 1909
Century Illustrated
Monthly
-Also
1916 Harvard Yale Program
"Goal"
36
3/4" x 30 1/2"
Used
for the cover of Nov. 1909 The
Popular Magazine
Front
page Antiques and the Arts Weekly Oct 2, 2009
Close
in of Leyendecker Signature
LEYENDECKER'S
ARE RARE
Over
the twenty three years I've been collecting, I have only come
across a handful of Leyendecker sports posters...probably more
football than any sport. I was pleased to see my
poster's catcher illustration on the cover of the Oct. 9th 2009
edition of Antiques and Arts Weekly. It had been included as
part of a story on Leyendecker.
IT'S
UNIQUENESS
As
I've pointed out, generally any antique sports event poster is rare,
but ones by recognizable teams or schools are more so. And
within the few of them that have survived, probably about half
of them will have some kind of illustration. And about half the
illustrated ones are of decent art quality. However, I don't
recall ever seeing an antique sports event poster illustrated by
a major American illustrator. Much less by one as celebrated as Leyendecker.
So I know it's a very rare poster in terms of art quality and
it's pretty much a stand alone example of a sports event poster
by a big name illustrator. Leyendecker did do a football poster
for the University of Pennsylvania, but it wasn't an event
poster, but one that celebrated football at U.P., and is more an
art poster. Amazingly I did once have a high school poster that
employed the same image as the U.P. one, but with a red
jersey.
Possible
stock images by Leyendecker
Close
in of Purdue vs Northwestern Leyendecker catcher
Leyendecker
14" x 22" High School
football
poster
LEYENDECKER'S
SHREWDNESS
The
two anomalies of the high school and this Purdue vs.
Northwestern seems to imply business acumen on Leyendecker's
part. That is, I speculate Leyendecker moved to extract all he
could monetarily from his work by selling his archived
work from former projects to printing firms to be used as stock images. I
don't know the proprietary mechanics of how that worked for
images that had been commissioned by the likes of the Saturday
Evening Post, as this catcher was. But I do know a high school
used the same basic illustration of the football kicker that was
used for a Saturday Evening Post cover and that a high school
would not typically hire a nationally recognized artist to
illustrate a poster. University of Pennsylvania maybe, high school
no...and I doubt Northwestern would either.
The
J.C. Leyendecker Mansion,
New
Rochelle N.Y.
The
other indicator of Leyendecker squeezing profit from his work
took place later in his life. According to accounts he lived in
a mansion in New Rochelle New York and put on lavish parties. So
based on that we know he was a spender. But it's reported that
late in life he had to let his household staff go and he and his
family attempted to keep up the mansion by themselves.
Which indicates he didn't save for rainy days, which again
implies he was a heavy spender during the good years of his
career and may have needed to sell some of his old
illustrations as stock images to help support an extravagant
life style. If that's how it played out, it was a boon for
poster collectors. Although this is the only example of this
poster I've seen in twenty three years of collecting.
......I date it to about c1890 based on the players long
hair (early players believed it provided protection), no head gear, and his union suit. The use of head gear started
about 1890 so this helps date it.......
FEATURING
MOVEABLE POSITIONS
PRINCETON
UNIVERSITY COLORS
Ryan
Simsls CA
own,
TN
Mike
,or, MI
, KY
Back
$20
Compare
Overview
by Carlton Hendricks
I
got this die cut football player back in 2008 from Dave Perry. I
saw it while shooting his collection in Illinois for
the finale' of my 2008 National story. I expressed interest in
it and Dave said we could probably work something out. Later
after I got home we agreed on $100.00 but I sent him $140.00
because it's just such a great piece. I knew if I saw it at
a highbrow book show or if the right dealer had it, it would
probably be priced around $400.00, maybe more. That is if it were in just a
little better shape. Both feet have been taped back on. Other than that it's in pretty
nice condition. Dave said it was an eBay pick up, and that he's
not really into paper that much.
SPECIAL
FEATURES
This
is
one of the nicest Victorian sports die cuts I've seen. I date it to about
c1890 based
on the players long hair ( early players believed it provided
protection), no head gear, and his union suit. The use of head
gear started about 1890 so this helps date it. Moreover the union suit clearly reveals it is American,
or at least was intended for the American market. Then there's the excellent illustration art
quality, particularly in the facial expression. Lastly it's
limbs are moveable and it's embossed. Both special features that
notch it up there pretty good.
5
1/4" tall die cut trade cards issued by A.G.
Spalding
THE
GENERA
To
help understand and appreciate this piece I'll explain that
there
weren't a lot of Victorian era sports die cuts to begin with.
That is, ones produced in the late 19th to early 20th century.
The most commonly seen are the Spalding's. The A.G. Spalding
sporting goods concern issued a series of 5
1/4" tall die cuts of different athletes around 1890
with advertising on the back. You see them in auctions now and
then and they go for $200.00 to $400.00 depending on condition. I've
also seen some similar ones by McLaughlin's Coffee
and some by Enamaline Stove Polish. All
these would be in the trade card category. Then there were what
are called "scrap" die cuts that were produced for
pasting into albums. Scrap booking was a major diversion of the Victorian
era before radio and television. I'm not an authority but I
believe many of the scrap images were printed in Germany and
perhaps England for the American market.
Polo
players die cut scrap 6 3/16" wide 4 1/8" tall
ORIGIN
Ironically,
though I say this football player is great and rare I actually don't
know what it is, what it's purpose was, who made it, or where and how
it was sold. There's
no makers mark, and since
there's no advertising on it I don't
know if it was intended as anything more than a novelty. The
only thing I can think to identify it is the black and orange
sleeves and stockings. Clearly those are Princeton colors,
so it's possible it might have been produced and sold to
promote Princeton football. My
feeling is it may have been printed in Germany. I once had a 24
1/4" by 11 3/8" print of a cowgirl that was also
embossed. Similar quality and same c1890 vintage as this football
player. Though it looked all American as could be, it was printed
in Germany.
Single
Sculler die cut scrap 5 1/2" wide
SPECULATION
Since there aren't any markings on it we're left to speculate
on who and where it was produced. My
Oct. 25th- 31st 2009 Sports Antique of the Week was a children's book
called "Freddy's Football". While researching it I
learned one of the book's authors Ernest
Nister, was recognized for producing moveable children's
picture books in Germany in the late 19th century. I also
learned of another pioneer in moveable books, Raphael
Tuck and Sons, also in Germany in the late 19th century. Our
football player die cut would probably be considered a moveable
doll, but does fall in the same juvenilia
category as moveable books. It's possible Nister or the Tuck
concern could have produced it. McLoughlin Brothers of New York
would be another candidate.
8
Man crew team die cut scrap 5 1/2" wide
We
may never know for sure this pieces origins, but it's fun trying
figure it out. Here's a final tally of the clues:
*
Victorian style graphics
*
Chromolithographed and embossed
*
Hinged moveable limbs
*
Large 13" height
*
Hair and costume are American
*
Facial expression has exceptional
*
Very rare, only known example
I've
never gotten around to framing it, but it deserves a good frame.
For the time being I just have it in a clear plastic sleeve and
stuff it with some bound Yale News books.
Awarded
by the Amateur Athletic Union of the U.S., National championship
perpetual trophy 1888-1891
Likely
the world's finest example of it's genera
collection
of author
.…anyway…I see this plaque and the relief work is so fine I had to study it hard.
The title “Bailey Championship Prize” was in high relief and very c1890 art nouveau.
It had about twenty…actually twenty three individual portraits done in low relief, of athletes in various athletic
endeavor
and it was incredible......
I’ve been going to the Alameda Point Antiques fair for years, it’s a once a month outdoor affair directly across the bay from San Francisco,
you can clearly see the SF city skyline as you walk the show,
comes first Sunday of every month. Actually I wrote a story on the show a long time ago that you can read
here
In all the years I’ve been going to
the show, up till the plaque we’re about to look at, I’d never found anything really ground shaking in sports,
at least in my area of antique display pieces. As much footwork as I’ve put in, that is amazing. So last month I dutifully trudged thru it once more….but this time I hit the mother load!
Towards the back of the show I came to a booth that put my radar on full
alert leaning against a black pickup was a 18” wide by 15” tall silver plaque that really caught me by surprise…You know how it is when you’ve been looking
long and hard....and when you see something great you have to sort of stop and try to think clearly about what you’re seeing….kind of like you’re dreaming it…anyway…I see this plaque and the relief work is so fine I had to study it hard.
The title “Bailey Championship Prize” was in high relief and very c1890 art nouveau.
It had about twenty…actually twenty three individual portraits done in low relief, of athletes in various athletic
endeavor
and it was incredible. I thought it was silver plate. There wasn’t a price tag but from the looks of the booth I basically figured it would be under priced…partly because it looked like it would be worth what ever you had to pay.
So the seller is talking away to customers big time. Finally I got tired of waiting and sort of interrupted.
Pointing to it I asked, how much for the plaque….$__________ he said….top retail…enough to choke a herd of reindeer. I was kind of stunned. I thought for a second.
Now usually if I think a guy’s way out of line I never say a thing…just thanks and walk away…it’s their piece, people have a right to ask what ever they want.
However in this case I was
very seriously interested. I figured if I was going to grind him I’d give it everything I had….the
guy's fishing I thought, I'll knock him out of his tree.....$__________? I'll
show you $__________.......this guy's going down...this
shouldn't take long I figured...
So without
hesitating….about two seconds after he gave me the price I shot back….I repeated his price loud and clear with mock shock.
The guy looks at me and didn’t even flinch. With complete confidence he goes to me…“Is there some reason I shouldn’t get $_________?”….My plan didn’t work…as a matter of fact it backfired…I actually semi alienated him.
He says to me….I know you….you’re the guy that never buys anything…you just take a bunch of photos.
Boy did he have me pegged…he was right…I never buy anything…..unless it’s what I want…and let’s face it….how many dealers are gonna have what I want?…..
So….we discuss the piece….he gives me what he knows pretty straight up.
I told him I think it might be English.
I came on it so fast I hadn’t had time to sort it out…that is…what it was, how much I would pay, who made it, etc.
He said he thought it might be English too. I sort of thought it was; particularly since there wasn’t a baseball player in it…but on the other hand no cricket.
So I couldn’t quite get a handle what I was looking at. Anyway….the guy was completely adamant on the $__________
He said he would not come down at all and if he didn‘t sell it would just go back home with him…And I could tell it wasn’t because of what I said…he just wasn’t interested in taking less…said it would go back on his wall…(right…it didn’t even have away to hang it).
Anyway….he actually seemed pretty straight forward about everything.
I asked him where he’d gotten it and he said in San Francisco (I think he said)..and that he’d gotten it as payment for doing an art appraisal…and that his fee for doing the appraisal was $1,000.00.
And he went on…that Heritage wanted it but he didn’t like auction house fees…but that they wanted it…and something about the $figure$ they thought they could get for it yada
yada.
Which of course I could have construed as a threat but I just ignored it….So finally I said something to the effect I might make an offer….the guy goes to me again…that he wouldn’t take less than what he quoted me…
Now I found that almost confusing. I mean, what dealer doesn’t at least listen to an offer.
It really didn’t add up….just didn’t really make sense to me….but he was serious..so…I walked.
Of course I mended the fence before leaving and admitted I was just trying to shake him out with the initial pony show …that I just had to see where he was. He seemed ok with it, and we parted amicably.
But I did go back several times over the course of the morning to look
at it again. Each time there was no indication he would come off the $____________
. The guy was tough as nails. So anyway... I left. The following Sunday was the Sacramento Antiques Fair and I knew the dealer sets up there.
I went hoping to see the plaque again but he wasn’t there.
As the month wore on I couldn’t find much at all on the internet about a Bailey Championship Prize plaque, so I
emailed my friend Tom Cardiopoli in Cape Cod…
EMAIL TO TOM CARDIOPOLI:
c1890 Multi Sport Relief
Plaque
18" wide x 15" tall
Bailey Championship Prize in HIGH RELIEF....athlete portraits in low relief
Tom, FYI, Check out the attached photos plus the inkwell in this link above....about the plaque, silver plate, ...found last Sunday at a large outdoor show (Alameda Point)...wanted $__________ ...said got for doing an art appraisal??...said $__________ was it...I was thinking maybe $__________ as it's probably English..(no baseball)...but on the other hand no cricket either...but the guy wasn't open to offers so walked...after kept coming back and looking at it 5 times!...photographs terrible...plus needs polishing bad...because of the high wheel bike it could be as early as 1880.....your opinion? -Carlton
TOM CARDIOPOLI’S EMAIL REPLY:
Carleton - the Plaque is FANTASTIC - it is solid silver I believe - and DEFINITELY American. Here is a short notice about the "Bailey Championship Prize" from the front page of "Sporting Life":
From the Sept 9th, 1888 “Sporting Life”
(headline)The A. A. U. Championship.
A solid silver prize in the shape of n plaque handsomely
mounted and framed, has been presented by
Bailey, Bunks & Diddle, through the Athletic Club of
the Schuylkill Navy, to the Amateur Athletic Union
of the U. S. The Prize represents players engaged in
the twenty three varieties of sports under the jurisdiction
of the Union and is to be awarded each year to
the club making the best average in all of them. It is
known us "The Bailey Championship Prize," and will be competed for September 19th at Detroit for the first time.
I am sure you know that Bailey, Banks & Biddle was a major Silver and Silver Plate manufacture - made stuff that was almost as good as Tiffany.
The Plaque must not have been given for very many years - the above reference is the only one I can find and it is likely that once high wheel bikes went out of style, this particular trophy was retired. It's American, its sterling silver, its beautiful - my guess is if the inkwell was worth $__________ , the plaque has to be worth $__________ !!
So….after learning all that it was a different ball game. First of all it was American which was all important, and if that wasn’t cool enough it was sterling silver not silver plate.
But even so, the price was still tough for me to chew. Nevertheless, I was beginning to take the plaque a lot more serious. I emailed him to let him know I was still interested, but never heard back.
So…this last Sunday Dec. 6th , a full month after I initially found it, I went back to the Alameda Point show with $_______ in green folding cash, the full amount he was asking. Though I didn‘t want or expect to have to spend it all.
I got there late around 1:00PM and it was a miserable freezing cold day.
The dealers were already starting to pack up at 1:00PM. I headed back to the dealer with the plaque towards the back of the show. I didn’t see the plaque out, but he looked like he had just starting packing up….Hi how’s it going I said….Do you still have the plaque I asked….yes he said…still had it....did you get my email I asked…no, computer blew up he said....so have you softened up on the price I asked….no, I’ll just take it home if I don’t get it he said and launched into the same longstanding platitudes about keeping it. After a little chit chat I started to leave.
As I did I said to him…how about giving me some wiggle room on this thing…..the guy says to me
in a demanding way......Alright.... ….what’s wiggle room? Then he had me on the spot.
As difficult to deal with as he’d been I couldn't take a
chance of lowballing him into oblivion…So I knew I had to cough up a number that was at least respectable….like I say he really
had me on the spot….$_________ I said, which was $1,000.00 less than he what he was asking….three seconds later he shot back with a $500.00 discount.
Now he had my attention, it was a crack in the wall. It was significant but I still just couldn’t get behind the new discounted price. I himmed a minute and said let me think it over, I’ll take a walk, he said OK.
In the mean time I found a commercial meat slicer I’d always wanted for $130.00. After I wrapped up that deal for a practical item, I walked back by the plaque dealer. I thanked him for the discount and asked him if he still had my card in case he decides to take my offer. He said yes. Then I told him….you know I have green folding cash on me and we could do the deal right now! Today’s the day I told him, we can make it
happen!...He thanked me and said he’d already come off a lot. I had kind of been convincing myself with all my talk about today’s the day etc….so I said…alright how about
$___________and I offered $200.00 over my initial offer….he shot back almost immediately with $__________ …$100.00 off his last offer, which put us at $200.00 apart….I tried the
" I’m here now" card again…and he wouldn’t budge. So almost from fatigue I said OK $__________ which then made us $100 apart….and he immediately shot back with $__________ $50.00 over my last offer….so we were $50.00 apart…and I started to cave. I said bring it out let me take a look at it again…and I paid the $__________
Obviously it’s tarnished and needs polishing but I was concerned about doing it right…I got a hold of a silver repair guy in Southern Calif. I know and will take it to him for him to polish, he says it will look fantastic when it‘s done….then….I think I’ve decided on a cherry wood/deep dark red stained wood plaque to mount it on…and I think I’ll trace the outline to match the silver plaque with a nice routered edge….I’ll find a wood working shop to do make it.
All the info Tom supplied about the AAU awarding it in 1888 took a new turn also.
I've now learned the AAU was founded in 1888...which probably makes this their first trophy. At the very least it’s very early and a significant piece of American history since the AAU was the most prominent athletic governing body in the United States in the late 19th century….I’m now in Contact with John Apostal Lucas, below a link to his writings:
Lucas has written about the history of the AAU, and I hope to learn more about my plaque from him. As well, Lucas is the official historian of the AOC (American Olympic Committee)….so it’s getting interesting! I‘ll keep you up on what I learn, plus I‘ll post photos after it’s polished and mounted. -Carlton
*
* *
READ
ALL THE INTERESTING CHATTER ABOUT THIS PLAQUE
12/5/09,
I skipped last week's Sports Antique of the Week because of
Thanksgiving. Enjoy this week's on the Four Horseman Liniment
-Carlton
SPORTS
ANTIQUE
OF
THE WEEK
Dec. 6th-
12th 2009
Standout
items
by
SportsAntiques.com
THIS
WEEKS FEATURE
c1924
FOUR
HORSEMAN
LINIMENT
6" tall
- Original box
Purchased
by Carlton Hendricks
from
Kregg Ruffner at 2007 National
Sports Collectors Convention
Priced
$300.00
click
photos
Overview
by Carlton Hendricks
I
bought this bottle of Four Horseman liniment at the 2007 National from Kregg Ruffner of Indianapolis. You
occasionally
see vintage bottles of liniment for sale in the hobby that have
sports graphics. Mostly they're just nice nick knack display
pieces. I have a baseball
one that is a good example. However, when I first saw this I immediately knew it was a whole different level. It was the first
example I'd seen. Kregg explained to me a very important aspect,
that the product was from the period. That is, it was actually
produced and sold during the time Four Horseman were a
sensation. As I recall, Kregg told me he had previously
sold another example. And I think it was the one I saw the
following year at the 08' National that Jim Augustine from South
Bend Indiana had, and that I featured in my 08' National story here.
THE
FOUR HORSEMAN OF NOTRE DAME
Jim
Crowley
1902-1986
Halfback
5'-11"
162Lb
Don
Miller
1902-1979
Halfback
5'-11"
160Lb
Elmer
Layden
1903-1973
Fullback
6'-0"
162Lb
Harry
Stuhldreher
1901-1965
Quarterback
5'-7"
151Lb
The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame
was a nickname given to the backfield
comprised of quarterback Harry Stuhldreher, left halfback Jim Crowley, right halfback Don Miller, and fullback Elmer Layden, after the team's 13-7 victory over Army on October 18, 1924.
The backfield, devised by legendary coach Knute Rockne, was given the nickname by Grantland Rice, a sportswriter for the New York Herald-Tribune. Following that game, Rice wrote of the quartet:
"Outlined against a blue, gray October sky the Four Horsemen rode again.
In dramatic lore they are known as famine, pestilence, destruction and death. These are only aliases. Their real names are: Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and
Layden. They formed the crest of the South Bend cyclone before which another fighting Army team was swept over the precipice at the Polo Grounds this afternoon as 55,000 spectators peered down upon the bewildering panorama spread out upon the green plain below."
After the team arrived back in South Bend, Rockne's student publicity aide, George Strickler, posed the four, dressed in their uniforms, on the top of four horses for the now famous photo.
A 27-10 victory over Stanford in the 1925 (1924 season) Rose Bowl gave the group and the rest of the Notre Dame team an undefeated season and the National Championship.
During the quartet's tenure as the starting backfield (30 games), Notre Dame lost only twice, both to Nebraska.
United
States postage stamp released 1998
None of the four were what anyone would call intimidating as men; none were taller than six feet, and none weighed more than 162 pounds. Yet they won 28 games in three seasons as a unit.
Stuhldreher was a 5-7, 151-pounder from Massillon, Ohio who became the starting quarterback four games into the 1922 season. Following his career at Notre Dame, he went on to be the athletic director and football coach at the University of Wisconsin.
Crowley, who stood at a modest 5-11, 162 pounds, was a native of Green Bay, Wis. and was nicknamed "Sleepy Jim." He would later coach Vince Lombardi at Fordham.
1936
board game by Cadaco
Layden, aside from his offensive skills, was also a star on defense as well. The fastest of the four was said to have run the 100-yard dash in 10 seconds. He later became head coach at Notre Dame, compiling a 47-13-3 record with the Irish. Both he and Crowley were consulted during the creation of the Heisman Trophy in 1935.
Miller, a 5-11, 160 pounder from Defiance, Ohio, followed his three brothers to Notre Dame. According to Rockne, Miller was the best open-field runner he ever coached. Following his playing career, Miller left coaching after four years at Georgia Tech to practice law in Ohio. He was appointed the District of Attorney of Northern Ohio by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Obtained
personally by Carlton Hendricks while
escorting him to his room
Read
all the details
click
to see high resolution close up of autograph
By Carlton Hendricks
I've
already written a story on the
time I
got Joe D. to sign a copy of Hobby Builder magazine with a
picture of him on the cover playing with his trains, but this is
about a different time. That first time was when I was just
giving him a ride in a golf cart at the hotel I work
at. But
this story is about the time I actually roomed him. He came with his grand daughter and her kids, at least I think that
was the family connection. Anyway, they had a bunch of luggage and
it was my job as a bellman to escort them all to their rooms.
We were expecting him and I had it worked out with my supervisor that I wanted to check him in when he got there.
I was way on the opposite side the property doing a check in when I got the call
on the radio he was there, about 2 mile distance. I wrapped up that check in a matter of minutes and hit the accelerator.
When I got back to the bell desk the supervisor had it all worked
out. He was waiting for a bellman in the parking lot.
I hopped on one of our big people mover bell carts and headed for
him. There he was nonchalant waiting with his
family. I loaded up all their luggage and drove them all to their rooms.
Using the old noggin, I prudently asked Joe if he wanted to take his granddaughter and kids to their room
first;
which of course he said yes to. If I was going to impose for an autograph, I didn't want to do it in front of his
family.
I had an old Yankee's popcorn vendors hat I brought with me, which I'd picked up at a card show.
Once the family was ditched, we headed to Joe's room. Other than I was nervous inside, but cool on the outside, it was just
a typical check in. He didn't have much luggage and I recall the one suitcase he had was strikingly
old, like late 1960's old. I mentioned to him something to the effect, "that's a pretty old suitcase Mr. DiMaggio". He boasted back the
to the effect
"That suitcase has been all around the world"...and that he'd just gotten back from Japan.
Somehow we ended up back
outside his room next to the cart when he gave me my tip, which I should have framed, darn it. And then I went for
it. I very
nicely and politely pulled out my vendors hat and asked if he would autograph it.
I remember the way
he handled it...without looking at me he held out his hand open palm for a pen...like he was so jaded by years of giving autographs
he knew the routine well and had it down. Like hey buddy, have the pen ready if you're
going to bug me!. It was kind of striking....
but I didn't say a word. I always have a pen on me and handed it pronto. I don't think he remembered me from the time before I got
his autograph. He didn't seem surprised I asked, but he did seem a little
curious about the vendors hat. I guess it wasn't the
usual thing people asked him to sign. He signed it and kind of looked at it, and asked me if it had been my
hat. Like did I used
to sell popcorn at Yankee Stadium kind of question. I told him no I'd just gotten it at a card show. I'm pretty sure I politely
asked him to date it. It looks like he signed it on the 21st. It's interesting the way he wrote the date. It looks like he started
to write it 8/21/95 but stopped at the slash after the 8, then put the slashes
under and down, like he intentionally wrote the
date between the word peanuts and the red Yankee logo. He also wrote his name around the top of the red circle instead of thru it,
which is interesting. That was nice he did it with some precision.
And that was it, I was out'a there; mission accomplished!. He did yell at me as I was driving off..."that's the last one Carlton"....Just kidding he didn't do that. But that was the last
one, I never saw him again. He died about four years latter in 1999.
......I
have some unanswered questions about Dr. James Bowen's
influence that prompted him to make a football bank. He
was from Philadelphia Pennsylvania; did he watch some University
of Pennsylvania football games? Penn was a major team in
American football around the turn of the 19th century.
J&E Stevens was in Cromwell Connecticut which is only
30 miles from New Haven, the home of the Yale Bulldogs,
among the biggest names in football when this bank was
made. Did Bowen get a flash of brilliance to make a
football bank while watching the Bulldogs? I speculate he
probably did go to some college games and would have at
least been influenced if by the wild popularity of the
game........
This
Calamity mechanical bank sold for $33,500.00 in Morphy's auction
December 2008. Calamity banks were made of cast iron by the J. & E.
Stevens Company of Cromwell, Connecticut, 1843-1950s. Dr. James H.
Bowen of Philadelphia 1877-1906 was the inventor and
designer of the Calamity. Three spring loaded football players,
a ball carrier flanked by two tacklers, make up the bank's
action. It is activated by first pulling back the tacklers and
cocking them in place. The ball carrier automatically slides on
a track to the rear as this is done. A coin is then placed in a
slot in front of the players. A small bowed lever at the front
right is then pushed, and the ball carrier quickly slides/snaps
about three inches forward while the tacklers swing/snap forward
and surround the ball carrier. Simultaneously the coin drops
down into a chamber. The Calamity is one of 43 cast iron mechanical
banks J&E Stevens produced, and is one of the rarest, with
the most action. It's kind of a bummer if you owned one,
you couldn't really play with it much, as the football players literally
collide and cause paint loss. Which of course devalues
them.
There
were almost
endless themes of mechanical banks produced around the turn of
the 19th century but there were only two important sports
related banks of mention. The Calamity football, and the
Darktown Battery baseball. Both were designed by Bowen. I
have wanted a calamity for a long time but haven't nailed one
yet. Actually it's sort of a hole in my toy collection. But
they're just so expensive, I can buy a lot of $tuff for what it
would take to buy one.
EXAMPLES
OF SOME OF THE MANY CAST IRON MECHANICAL BANKS PRODUCED
AT THE TURN OF THE 19TH CENTURY
I
have some unanswered questions about Dr. James Bowen's influence
that prompted him to make a football bank. He was from
Philadelphia Pennsylvania; did he watch some University of Pennsylvania
football games? Penn was a major team in American football
around the turn of the 19th century. J&E Stevens was in
Cromwell Connecticut which is only 30 miles from New Haven, the
home of the Yale Bulldogs, among the biggest names in football
when this bank was made. Did Bowen get a flash of
brilliance to make a football bank while watching the Bulldogs?
I speculate he probably did go to some college games and would
have at least been influenced if by the wild popularity of the
game. I do know the ball carrier came in a choice of blue or red
sleeves. Blue would have represented Yale and red Harvard. I
doubt we'll ever know for sure but something had to turn the
gears of inspiration which resulted in this bank.
**
** **
AUCTION
PRICES REALIZED FOR CALAMITY BANKSMARCH
1996- DECEMBER 2008
Bertoia Auctions
B, Morphy Auctions M, RSL Auctions R.
Pristine
Very good
Excellent
Near mint, with original box
Fair
Very good
Excellent
Pristine
Very good, replaced gear & left tackle
Near Mint, with box (no lid)
Excellent
Replaced figures
Pristine Excellent, repair & crack
Near mint
Excellent, hairline crack at rt. tackler
Touch up & repairs, very good
Very fine, some restoration to rt. tackler
Near mint
Exc., left tackler replaced, gear rep'd
VG, gear repair, red redone on back
Excellent, minor restoration to left tackler
Very fine
Near mint plus, with box (no lid)
Pristine
Fine, left tackler & one gear replaced
Near mint
Excellent, early repaint to red
Offered
in Lelands.com's November 2009 auction. Probably the nicest example
extant
Overview
by Carlton Hendricks
This
is probably the nicest example of this display you will see.
It's being offered in the November 2009 Leland's
auction. I've seen the tin around, but the display is very
tough. Off
the top my head the only other I recall was in the 2006 Robert
Edward auction, and was part of a group of three baseball
related display boxes Lot
849. As tins go I've never considered it too exciting. I
don't even have one in my own tin collection.
But the display box is exceptional....plus it comes with three
of the tins.
Clearly
the product was intended to be associated with Mike
"King Kelly 1857-1894, one of the most
colorful baseball players of the 19th century, and a Hall of
Famer.
Lelands.com's
catalog copy
"Color lithographed box is a knockoff tribute to
the most popular player of the time,
Mike “King” Kelly. Brilliant colors advertise
these tins with a monumental pop up
display box. Box is fragile and has been
permanently set up with the pop up prominently
displayed as it is fragile. Comes with 3 of the
12 shoe polish tins in the box. Overall
very good condition. Box measures 8 x 9 x 6”. "
length: 12
3/4 inch
depth: 5 3/8 inch
height: 2 7/8 inch
Silver
plate with copper oars,
No
markings - possibly French
2006
Price $2,000.00 - collection of author
Front
Side
Back
Side
Long
View
Sculler
Close-in
Front
Side
Back
Side
Underside
In
Lineup on coffee table
Overview
by Carlton Hendricks
I
found this on eBay back
a few years ago, but the way I got it was a little unusual. At
the time there were some pretty aggressive rowing collectors
going after good rowing pieces on eBay. I speculated this piece
could get out of hand so I offered the seller $2,000.00 to close
the auction. Coincidently the seller who was in France, was
going to be in San Francisco shortly, like about two weeks. I
live in the bay area so we made a deal. He would close it and
bring it to San Francisco and I would meet him and pay cash.
Worked
out perfect. The guy did exactly as he said and I met him in the
lobby of his hotel and we made the deal right there. Going in I
was apprehensive about meeting a stranger in the Barbary
Coast with two g's in cash on me...I'd seen that episode of
Bonanza where Little Joe gets kidnapped in San Francisco and was
wise! So I
brought a friend....but no need...the seller and his wife were
most pleasant and we actually had a nice visit...a win
win.
As
for the piece...well...I wouldn't have paid $2,000.00 if
it wasn't something special. This is the kind of piece you
always hope to walk into an antiques shows and find....but
never do. Needless to say it's very rare. Essentially it's
sculpture...they just used the inkwell aspect as an excuse to make
a nice statue of a sculler. As for quality....I wouldn't say
it's tiffany's quality, but it is good quality and well
finished. There isn't a shred of a marking to research. I've
looked in every crevasse, literally with a magnifying glass and
nada...absolutely nothing....not even numbers. All I can go on
to date it is the costume of the sculler. He has on the standard
shorts and sort of tank top type shirt early rowers wore. But it's
his billed cap and period style moustache that impress' me to
date it to roughly the turn of the 19th century. For the sake of
simplicity, I'm going with c1900, but it could be as early as 1880.
As for national origin...well....it was bought out of France.
However it could have migrated there from England. I'd guess
it's French of English.
Based on the
waves, the
style is clearly Art Nouveau. Inkwells are
an interesting collectible in that they were made in seemingly
endless themes. If you go on eBay and look at the ones under Collectibles > Pens & Writing Instruments > Inkwells,
you'll be amazed at all the different ones.
boy
scout inkwell
revolver
Inkwell
stag
inkwell
Sledding
inkwell
As for this sculler,
it's very rare. I doubt it's the only example but I've never seen another.
I would place it in the category of being one of the top
decorative rowing antiques in the world. Boy are things like
this hard to find! I've been looking high and low for stuff like
this more than twenty one years and like I say, it's the only
one I know of.
Last
week I went in an antiques store in Sacramento CA and
found this book. I was taken back as I'd never seen it
before. The dealer said he got it
from someone who came in his store selling a bunch of
paper and he picked it out. The fact it's die cut really
makes it special! It's got some tears in some pages and
the binding is loose. But it's not too bad, and the cover
still looks good. The dealer had $25.00 on it and I got it
for $20.00. If this were in excellent condition I estimate
it would sell for $500.00 - $600.00 at an
antiquarian book show.
The
genera of Victorian children's books is an interesting
one. The king of Victorian juvenile illustration in the
United States during the late 19th century to early 20th
century was Mcloughlin Bros. Mainly they producedboard
games and children's books.
I only know of once sports
related book Mcloughlin put out; that was the ABC
Baseball book, which
goes for major money like $2,000.00 to $3,000.00 if you
can find a copy. They are so rare I can't even recall
seeing one for sale, except maybe once in Robert Edward
years ago.
I
don't recall ever seeing a Victorian juvenile football
themed book. So when I saw this, I was taken back. Admittedly
it is English, and I prefer American...but it's such a
great book, being die cut especially, all is forgiven. Actually
it appears partly American after all, though it is
essentially English. Let me explain. The
maker markings indicate it was produced by Ernest Nister
of
London,
who was very a prominent producer of children's books in
the late 19th-early 20th century, see
here for a long list of books he produced. The book is
also marked E.P Dutton & Co. New York. It's not
perfectly clear what the connection was between E.P.
Dutton and Earnest Nister but I speculate Dutton imported
the book for the American market. I found a reference from
the University of North Texas that address the Dutton-Nister
connection see
here. I also found a reference on google for an
December 1894 "The Book Buyer" catalog that
lists the Freddy's Football book, see
here. So that confirms it from the 1890's! I also
found a place on the web that sells art prints of this
book, see
here
You're
seeing what is possibly the nicest swimming motif pocket watch
extant. If there is a nicer, I'd be very interested to see it. I
got this off eBay back in early March of this year 2009 for
$260.00. I've never seen another example, and I don't recall
seeing a pocket watch this big, 2 3/4" diameter. Also it's quite
weighty. I know sculpture , and the relief work on this watch is
very good. I took a bunch of shots of it; trying to capture the
detail and finally got one that you can see what looks like a steamer
ship just right of dead center.
A
remarkable/humorous aspect of this purchase was my bidding, or I
should say sniping technique. Apparently, from my snipe records
I was undecided as to how much to bid and waited till 16 minutes
before it closed to load snipe bids.
At
6:41 PMon Monday, March 02, 2009
I loaded a snipe bid of $228.88
At
6:46 PMI loaded another snipe bid of $255.88
Then
again at 6:46 PM
I upped it to $258.88
Then
at 6:47 PM
I upped it again to $261.88
Then
at 6:57 PM
I won it for $260.00 plus
the juice
Item # Item Title Qty. Price
290297815011 ca1905 SILVER ART NOUVEAU POCKET WATCH SWIMMING TROPHY 1 US $260.00
Subtotal: US $260.00
Shipping and handling via US Postal Service Priority Mail:
US $6.95
Shipping insurance (required): US $4.60
Total: US $271.55
That's
what you call cutting it close!! Obviously a God thing!
The
seller of this watch was Tom Cardaropoli of Cape Cod. Tom's eBay handle is
"Walnutts".
Tom is one of eBay's most prolific sellers of American antiques
of all genera. Every week he has about fifty items, from 19th
century toys to, civil war, to sports items. Pretty much
everything he sells is rare and quality rich. Often when I see
something great I immediately wonder if it's Tom's and very often
it is.
Tom
said he got this with in an auction in California, (where I
live), and that he paid more than I did!
3/13/09
Carlton,
Sorry I haven't gotten back to you. Got your check Wednesday and the Watch went out on Thursday. Sorry - I got nothing on the History of the Watch. I bought it at an auction in California (internet bidding has changed the world!!!) - actually spent a little more than you did on it but I thought it was a KILLER!! When I got it I was NOT disappointed - it really is beautiful!! Everything I was able to find out about it was included in the description - not much but all that I could find. You really will love this one - another steal for Hendricks!!
Take Care and Thanks,
Tom
The
details are so fine the photos don't capture them completely. As I was
considering bidding, I couldn't make out for sure if they were wearing
swimming suits or were nude...if they were nude, the deal was history,
I wouldn't have been interested. So I emailed Tom.
2/23/09
Carlton,
The men are wearing Victorian bathing suits - one piece with short legs and straps at the shoulder (like a college wrestling uniform). All of the guys have beards or mustaches.
Tom
Tom's
description of the watch that he posted with the listing was so
exhaustive I'm going post it, it's just too good not to.
Very Rare and stunningly beautiful, ca1905 Massive, Sterling Silver "Swimming Trophy" Pocket Watch with a fantastic, Art Nouveau scene of Swimming and Diving. The movement in this simply amazing, Monumental Pocket Watch is 22 size and the Case measures approx. 2 3/4” in diameter. Please bear with us as we are not Pocket watch experts and will try to describe this beautiful “Sporting” Pocket Watch as best we can. The Watch is VERY heavy. The case features elaborate, Art Nouveau designs on the bezel, the rim of the rear cover and on the swing handle on the stem. What makes this Watch extra special, however is the fantastic scene pictured in the center of the rear cover. Here we see what appears to be an indoor swimming pool scene. At the top a male swimmer has launched himself into a dive and is stretching toward the water. At the lower left another man is climbing a ladder out of the pool while a third bearded man swims up behind him. In the center foreground is what appears to be a life preserver being held upright by stylized waves and in the background we can see what looks like a crowd of spectators. This wonderful, flowing image that covers the back cover of the watch is the epitome of Art Nouveau design and although there is no engraving on the Watch, we can only assume that it was meant as some type of award or trophy for a swimming or diving competition.
The face of the Watch is a striking, white porcelain dial with black numbers and tiny, raised gold dots rimming the edge of the Dial. The original hands are present and also gold gilt. We are unsure of the maker of the Watch or even its country of origin but the lettering on the face reads “Cronometro Ancora” - individually these word translate from Italian as “stopwatch” and “still” - we believe that they may be in Swiss-Italian and have a different meaning but we are unsure. We would greatly appreciate any information that would help with identification of this beautiful Timepiece. The inside back cover has text at the top that reads “Remontoir Nouveaute” (we believe this might mean “new winding” and at the bottom “Perfectionne” (“Perfection”?). Between these words is an image of Exposition Prize Medals and the dates “1889 - 1898 - 1900 - 1901” - apparently the Expositions at which this Watch won Medals for excellence. The movement is not marked in any way and, although it appears original to the Watch, we have no clue as to the maker. The watch is stem wind and set. Although all internal balance wheels rotate freely and smoothly, the Watch is not working - winding knob rotates freely but only moves the hands of the Watch and does not engage the winding mechanism (we are having a watch repairman take a look at the watch and will report on the condition of the movement further).
This very rare and VERY beautiful, large size Swimming Trophy Pocket Watch is physically in very good condition. The case is sound and intact with no breaks, nicks, bends, dings, repairs or damage of any kind. There is some age appropriate wear to the high spots of the image on the rear cover but it is hard to tell what is light wear and what can be attributed to the “softness” of the original Art Nouveau design. We have not polished the case and it retains a warm and beautiful surface patina - it will shine up brilliantly if the buyer so wishes. The dial of the Watch is in outstanding, original condition - clean and beautiful with no cracks, chips, abrasions, repairs or damage of any kind. The very thick, beveled crystal is original - clear and quite beautiful with no scratches, chips, flakes, repairs or damage of any kind. This is far and away the largest and most beautifully cased Antique Pocket Watch we have ever handled and the Sporting subject make it even more desirable. A VERY rare and VERY beautiful, ca1905 Large Size, Sterling Silver Swimming Trophy type Pocket Watch and a fantastic addition to any collection!!
I'm
restarting up Sports Antique of the week beginning today after a
ten week absence. My dad passed away September
3rd 2009 so I've been getting my head together, plus just plain
procrastinating. I decided to start back out with a bang...as
this Vienna bronze is one the greatest sports antiques on the
planet.
Without
reservation I can say you're looking at one of the finest baseball statues
you will ever see.
This is what's referred to as a Vienna bronze. Vienna bronzes were produced
in Vienna Austria from the late 19th century to about 1920.
They're usually about one inch tall, though they can vary from
about one half inch to about four inches. They are usually
described as "cold painted" which just simply means
they're painted. They come in very wide variety of subjects.
Many of the ones you see at antiques shows would have appealed
to Victorian era women. Typically you'll see a lot of animals,
some doing humorous things like cats playing tennis etc. Often
they would be described as fanciful and whimsical. Along with
all these attributes, they are foremost recognized for their fine
detail and casting. Intuition tells me these little sculptures
caught on internationally, and many studios sprung up around
Vienna to produce and export them around the world. Probably
most commonly they were sold in fine gift and jewelry stores in
large cities, and perhaps thru catalogs.
There
weren't many sports themed Vienna bronzes produced. I have a soccer group
click here and two
boxers...and then there was this baseball
one...Back when I saw this I didn't know enough to look for
markings as to who produced it. However I would be surprised if
it wasn't done by Franz Xavier Bergman who is considered the
most prolific producer of Vienna bronzes.
And now we come to how
I came across this incredible work. It must have been about
twelve to fourteen years ago I went to the Art Deco show
in San Francisco....as I made my way around the show looking for
anything sports related I came to the booth of Off the Wall
Antiques, from Los Angeles. Within the previous year I had
bought an incredible c1910 bronze trophy plaque for a polo
match in New Orleans Louisiana. From that purchase they had
gotten to know me enough to know I liked sports sculpture.
When I walked up to their booth one of the Dennis' (both owners
are named Dennis) told me about a phenomenal Vienna bronze of a
baseball batter and catcher they had just gotten. He described
it and said it was so finely detailed you could remove the
catchers mask. He said it was $10,000.00 and that it was back at
a house they had rented for the week, and that if I wanted to
see it, for me to come back at nine o'clock after the show
closed and they would take me to see it. Both Dennis' are very
open about everything. They told me they bought it right in the
parking lot of the show for $5,000.00. Later I learned Chuck
Morganstein of Woodchuck Antiques in San Francisco was who they
bought it from.
At
that time I was only vaguely familiar with Vienna bronzes from
seeing them occasionally at antiques shows. I had never heard of
a statue like he described, so I was determined to see it
whether I could afford it or not. That meant hanging around San
Francisco the rest of the day till nine o'clock. I spent the
time going thru used book stores and came back as directed. I
followed them back to their house and it was exactly as they
described. I was so taken back I literally forgot to take
photos. Unable to afford it, all I could do was go home and
think about it.
About
a month later I went to the All American Antiques show in
Glendale Calif and Off the Wall was set up there and still had
the statue for sale. They said they would let me have it for
$8,000.00, but still I was out. But at least that time I took
the photos of it you see above. Although that was before digital
cameras so the ones you see above are digital photos I took of
the hard copies I took that day.
Anyway...all
I could do is look and learn, it was just to expensive for me. I
recall I sent hard copy photos to a couple buddies and they both
were very struck by it, but they couldn't see $8,000.00. Now if
that was today!!!!!....I think I recall someone, I can't
remember who, telling me there is a batter by it's self, but to
this day I've never seen another example of the group or a
single batter and can't find anyone who has. I've asked Joe
Zobel who is probably the most well known Vienna bronze dealer
in the United States, and he's never seen an example. Plus
anytime I come across an antiques dealer at a show that has a
lot of Vienna's' I ask them about a baseball one, but have never
had any luck.
The
next time I saw the Dennis' I asked about the statue and they
said they sold it their at the Glendale show the weekend I saw
it there. One day I was looking thru a book of photos of
Victorian decors and about fell over to see a photos of a den
that had one sitting on the fireplace mantle. It's pretty small
to make out but I'm certain it the same Vienna baseball statue
from the stance of the batters leg and the dark chest protector
the catcher is wearing. See below,
Twenty
four top athletes featured - Columbus Ohio collector has owned it twenty
five years
Overview
by Carlton Hendricks
I
spotted this c1933 Sport Kings Gum card poster on a Net54 thread
to "show your advertising pieces". I'm not a card
collector, but it
had the look and I knew it was rare. The Sport Kings card set that this poster
advertises was produced by the Goudy Gum Company in 1933. To a collector who
has chased the cards,
the poster would be a very rare and iconic extension
to a complete set.
The
owner of the poster is fifty four year old hobby veteran Rick Payne of Columbus
Ohio. Rick said he has owned it twenty five years and that it's
been on his wall all that time. The poster is printed on paper
and measures 15" by 15" excluding matt and frame.
Rick
said he and his late father Joe had set up at eleven National
Sports Collector Conventions from 1986 to 2001. I asked Rick
where and how he came into it and he replied that a friend of
his found two boxes of Sport Kings gum boxes in an old drug
store in the 1970's, and that this poster was in one of the
boxes. Rick said it took ten years but he finally got the
poster and an empty box and fourteen lesser stars cards in a
trade. Rick also added the poster isn't for sale. Below
is email correspondence with Rick and a list of questions he
graciously answered for this
story.
*
* *
EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE
WITH RICK PAYNE
Rick,
What are the dimensions of that Sport King
poster? Is that on cardstock? Is it for sale? It's great. -Carlton
Hi, Carlton!
Glad you liked it. It measures 15 x 15; and is printed on paper that I had
dry mounted many years ago as part of restoration process. Quite a story, really...a friend had found TWO unopened boxes of Sport Kings gumcards in an old drug store in the 1970s and this poster was in one of them. Back then, no one seemed too interested in unopened packs so he opened them all. While the minty cards were great, at that time I was a pauper and always set my sights on the poster. It took about 10 years before I was finally able to trade the poster, an empty box and about 14 packs with lesser stars off of him. Box and cards are long gone. The poster isn't for sale, though...too many happy memories there.
I am going to be selling some nice things soon; my dad died in December and I'm overwhelmed with the combination of his collection and mine. We set up a booth once a year at most Nationals from 1990 - 2001, but started collecting back in the mid 1960s. I've got some great stuff but am woefully ignorant of values and the best way to market them. It's all memorabilia, not cards...which always made it easy to generate interest but a crapshoot on getting the right price for it. I'm expecting to make a run up to Cleveland for the National this year to reacquaint myself with the hobby.
Keep in touch! Rick
Hello
Rick,
1. What year was this poster produced? Are there any markings? Printer?? year? any markings would be important..can you photograph them?...Can you send a better photo of the full gum box ?
2. When did Sport King start and end production of the gum? and the cards?
3. Are the cards considered standouts? That is, are they considered to be nicer/more desirable than most baseball cards?
4. What's the market value of the poster?
5. What are some highs of the cards?
6. What is a complete set worth these days?
7. Is this poster rare? How many have you seen?
8. How did you come into the poster? Where did you find it?
9. How does it rate among your collection? is it number number
one?
10.
Please feel free to elaborate on any other knowldege of this poster you care to share
Thanks -Carlton
Carton,
OK, I'll do my best on these questions...but I am not the right guy to ask about current values.
1. This poster was issued with the first series of Goudey Gum's SPORTS KINGS CHEWING GUM in 1933. The poster measure 15 " x 15" and was printed on slick paper. The card images are exactly the same size as the cards with exactly the same coloration. The poster pictures all 24 cards issued in 1933 (the first series of the program). There are no printing indicia on the poster and the back is blank. Originally, there was a strip of adhesive along the front of the top and bottom borders which was intended to be moistened to stick the poster to a window for display.
2 There are a total of 48 cards in the set. Goudey Gum reportedly issued the first series of 24 cards in 1933 and a second series of 24 in 1934, but they obviously knew a second series was coming because they mentioned it on the poster...so I'm not sure the second series wasn't released earlier. Each box held 100 packs.
3. SPORT KINGS only included three baseball players...Babe Ruth & Ty Cobb in 1933 and Carl Hubbell in 1934. The Goudey 1933 BIG LEAGUE CHEWING GUM set (R319) produced four cards of Ruth and they are more valuable than the SPORT KINGS Ruth. There was no Cobb in the BIG LEAGUE set, and I think the Hubbell SPORT KINGS is valued higher than the BIG LEAGUE card. Beyond baseball, however, SPORT KINGS is a tremendous set. This single set (in fact, this poster) features almost all the legends of American Sports of the early 20th century, active and retired...and it's interesting to note that the definition of "Sports" included famous aviators, surfers, dogsled racers, cyclists and pool players.
4. I don't know value of the poster; I would guess between $5,000 and $10,000. I can't think of any other set where every card in the series is pictured full-size on the poster! I haven't seen any other Goudey posters that come close to this one in visual impact. I know this isn't the only one out there, but I don't think too many survived the 1930s due to the adhesive.
5. Again, I'm the wrong guy to ask about values of cards. Key first series cards are the Ruth, Cobb, Grange, Thorpe and Dempsey. Key second series cards are Bobby Jones, Babe Didrickson (only female in the set), Knute Rockne and the Carl Hubbell. The hockey and basketball cards are also valuable, as is the Johnny Weismuller...who is best known as Tarzan in the movies.
6. Not a clue, but I'm sure some sets must have been auctioned by the big boys.
7. I'm sure this isn't the only one in existence, but I don't think too many survived the 1930s due to the adhesive. If you stuck it to a glass, the poster would have been severely damaged upon removal. And if I had been a kid in 1933, I would have begged the retailer for the sign so I could glue it to cardboard and cut it up to make my own cards! I do remember seeing one in an auction many years ago and don't know if any turned up in the big Goudey Company find.
8. Great story. A friend found two unopened boxes in a drug store back in the 1970s. Even then, the cards were valuable and most of the packs were opened and sold or traded. All the key cards were there and they were FLAWLESS except for the gum-stained backs (I've attached scans of one pack I kept). This folded poster was laid on top of the cards in one of the two boxes. I always had my sights set on the poster and about ten years later was able to trade for it and one of the boxes. The real challenge was dissolving the adhesives, which had fused together after all those years in the heat. It was painstaking work but the satisfaction in seeing it turn out so well was priceless.
9. It's hung on my wall for over 25 years and I still get a thrill each time I see it. It's not the most "valuable" thing in my collection, but there's nothing I "value" more than this. With the inspired design, great color, realistic images and historical significance, this is about as good as it gets.
10. One other observation: The "Free Large Photographic Pictures" reference at the bottom of the poster refers to a mailaway=2 0offer also described on the wrappers. If you sent 50 wrappers to Goudey, you could get one of eight 9" x 5 1/2" prints of selected athletes (DEMPSEY, RUTH, SARAZEN, TILDEN, LONDOS, GRANGE, WEISSMULLER and MORENZ). I have never seen any of these...would love to see them!
Collection
of author, bought at 2007 National Sports Collectors Convention from
Darla Bernhardt
Purchased
for $200.00
Overview
by Carlton Hendricks
I
bought this hat from Darla Bernhardt for $200.00 at the 2007
National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland. Darla and
company had a lot of very interesting things, which you can read
about in the 07' National coverage of her booth. It was kind of
an interesting way to buy something, as I wasn't looking for a
boater hat, and wasn't expecting to come across one. They
are very rare and it was the first one I ever recall for sale,
so I went pretty much on intuition. I was
surveying Darla's booth for treasure for my story when I saw it. When you're at the National
covering it for a story, you're kind of on overload. You're
seeing so many great things that when you see something for
yourself
you have to kind of snap to. Darla
said it was $200.00, and I didn't even try to negotiate, just
paid it. When I got home I had to move my pillbox cap to fit it
in, but looked great.
I
came across this plaque on eBay when I searched under
"antique tennis". It was being auctioned
by an antiques dealer in Denver. It was titled as table tennis,
but I think it was tennis, and the direction of the racquet
handles just makes them look short. The dealer said he got it
from a thrift store. I've
never seen anything quite like it. The 22 inch tall size was
huge. A friend jested it was Geraldo Rivera's great grandfather.
"I think the guy is "Rocky" Rivera, Great grandfather of Geraldo Rivera".
I seriously
considered bidding, and was planning on going up to about
$150.00, but never got around to it.
I
came across this set of four Shirley President Suspenders
advertising posters in the booth of Glen and Lisa Mechanick at
the 2007 National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland.
They're the only examples of them I've ever seen. They
weren't real big posters but the quality was striking and they
were in excellent condition. On the back of the batter
poster is very
interesting text obviously intended for retailers. From it
we learn they were intended to be displayed in the retailers
window. Also, there were six produced, which meant Glen was
missing the "Golfing Girl" and the "Billiard
Girl" ones. Apparently the suspenders were wholesaled in
boxes of six, as the text indicates "You will find one
picture in every half dozen box of Shirley President
Suspenders." Moreover it's indicated if the retailer
was missing any of the set they could write for them by number.
Nothing is mentioned about price so it seems the
posters/pictures were given away to the retailers. The retailers
were instructed to write to the C.A. Edgarton Mfg. Co. in
Shirley Massachusetts. The ShirleyHistory.org website has some
interesting insight about the company.
In 1845, the railroad from Boston to Fitchburg opened Shirley up to further development. The town also became home to many industries including a cordage factory and the C.A. Edgarton Suspender Factory which, by 1890, had become the second largest maker of suspenders in the country.
link
1881 C.A. Edgarton and Sons opened a factory on Leominster Road to produce webbing for suspenders and garters. Around 1900 - it became known as the President Suspender Company. About 1930 - George Frost Belt Company merged with the Suspender Company. In the early 1960's the President name was dropped and it was just George Frost Company. In 1988 - AMPAC bought the All Star sporting goods line from George Frost. In 1996 - AMPAC bought the George Frost building and rented out portions to other businesses.
link
The
excerpt below is from page 4 of my 2007 National coverage story.
Next was one of the best things I saw at the show, a set of four c1900 advertising posters for the Shirley President Suspenders Company. All the posters featured young ladies participating in different sports. There was one for tennis , fishing , baseball , and bowling. According to the back of them there was also a Billiard Girl, and a Golfing Girl that Glen didn't have. Each was 13 1/2" tall x 8 1/2" wide, $12,000.00 for the set of four.
link
Priced
$995.00, Offered by John D. Wahl Antiques, Richmond, New Hampshire, see
listing
Found
on Google while
searching
for baseball folk art
back
side
looking
down
Overview
by Carlton Hendricks
I
came across this match holder on the internet while looking for
baseball folk art. It's listed on
the J. D. Wahl Antiques website, who are located in Richmond
New Hampshire. Based on the ring at the top this obviously hangs on the wall, so wouldn't be
considered a match safe. In the antiques world you occasionally
see early decorative utilitarian items like this with a
baseball motif, but they are rare.
I know I've seen this match holder before in the hobby. I
believe it may have been made by the same concern that made a
c1890's
baseball mirror I have. My mirror has gold paint, whereas this
match holder has white. The glass mirror is diamond shaped and
originally came with a small cast baseball base that sat on the
highest tip point of the mirror. Mine is missing that base, but
going from memory, I believe the ones I've seen were identical
to the cast baseball base on the front of the match holders
pocket.
click
photos
1890's
baseball mirror, likely same maker as match holder
Mirror
and
match
holder comparison
Dating
this item is not easy as it isn't marked, and we have little to
go on. We do have couple of clues though. There is a catchers
mask on the front of the match pocket so we know for sure it's from after 1877 when the catchers
mask was invented by Fred Thayer at Harvard in 1877. And the
pill box cap would likely place it pre 1900. So we can fairly
well place it between 1877 and 1900. For the sake of
identification I've gone with c1890's, but it could have
originated in the 1880's.
There
is a small bit of damage in that the center strip of the fence
has had the end knocked off on the viewers left, but the
character of the modeling is such that you don't notice it.
I
shot this interesting little print in the booth of
John Ross of
Harrisburg PA at the 2006 National Sports Collectors Convention
in Anaheim Calif. I had never seen it before, and as I later
learned, it turned out
to be quite rare. A couple years after I saw
it in Anaheim, I saw it on eBay. I can't recall what it went
for, just that I got outbid. I sent a congratulatory email to
the winning bidder. The winner sent me back and email explaining
she had bought it as a volunteer for the University of
Pennsylvania archives, and it was the first example they had
seen.
Below comments excerpted from my 2006
National coverage.
.....First
up in John’s booth was a remarkable c1890 print featuring a
little girl wearing blue and red and looking up while resting
her head and arms on top of an early melon football. Under the
ball, which was about as big as her, were the words “A
Touchdown for Pennsylvania” The art quality was excellent,
especially of the ball, as the artist even included an
indistinguishable Spalding style maker’s mark. The frame
appeared original, and I believe it had the original wavy glass.
It was small, only 12” x 12”, and it’s geometrical shape,
that of a rhombus or diamond made it unique, $350.00......
......Next from Bob, was one of the best pieces at the show. A c1880’s chromolithographed box that held a dozen baseballs from Monarch Sporting Goods Company of New York, outstanding condition, and outstanding label on the front, 5 ˝” tall by 5 Ľ” wide by 8 3/8” deep, $2,500.00.......
I
shot this box in Bob McCann's booth at the 2004 National Sports
Collectors Convention in Cleveland. I do not recall ever seeing
a nicer baseballs box like this. The condition is remarkable for
being made of cardstock.
Interestingly
when I google Monarch Sporting Goods Company I don't get any
references. I posted an inquiry about this box on Net54
, but to date haven't learned much about the Monarch Sporting
Goods history. Shawn England posted a photo of a print ad
from Sporting Life magazine which advertises a baseball
endorsed by Hall of Famer Clark
Griffith. The advertising copy states "it's an official
ball", but doesn't elaborate who or what organization
deemed it "official". At the bottom the ad it states
"we make base ball uniforms". In all, from this ad we
glean the Monarch company was successful enough to pay a big
name player to endorse a ball, and they made uniforms. And oh
yeah, the ball sold for $1.25!
Rhys
Yeakley posted that he once bought some Monarch hockey pucks but
has not seen anything else from the company. So we know they
made hockey pucks at some point. Finally Jim Daniel who has a
killer website baseballglovecollector.com,
posted a photo of a Monarch Sporting Goods baseball glove
endorsed by another Hall of Famer Joe
Medwick . Apparently Monarch jobbed out the glove. Jim
provided "This Monarch glove was clearly made by Denkert who operated out of Johnstown and Gloversville, NY."
Hunt
Auctions auctioned
this box in August 1999 for $1,675.00. The catalog description
included the following insightful commentary: "This is the first intact example that we've encountered and due to obvious fragility and age will most likely be the only copy we'll handle. Stunning"....
This
was all I could dig up. It wouldn't surprise me to some day
learn Spalding owned them. We at least know Spalding would have
been a competitor in the 1880-90's. A sporting goods company doesn't just appear
out of thin air; it takes some knowledge of sports equipment for
one thing. Until more information or at least clues turn up we
can only speculate. I would imagine some baseball player started
making mitts and balls and selling them on a small scale and the
enterprise grew.
2 the book gives an account of a game between Cornell University and the Delawares in June
1877.......
I
got this broadside poster from Mark Rucker about fifteen to
seventeen years ago; I think I paid $500.00. I remember when I
was trying to negotiate a better deal; Mark said he hadn't shown
it to the ephemera collectors and that they would like the
eagle. That did it, I bought it on the spot. I wasn't taking any
chances losing it. It was a better deal than I even realized at
the time, as I don't think I've seen a college baseball poster
this early and nice since.
I
never knew anything about the Delawares team advertised on the
poster all these years until I looked into it for this article.
I posted an enquiry
on Net54 Vintage Baseball Memorabilia forum to see if anyone
knew anything about the them. I received a tip from a
Net54 member named timzcardz about a book titled "Cap Anson 2" By Howard W. Rosenberg
which is on-line. Amazingly on page
19 paragraph 2 the book gives an account of a game between
Cornell University and the Delawares in June 1877. Moreover,
according to the book, Hall
of Famer Mike "King" Kelly 1857-1894 played for
the Delawares and the book gives an account of Kelly playing
catcher and dropping a
ball after tagging the runner. The Cornell runner scored but
the Delawares won. Also gleaned from Net54 research well, member
Shawn England posted a photo of an
1876 card which announces a dance in honor of the Delawares.
Addenda
Wend. June 10, 2009
Since
the initial posting of this article
I've received two additional bits of background on the Delawares.
Shawn England from the Net54 Vintage Baseball Memorabilia forum
posted on that site, a quote from the c1888 book "Play
Ball: Stories of the Diamond Field" By Mike Kelly. The
quote which you can read in full here
indicates Kelly only played a few games with the Delawares
before moving on, and that he "didn'tcare much
for the place" .
I
also got an email from baseball historian and researcher Bob
Mayer of New York state which indicated the Delawares existed by
at least 1866, see email quote below.
"The
Delawares of Port Jervis were an opponent of a team I did some
research on a few years ago. The team was already organized by
1866 and was the first team the Wallkills of Middletown played
that year. PJ won the first game and the Wallkills won the
second. In the early 1880's Fred Nyce who later played
some in the Minors pitched for the Delawares"
From
Shawn England's post I made the most amazing discovery that BaseballChronology.com
posts classic baseball books on their site. And not just the
text; the layouts include original photos and graphics so you
get the feel of reading the original volume. These are rare
books you could take years searching for. Naturally, reading
them on line doesn't have the status of owning the originals .
However, if you go to a thrift store and buy some old worthless
antique books, you can open them up around your computer so you
get the musty smell while you're reading BaseballChronology's
books on line. But seriously, if you truly enjoy the read, and
don't have to have the originals to show off, these on line
volumes are fantastic.
This
Home Run Cigarettes poster sold in the May 2008 Robert Edward Auction for $9,500.00.
Over the last 20 plus years I've only seen it pop up in auctions
a handful
of times. You see Home Run Cigarettes for sale in the
hobby from time to time. I bought a pack at the 1991
National, which I still have, for $100.00.
Interestingly
two cigar
brands from the same time period also used the name Home Run.
There was Home-Run Stogie cigars made by the J. A. Rigby Cigars
Company of Mansfield Ohio. There was also Home Run Cigars, who's
maker is uncertain, but is speculated to have originated in
Pennsylvania. There doesn't appear to be any
connection between these products, and it's unknown if a proprietary
claim to the name was ever made.
Until I
focused on it for this article, I never really knew if this poster
advertised the same Home Run Cigarettes I have.
Actually I never knew much of anything about my pack of cigarettes
and was
even suspicious they might be some kind of fantasy piece. I
think I was thrown off because the graphics of the
poster are so good, and the graphics on the cigarette packs are
so lame. When you look close, the graphics of the poster are
not only better, they're quite different.
click
photos
batter and
catcher comparison, cigarette pack left, poster
right
Check
out the catchers mask on the cigarette pack to the left above.
What the heck is that? That's what I mean by lame graphics.
What's astounding is they used that same lame illustration on
the packs for at least fifty years.However,
even though the batter and catcher don't match, the font style
of "HOME RUN" does.
click
photos
Font
styles match, cigarette pack left, poster right
Moreover,
the cigarette pack used as home base in the poster illustration
matches as well.
Many
years ago on eBay, I bought a newspaper page from the January 8,
1891 The Daily Picayune-New Orleans. It had an advertisement for Home Run Cigarettes.
It's one of those kind of things you buy that
you don't really need for your collection. I've shoved it around
for years un-displayed and finally it serves a purpose for this
article. By it we have documentation Home Run Cigarettes were sold
as early as January 8, 1891.
click
photos
NEWSPAPER
AD IN JANUARY 8,1891 THE DAILY PICAYUNE-NEW ORLEANS
Moreover,
from this ad we know S. Hernsheim & Bros. of New Orleans LA.
was the manufacturer at that time. It's reported S. Hernsheim &
Bros. was the largest cigar manufacturer in the United States in
the early 1890's and was founded by Simon Hernsheim 1839-1898.
His factory was five stories tall, and built in 1882. The company
employed 361 men and 726 women in production, plus another 100
clerical and sales people.
Tobacco
historian Joe Parker told me Home Run Cigarettes were
marketed largely in the south, and he
believes
they were produced up
until the early 1980's. Joe also filled me in that the W.R.
Irby Tobacco Company of New Orleans, and the Liggett and Meyers
tobacco company also owned Home Run Cigarettes at different
junctures of it's history.
Jon Canfield ofbaseballandtobacco.cominformed me Home
Run Cigarettes never issued tobacco cards and that it's
connection to baseball was purely graphical.
I'll clarify
this study
is only a quick general one consistent with the time constraints
of a weekly feature. Hopefully
this cursory look will encourage further study of
this company.
**
**
**
SportsAntiques.com
thanks the following tobacco historians who helped with my
research for this article. Jim Shaw of JimsBurntOfferings.com,
Jon Canfield of baseballandtobacco.com,
and
Joe
Parker of Prince
Frederic Maryland.
Photos
of Home Run Cigarettes poster and catalog description,
Home Run Cigars tin, and Home Run Stogies tin courtesy
Robert Edward
Auctions
ADDITIONAL
RELATED INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE ABOUT THIS POSTER
Email
exchange with tobacco historian Jon Canfield
Hello Jon, Carlton Hendricks here with
SportsAntiques.com. Can you tell me anything about Home Run Cigarettes? I'd like to learn more about this
brand.
Thanks -Carlton
Carlton,
Good to hear from you. I'd be happy to share what
I know about Home run Cigarettes however let me
begin with a disclaimer - the information I have
is not exacting in that I am unsure of the
complete production run (when the brand began
exactly, was production continuous, when it ended
exactly). With all that being said...
Home Run Cigarettes were began sometime between
1911 and 1918. By 1918, Home Run was being
advertised in newspapers. The original packs were
paper with black and white (or black and tan-ish)
graphics. They were not the more common green
printing you see frequently. The original packs
are quite rare. Jim Shaw has a scan of an original
pack on his website: http://users.ap.net/~burntofferings/packsliggett_duke.html
I also saw one sell on eBay within the past year.
I bid on it but was outbid (I think it sold for
$100 or so which was a great price for an original
pack). To date, it was the only original pack I
have ever seen for sale.
I am unsure as to whether production was
continuous, however I know Home run cigarette
packs were made into the 1970's. Sometime in the
early 1930's (or late 1920s), the colors were
changed and the typical green and white packs were
being made. I have personally seen green and white
packs from the 1930's, 1950's and 1970's. In the
later years, cellophane wrapping was added (with
the red pull band at top).
Home Run Cigarettes never issued any cards. It's
connection to baseball is purely graphical.
Hope this helps!
Kind regards, Jon
Email
exchange with tobacco historian Joe Parker
Hi Carlton Hendricks here with SportsAntiques.com. Can you tell me anything about Home Run Cigarettes? I'd like to learn more about this brand, see attached photo. I'm planning an article on the poster.
Thanks -Carlton
Hi, Carlton.
I’m getting ready to leave town for the weekend, so I wasn’t sure that I’d have time to get back to you tonight… but I did, so here goes. Some of this you probably already know.
Home Run was a brand of the W.R. Irby Tobacco Company of New Orleans. The Irby company was acquired by American Tobacco Company in, if memory serves, 1899, although there may have been a relationship between the two companies prior to that date. When American Tobacco was dissolved, the Liggett & Myers Tobacco Company wound up with the brand. They manufactured the brand at least through the 1970s, and I think at least into the very early 1980s. According to the Patent Office website, Liggett Group cancelled the trademark on May 12, 1981. Registration number 905,021 for “Home Run” was issued on December 29, 1970 and claimed that the brand’s first use in commerce was in October 1892. Lee A. Dew in his history of the Pinkerton Tobacco Company (long a subsidiary of Liggett & Myers), stated that Home Run was made with all Burley tobacco and was marketed largely in the south.
That’s pretty much the sum-total of everything I know about the brand. Hope it has been of at least some help! I’d be interested in seeing the article when you get done.
All the best,
Joe
Joe, Thanks so much for this info...it's very helpful...Say...what's the significance of being all Burley tobacco? Thanks so much again.-Carlton
Hi, Carlton,
Just got back in town a little while ago. Glad the information was of use. The significance of the all-Burley blend of tobacco is that it’s somewhat unusual. The so-called American blend cigarette as pioneered by Camel cigarettes was a mixture of Bright tobacco, Burley tobacco, a bit of Turkish tobacco and possibly a touch of Maryland tobacco for its even burning quality. Burley tobacco would generally probably be cheaper and it also has a larger capacity to absorb flavoring to cover the taste of “inferior” tobacco. The vast majority of cigarettes sold in this country since Camels were introduced and became popular have been variations on the American blend.
All the best,
Joe
c1920's
LATER VERSION
BACK
IN
LINE-UP
FRONT
BOTTOM
TOP
SIDE
1
SIDE2
Two
tobacco products employing the Home Run brand
name believed unrelated to Home Run Cigarettes. Photos
courtesy Robert Edward Auctions
APRIL/MAY 2005
ROBERT EDWARD AUCTIONS CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Circa 1910 cardboard advertising poster for "Home Run Cigarettes" features a batter and catcher in full color with a pack of "Home Run Cigarettes" serving as home
plate. This classic full-color lithographic advertising poster is one of the rarest and most impressive of all 1910-era generic baseball advertising pieces. This is a particularly well known piece in the general antique advertising collecting world, and has a higher profile in that collecting field than in the baseball collecting world. The advertising display is also featured in several books on classic American advertising lithography. This is one of only a handful of known
examples. The poster (12 x 18 inches), which is produced on extremely thick stock (rigid and approximately one-quarter inch
thick), displays a number of minor flaws consistent with its age, fragile nature, and former use including light soiling, minor abrasions and creases, tiny border tears, and a few insignificant tiny areas of color touch-up in the green of the grass (really minor and of no consequence). The colors remain strong and vibrant, and the piece displays beautifully. Of special note also is that the wood frame is original to the piece. This is how it was originally issued by Home Run Cigarettes for display in retail tobacco establishments, and because of this, the frame is really a part of the advertising display. Total dimensions: 13.5 x 19.5 inches. Reserve $500. Estimate $1,000/$1,500.
Sorry
for the delay in getting out this week's sports antique.
Memorial Day weekend didn't allow time .
I
came across this trophy at the April 2009 Hillsborough Antiques
Show held at the San Mateo California Expo. Rarely do you walk
in a show these days and see something this extraordinary,
so it took me by surprise. This type of trophy is what's referred
to as presentation silver. Unlike stock trophies, presentation
silver are unique one of a kind commissioned works. Usually they
are considered museum pieces, and this is no exception. I've
written about the Reed and Barton company who produced it, which
you can read here. The trophy
was given by sugar magnet Adolph
Spreckels 1857-1924. Read here
how he shot the editor of the San Francisco Chronicle.
This
sign sold in Heritage Auctions for $13,145.00 in October 2005.
Now this is an exciting piece! If you click on the photo you'll see
it's been framed. However
it was originally designed as an easel back standup. When you frame a sign like this you protect it from
damage, but you loose it's full visual impact. Personally, I
prefer to display easel back signs standing up as they were
intended.We
can only view this sign on our monitors, but I can tell you from
experience, at 42" tall this sign would be very impressive
in person.
If
you were a heavy duty Pittsburgh Pirates collector, this would
most likely be your center piece, seeing it features Paul Waner. Even
if you didn't know who Paul Waner was this could be a center
piece. First of all it's for Spalding, king of sports equipment
makers. Then you have the jumbo size, then the period
illustration style that announces it's age. Then you have the fact
it's a die cut standup; attributes that generally make signs more
interesting and deluxe. Lastly it features a Hall of Famer, Paul
Waner.
Antique
sports related advertising signs don't get a whole lot better
than this. I wish I could walk into the National and find a sign
this great! However, the hobby has evolved to where things of
this quality are usually auctioned thru the major sports auction
houses. Here we have a perfect example!
Paul Glee Waner
Born April 16, 1903,
Harrah, OK.
Died August 29, 1965, Sarasota, FL
Pittsburgh Pirates 1926-1940
Brooklyn Dodgers
1941
Boston Braves
1941-1942
Brooklyn Dodgers 1943-1944
New York Yankees 1944-1945
Paul
Glee Waner, along with his brother Lloyd, starred in the
Pittsburgh Pirates' outfield in the 1920s and 1930s. He led the
National League in batting on three
occasions
and accumulated over 3,000 hits in his career from 1926 to 1945. He was voted the NL's Most Valuable Player in 1927, and compiled a lifetime batting average of .333. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.
Paul was famous for his ability to hit while hung over. He gave up drinking in 1938 at management's request, he hit only .280 - the first of only two times that he failed to hit .300 as a Pirate.
Paul had the unusual habit of doing back flips in order to sober
up before playing. His nick name was "Big Poison".
Legend has it he got the name from an opposing New York fan who referred
to him as "Big Person" but the Brooklyn accent
converted it to "Big Poison".
Kevin
Ogara of East Northpoint Long Island N.Y. was kind enough to
send in photos of this lemonade set. Over the years I've seen
this type glass work in the antiques world. I've seen it with
tennis players but that was the only sports example until this.
This type glass is referred to as Bohemian or Mary Gregory
style. According to what I read there is purported to be a
mythical account that one Mary Gregory originated the style. And
that she worked for the Boston and Sandwich glass
company from 1880 to 1884. However, the consensus today
seems to be this type glass is from Europe, particularly Austria
and Bohemia, which today is the newly formed state of
Czechoslovakia. It's not all that unusual for American sports to
be used as an art theme on European works. I speculate the
artist who rendered the baseball players on this set may been
given a magazine illustration, or photo to work from.
Whoever
produced this set didn't cut corners on detail. The pitcher
doesn't just depict one player but three different on three
sides; a catcher, fielder,
and batter. Apparently there were originally six glasses, all
with batters. Kevin said three are right handed, and two left
handed. Although it doesn't come thru in the photos, Kevin said
the rim of the top of the pitcher and the glasses is gold rimmed.
Kevin also remarked the carafe is remarkably light weight. Below our exchange of emails:
carlton, im sending photos of a hand painted glass lemonaide set from 1880 to1890s. this was known as mary gregory glass or bohemian glass from europe, not sure if its american. can you see if anyone has ever seen anything like it. its missing one glass since there were 3 left and 3 right handed batters. it is in remarkable cond. there isnt a chip on any of the pieces ,and its amazing that it was never broken. thanks kevin.
Kevin,
Please give me all the details.....the who, what, where, how much, etc...how did you come into them, how long you had them??
Thanks
-Carlton
carlton ,i had a chance years ago, probably 10 years to buy this set for 700 dollars which i thought was a steal, and i couldnt afford it at the time from a dealer i know. well i stopped at his house where they had this set in there antique collection and i asked figuring it was long gone and woudnt you know it they still had it, and he said it was 700 dollars 10 years later and i bought it. it doesnt have a makers mark on it . all i know its either american or bohemian. it is known as mary gregory glass because of the ferns painted around the figures. if you google mary gregory glass you'll see what i mean. the people i got it from new it was worth alot more but knew i was a sports collector. to me it is a stunning hand painted glass set and flawless. thanks
Can you please send me the full dimensions of all the pieces..height and width? Also are there any markings? if so can I get photos? thanks -Carlton
carlton there are no markings. the glasses are 31/2" H x2 3/4"wide. the lemonaide pitcher is 10 1/2"H X 5" wide,
7" including the handle. there is still the gold gilding on the rim at the top of the pieces and at the base of the pitcher. kevin
Bats: Right , Throws: Right
Height: 6' 0" , Weight: 182 lb.
Born: September 1, 1913 in Sacramento, CA
Died: October 4, 1984 in Sacramento, CA
Schools: Christian Brothers High, Sacramento, Saint Mary's College of California
Debut: April 22, 1937
Final Game: September 28, 1941
Courtesy
Baseball-Reference.com
Joe
Marty played baseball for the San Francisco Seals, Chicago
Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Sacramento Solons. With the Seals he was teammates with Joe
DiMaggio, and was the 1936 Pacific Coast League batting champion.
He was the first Chicago Cubs player to hit a home run in a night game,
on July 1, 1938, while playing the Cincinnati
Reds. Probably the bench-mark of his career was when he drove in
five of the nine runs in the Cubs' 1938 World Series loss to the New York Yankees.
click
photo
This Joe Marty's sign
advertised Joe Marty's bar and restaurant at 15th and Broadway
in Sacramento California. Joe Marty was a Sacramento sensation
in his baseball playing days, starting in 1934 with the San
Francisco Seals. Thereafter the seals sold him to the Chicago Cubs for
$50,000.00 at the end of the 1936 season. He also played for the
Philadelphia Phillies, and Sacramento Solons. Joe
Marty's bar and restaurant opened in 1938, according to the
front awning, and closed from a fire on June 25th 2005, fire report. The site sits empty today. Sacramento
Solons historian Alan O'Connor clued me that Joe Marty's was
originally downtown on J Street before moving
to 15th and Broadway around 1950.
This
is the only
vintage sports related neon sign I've ever seen. It's a big country and hopefully there's
another in Des Moines
or Scranton or somewhere. But over my 20 plus years in the
hobby I've never even heard of a sports related vintage neon
advertising sign, much less seen one in an auction, or anywhere
for that matter. Vintage neon signs are usually unique
works. That is, generally only one of a given sign was made.
Moreover, many vintage neon signs in America have been discarded
and destroyed over time. Typically this has happened when
buildings or properties have been remodeled or demolished. So
this is a very rare sign.
I wouldn't say
the sign is
stunning, but it certainly commands respect. Not only does it
have a 4 1/2 foot tall die cut style outline of a baseball, but
it's double sided. That's a considerable feature. The designer
did a remarkably good simulation of the ball seams in neon tubing!
The colors of tan and white with maroon scripting wouldn't
have been my choice. Now maroon and white with white
scripting....now you're talking. But those are color
combinations of the 1930's. This sign was made in the late
1940's and designs had chilled by then. Had I designed it, I'd
have at least worked in some crossed bats, if not other
equipment.
The sign has a personal
connection to me; in 6th grade I lived just blocks from
it in the Land Park area of Sacramento. I would
walk under it on my way to Ed Friel's Barber shop where I had an
after school shoeshine job. Although
Joe Marty's was a restaurant as well a bar; to me it
just seemed like your ordinary dark sticky bar with
grownups who weren't at work in the middle of the day.
To
understand this establishment better we should probably first
understand how the neighborhood has evolved. Today when
you drive by the sign you see an assortment of business' in the surrounding vicinity. Jamba Juice,
Starbucks, The Tower Cafe, a Chinese Buffet, etc. However, when
it was first built, Edmonds Field, home of
the now defunct Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League,
was a block away. So in it's day Joe Marty's was within the circumference of
baseball central for all of Sacramento. When the Giants moved to San Francisco in 1958 the
Solons' popularity waned. After the 1960 season
the Solons were sold and moved to Hawaii. Then in 1964 Edmond's field was
torn down to make way for a Gemco department store. I
can remember when it was being torn down. There was a Harvey's
Hamburgers drive-in across the street that is long gone too.
An
interesting aspect of this Joe Marty's sign is that there is
another incredible neon sign on the same building. Actually,
describing it as incredible would be an understatement. Let me take you thru the building
a little so you can understand this other sign.
To
the best of my recollection, back
in the 1960's, on the north-west side of the theater, within the same
building, there was a drug store. Then next door to that was Tower Records, then next door was Joe
Marty's. By the way, an interesting side note is that Russ Solomon who founded Tower Records first started
selling records there in the drug store which his father
owned. Speaking of interesting side notes, syndicated radio talk show
host Dr. Dean Edell at one time lived in a vintage bus in the Tower
Theater parking lot in his hippy days. But back to the neon
signs. I'm not exactly sure who commissioned it, but above where
the drugstore was, and where the Tower Cafe is today, is the
greatest neon sign I've ever seen. As a matter fact, I would
speculate it's one of the greatest...perhaps thee greatest vintage
original neon sign in the world for it's size and subject. The sign I speak of is not your ordinary rectangular format,
but features a die cut type outline of a huge record with a couple dancing
in the center
of it. I'd guesstimate the whole sign to be about 15 feet wide by
8
foot tall. For
the dancing couple the designer used an illustration style
remarkably similar to Archie's comics. You can't hear the
music but you can see it's wavy flow across the sign, along with
G clef, octave, crotchet, and quaver music notes. The sign
has Dick Clark written all over it and seems like something you
would more likely see in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or
Philadelphia than Sacramento.
Clearly
the sign advertises vinyl records foremost, and film and
cosmetics secondary. This seems to suggest Russ Solomon had
something to do with the design, and that it may mark the beginning
of Tower Records. Both the records sign and the Joe Marty's
sign are remarkable works. How they both ended up on the same
building raises interesting questions. Is
that a coincidence or were they both created by the same
concern? When exactly were they made and who commissioned them?
Who conceived them? Were they made by a Sacramento sign company?
If so, who were the sign maker technicians who actually
fabricated it? Where did they learn their skill? Chicago? Los
Angeles? Or were they home grown Sacramento natives who were
just very talented?
Back
to the Joe Marty sign specifically; over the years I had considered trying to
buy the sign. Recently I was in the Starbucks across the street
from the Joe Marty's site and saw a for lease sign in the
window. Figuring the sign could possibly be removed to make way
for another type business, I emailed the reality company to
inquire about the sign. I received back an email explaining the
building was considered historical by the city of Sacramento,
and the sign wasn't for sale. I wasn't too put out. While
waiting for a reply I was walking around thinking, "what
have I done, how am I gonna work in a 4 1/5 foot tall by 7 foot
wide sign?" But if they'd have said yes I would have fit it
in...even if it meant a lot of ducking!
Without
deeper research impractical for this weekly feature, I can
only speculate on the cultural impact Joe Marty's may have once
had. Perhaps this brief examination will encourage further
scholarly study of this landmark establishment and it's sign.
But based on it's location
near Edmond's Field, and Marty's notoriety as a local baseball hero,
it seems possible, in it's day Joe Marty's could have been a
Sacramento institution. Perhaps in the tradition of New York City's
Toots
Shore's,
or
Chicago's Billy Goat
Tavern.
*
* *
Thanks
to Sacramento Solons historian Alan O'Connor for his assistance
on this article. Alan is the author of Gold on the Diamond: Sacramento’s Great Baseball Players 1886 to 1976,
available
here
I
shot this
1889-90 Spalding sporting goods catalog at the 2006 National in
Anaheim. The prolific Kirk Kovacs was selling it for
$1,500.00. This is about as good looking a sporting goods
catalog you'll see. Look at all the intricate graphics!
Especially all the details on the box with the ball popping out
the top...they even included the tissue behind the ball. And I
like the tan lid flap that lists all the leagues that use the
Spalding ball. Interesting that the California League is listed.
And that's not all...look at all the rest of the
illustrations...the tobogganing and so on. Sporting goods
catalogs don't get much, if any better, than this. Now
there are the Peck and Snyder catalogs from the late 1860-70's
that are hand colored which really, are a different level. But
for the late 80's early 90's, you've arrived!
Within
the zillions of auctions I've seen over the last twenty or so
years, I must have seen other examples of this or similar
catalogs, but I can't recall any. By their nature they are very
fragile, so that's why they're so rare...few survived.
I
admit I'm not a big fan of paper bound pamphlets, magazines and catalogs like this.
Yes they're great but boy are they subject to damage. Think about it,
they're paper, and they've been stapled together since 1890.
Figure about five wars later they've probably been thumbed
thru....say thirty or forty times...and all it takes is just a little
tug for one of the pages to come loose. Then the $1,500.00 you
paid goes down to $800.00. They're neat but they're high maintenance.
The best way to view them is just take photos the way I did and
refer to them, and open it as little as possible.
Black
tipped wagon tongue bat, collection of Kevin Ogara
While
preparing this week's SAW I went to Net 54
Baseball Memorabilia Forum to research the Wagon
Tongue bats seen on cover of this week's
feature. On a wide scale of categories Net 54 is
most likely the world's best place to go when
you want to research or just discuss vintage
baseball memorabilia. Just think of a world wide
community of hobbyist who just love to talk
about baseball memorabilia (sometimes other
sports too), and are continually checking in to
see what the latest discussion is...that's Net
54!
Sure
enough, just as I figured I not only got good
chatter but two readers had wagon tongues and
sent photos. Kevin Ogara sent the surrounding
black tipped one, and Rhys Yeakley has the one
below. But then it got even more
interesting.... Renown baseball historian,
memorabilia dealer, show promoter, Pacific Coast
League specialist and collector Mark Mcrea sent
me a double take of an email. Initially Mark was
just addressing my inquiry about Wagon Tongues
and sharing his speculations and knowledge about
them. But while doing so some very interesting
things were revealed. I'll let our exchange of
email do the talking, see below.
quite a
story...you got his collection? wow...and he knew Al Spalding?...excuse me?...I wonder if
there is anyone else in the hobby who personally knew some one who
personally knew Al Spalding!
HI Carlton,
Hope all is going well. While I cannot verify that Wagon Tongue bats
are made from Wagon tongues, my limited research on them has suggested
(as your catalog suggests) that they were the top of the line bats
during the limited timeframe that they were made. I've seen a few over
the years, including one that is in the Hall of Fame's collection.
My interest in the bat stretches back to the early '70's when I was
fortunate to meet and become friends with Al Erle. Al was born in the
early 1880's and his uncle was a local baseball 'crank', getting Al
interested in baseball during an era where kids were not encouraged to
go to the ballparks. Al's exposure to baseball resulted in him turning
pro at the turn of the Century. He played for about a decade in the
PCL and California Leagues, become acquainted with a number of baseball's personalities during that era. One of those people he
befriended was Al Spalding, who set Erle up in the sporting goods
business, running the San Francisco Spalding outlet. Erle stayed in
the sporting goods business until he retired in 1971 (about age 88),
and around the time I met him.
Al sold me much of his collection including the Wagon Tongue he used
during his playing days, which I still have. It definitely shows use,
but is in pretty good shape and would probably still function today
(in a game or as a weapon). Hope to see you in Cleveland this summer.
Mark
Mark,
How's it going? Been wondering when your next show is....I'm doing
fine thanks. Thanks for the Wagon Tongue report...quite a story...you got
his collection? wow...and he knew Al Spalding?...excuse me?...I wonder if
there is anyone else in the hobby who personally knew some one who
personally knew Al Spalding!....We may have to send you to the Hall of Fame
to be debriefed and documented...matter fact we may have to sequester you
there permanently for the good of the country....you'll have your own booth
so people can visit you and ask questions...Don't worry you'll get Christmas
and Thanksgiving off..... -Carlton
Hi Carlton,
Thanks for the note. Al Erle was definitely an interesting person to know and in addition to being a first generation link to Al Spalding, he was a first generation link to the 19th century Bay Area baseball. Beginning around 1972 I'd see him twice a month. Once at the monthly Oakland Oldtimers Baseball Association meetings (a hundred or so would attend including my grandfather), and once a month at his apartment in Oakland (where it was Al, myself, and either my grandfather or my mother. Prior to the home visits I'd bone up on early Bay Area baseball facts, usually by reading Fred Lange's book, and then ask Al to tell me about some of the guys. Al always had a personal story about each of the players, with incredible detail. After he'd tell me the story, he'd go in the closet, pull out one of a few scrapbook he had, and verify the story he had just told to me. I was and still am impressed with his recall, while he was in his 90's. My only regret is that I did not tape these interviews.
Next show at St Leanders is June 13th. Notices / emails should go out around May 15th. Hope to see you there.
Photographed
on location at Kane County Flea Market, Illinois, August 2008
click
photos
I
came across this rocking chair at the Kane County Flea Market
last August. I apologize for the clutter, but I had just finished a
week of shooting about 1000 photos at the 08' National in
Rosemont. It was my last day in Illinois and my plane didn't
leave till that evening so I drove out to the Kane County Flea.
It was my first trip there. I was told not to expect much,
and they were right; I hardly saw anything worth shooting...then
I came upon this chair and was taken back. Actually it was in
very nice shape; just needed some polishing. The guy selling it
was packing up for the day. His name was Dale Robinson and his
family owned the market.
This
is
the only example of this chair I've ever seen. There's a very similar set of mission
oak stylefurniture
with a baseball scene, which this reminded me of. I think the
baseball set includes a rocking chair, regular chair, a love
seat....and I've heard of a bed but not sure if there really is
one as I've never seen it. I
wrote a little about these in a review of the Hunt November
2005 Live Auction
But
getting back to this chair, the engraving of the bowling scene
looks quite German to me. That's interesting because mission oak
style furniture originated in America. According to Pete Maloney
of gustavstickley.com"The mission style furniture design was based on a chair that had been designed for the Swedenborgian Church of the New Jerusalem in San Francisco, circa 1894-1985."
Photo
courtesy Hunt Auctions
At
first glance the afore mentioned baseball rocking chair and this
bowling one look very similar, and I thought possibly they could
have been made by the same maker. But when you study them
closely there are some marked differences in design. The
engraved scene of the bowling one is considerably taller and
acts to support the lower back. While the baseball one utilizes
slats to support the lower back. Also, the cross support beneath
the seat cushion of the bowling one is much taller. The tops of
the arm rests of the bowling one is more flared, while the
baseball one uses a straighter simpler design. Overall the
bowling one looks more stout, and perhaps better built.
As
a specialist in vintage athletic display pieces, now
and then I see unique antique bowling items, but this
is probably the best bowling piece I've ever seen. So the
$1,500.00 the guy was asking really wasn't a bad price I
don't think. The
baseball mission oak style rocking chair pictured above sold in Hunt
Auctions October 2005 auction for $4,100.00....but of course
it was baseball....and this is bowling! Only a slight difference
in popularity. But really the
bowling one seems to be more rare.
I
can see it now if I'd have bought it that day and tried to bluff
my way on the plane with it..."Hey I brought my own seat,
no big deal, what's the problem" The other passengers could
have squeezed around me in the center isle.
.....If
indeed AKRON was Buchtel College, and Buchtell started
playing football in 1891, then the closest year
following 1891 in which a Saturday November 13th fell on
would be 1897. Moreover, the graphics style is closer
consistent with the 1890's than 1909, the next closest
year Saturday November 13th fell on.....
HISTORICAL
TIME LINE
Based
on the following review I believe it
probable
this poster dates from 1897. Saturday November 13th occurred in 1880, 1886, 1897, 1909, 1915 and 1920. There were two
schools for the hearing impaired which the indicated "DEAF
MUTES" could likely have represented. One was Gallaudet
University, founded in 1857, also referred to
as Kendall College for Deaf Mutes in Washington
D.C. The first football team at Gallaudet/Kendall was in 1883. The other
school this poster could represent was the New York Institute for the........
All
referencing of the hearing impaired is taken from historical
accounts and or titles of the period of this poster and in no
possible way represents the regular vernacular of
SportsAntiques.com
END
SPORTS
ANTIQUE
OF
THE WEEK
March 8th-14th 2009
Standout
items
by
SportsAntiques.com
THIS
WEEKS FEATURE
c1950's
Porcelain
Statues of Black Boxers
Sculpted
by Carol Safholm
For Brayton Laguna
Pottery
11
inches tall
Bought
on eBay 11/11/07 for $109.50
RESEARCH
- PERSISTANCE PAYS
Keep on
Punch'n
By
Carlton Hendricks
I
bought these c1950 porcelain boxers on eBay November 11th 2007.
The seller told
me they were her Dad's and he got them in El Paso TX, and that
he was deceased. I don't usually collect things after 1940 so I knew nada about them, only that they looked killer. When I got them they about floored me they were so great. They had no makers marks and I was very curious who made them, when they were made, etc. But I knew next to nothing about 1950ish kitchy porcelain. I went to an antique store that had a lot of porcelain books, looked thru about five and got nowhere, and gave up. I started seeing the light that it would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I emailed antiques dealer friends, one in West L.A., the other in Seattle who I could see dealing in them, but they didn't know about them. I'd never been on an eBay forum but decided to post my inquirery on the eBay Porcelain/glass/pottery
forum....received a few weak replies but got no where. So decided to post it on the eBay Antiques Forum...there I got some pretty good input, then someone tipped me off to a guy named Jack
Chipman...
To
give an idea of how rare this tin is, in twenty plus years I
estimate I have seen it offered twice, maybe three times. Once
in the 2005 Robert Edward Auction, which this photo is from. The
other time I think I recall it was in some high end advertising
auction like James Julia or Skinners ten to fifteen years ago.
Also note this example may have been repeated in those auctions.
Given that and it's graphic quality I would place it in the
exotic category of baseball memorabilia, and among the top five
baseball tins in the world.
The
Tonik Polo poster is in my opinion the finest polo poster extant
and I have already written a detailed profile of it quite some
time ago, click here. However, a
new dimension of it's history has been uncovered.
This
week the great granddaughter of C. H Beauvais, the artist who
produced Tonik Polo, emailed me. Ms. Annette Seriau of
London provided me new and previously unknown biographical
information on her great grandfather, as well as a photo of a
painting of him. Below, our exchange. -Carlton
Dear Mr Hendricks
I have been researching my family tree recently on the Beauvais side of our family. My Great Grandfather was Charles Henri Beauvais, a lithographer and artist.
I was surfing on the net trying to find examples his commercial work, and up popped your Tonik Polo poster (I also found a couple of his other works - One called 'La Micheline' which has been reproduced as a poster).
I thought that you might appreciate a bit of information about the artist:
Charles Henri Beauvais was born in Marseille in 1862. He came to live and work in London in about 1881 as a lithographer. It was in London that he met my Great Grandmother Emily Anne. They had six children. Around about 1902 - 3 he moved himself and all his family back to France, back to his hometown, Marseille where he set up a studio. Sadly, he died in 1909. His widow returned to London. Several of his children and grandchildren inherited his artistic talents.
Feel free to contact me if you need any other information.
Regards,
Annette
Hello Annette,
Thank you very much for writing! Boy it is very exciting to get your email...That's very interesting he was a lithographer in London. Naturally that tells that he understood the technical process of lithography. In turn that implies he would have been better able than the average illustrator to anticipate the finished product as he illustrated Tonik Polo. It sounds like he was well rounded in the lithography world. Perhaps this grasp and familiarity of the lithography process would have lent its self to an ability to draw the original Tonik Polo illustration directly onto the stone, as opposed to making a painting first then copying the painting onto the stone. Moreover, since your great grandfather came from France to London about 1881 and worked as a lithographer there until 1902-3, naturally he would have exposed to and influenced by English illustrators for the twenty years he was there. It's been a long while since I studied Tonik Polo, but I believe I recall recognizing a marked difference in it's realistic style to the impressionistic one far more commonly used by the French of that period. It's all just interesting speculation of course.
As for more speculation; France was the birthplace of lithography. Perhaps a London lithographer in need of French expertise, persuaded your youthful 19 year old great grandfather with to come to come work for them in London with an enticing salary....or perhaps he was just adventurous.....At any rate we know he wasn't married, and it would have been easier to recruit a single person with no ties. Right about 1902-3 was when chromolithography was about finished and more advanced printing techniques had begun to take over....so that may have been why he returned to France. You say he opened a "studio" in Marseille. Do you know if he owned the printing firm of Moullot Fils Ainé? Which is the firm that printed Tonik Polo. According to babelfish Fils Ainé means oldest son....or perhaps the interpretation was "Moullot and son"
Since he was born in 1862, he would have been about 40 years old when he returned to France...and was probably seasoned veteran of the lithography business by then. It sounds like Tonik Polo was produced after he returned to France in 1902-3. Moreover it sounds like he returned with an English wife and 6 essentially English children.
Do you have any photos of him? Please keep me posted on any new developments. This is very interesting! I'm attaching a photo of a post card your great grandfather did. I picked it up within the last couple years at a paer show. Interestingly the post card indicates the Moullot concern as only being in Marseille...but the Tonik Polo poster indicates it in Marseille and Paris...which indicates expansion.
Kindly, Carlton
click
photos
Postcard
by
C.H.
Beauvais
Back
of
postcard
Lithographers
on
Tonik
Polo
Dear Carlton,
I was good to hear back from you so quickly.
I have found no connection to the Moullot printing firm, other than that all the examples of my Great Grandfather's commercial work that I have been able to find (on the net) were printed by them.
I have had another thought. Perhaps my Great Grandfather got to see some polo matches in or around London, as I believe the game was played here before being exported to France. It was a big thing in the Victorian days for people to go out for a day to see the races, so perhaps they also went to see polo matches too. He also had a English brother in law who was involved in the horse trade in some way. This brother in law also moved to France and settled in Paris.
I am sending you a photo of a portrait of C.H. Beauvais, painted by his daughter (my grandmother) when she was around about the age of 20. I have also a copy of one of his business cards showing his Marseille address.
Kind regards
Annette Seriau
London
click
photo
Painting
of Charles Henri Beauvais by his daughter
In
February 2009 I was fortunate enough to receive correspondence
from the great grand daughter of Charles Henri Beauvais providing
biographical background on him.
In
June 2009 I received further background on Charles Henri Beauvais
from Ann Beauvias, the widow of his grandson Walter John Beauvais.
After reviewing the profiles below of Charles Henri's two sons
Arnold and Charles, and Charles' son Walter you will see the
artistic lineage the Beauvias family is remarkable. Among a throng
of meritorious artistic accomplihsments by all three, Arnold was
elected president of the London Sketch Club in 1936! Collectivly
all the information in the profiles clearly point to a strong
genetic predisposition for art by Charles Henri. Below is the
email I received from Ann Beauvais.
______________________________________
Dear Carlton,
I read your profile on the Tonik Polo Advertising poster by C H Beauvais with great interest and also the biographical information from Annette. My late husband Walter John Beauvais was the grandson of Charles Henri Beauvais and the son of artist Arnold Beauvais. I have enclosed a biography of Arnold written in 1975 which gives additional information on Charles Henri.
Arnold died at the age of 98 and is listed in many books including "Dictionary of British Artists" by Grant M Waters. Walter's profile is enclosed and further information can be found in "Who"s Who in Art. Arnold children and grandchildren have all been involved in art or in music. My son Paul Beauvais is an artist, living and working in New Zealand.
Arnold's brother Charles Frederick Beauvais went to live in Australia in 1937. He had a very interesting life involved in design, from cars to futuristic cities. His profile is enclosed, but more details can be found at the Power House Museum in Sydney.
I hope this is of interest to you.
Kind regards
Ann Beauvais
Biographical
Profiles of Heirs of Tonic Polo Poster Artist
Hi
Carlton, Thanks for your interest. The poster measures
approximately 30" x 12" and is made of
a heavy card stock material. It has a crease in the center from
being folded at one time. The poster
is secured to the backing with pins. 1903 is written in pencil
on the face of the poster. It was printed by Magee Bros.
Printers and Binders, Piqua, OH. I bought it just as it appears
about five years ago. It originates from an ohio sportswriter's
estate. That's about all I know about it.. Chris
Thanks
Chris, It's killer, especially now that I know the 30" tall
part! that's a great size! -Carlton
What
would you estimate the poster to be worth? Chris
Chris,
I'm not confident at pricing things for others email a photo to
one of the major sports auction houses, they could probably tell
you....there's two ways to estimate price ....have something
identical or similar that has sold previous to judge
against....or there's intuition/guessing by a long time keen
observer....Since I don't have a database of auction
results...I'd have to guess .... somewhere between $1,500.00 and
$5,500.00....based on observation not science....or...put it
this way......if I was loaded I wouldn't hesitate at $2,500.00
-$3,500.00....I think the longer you hang onto it the more
you'll get....I could see that possibly spring boarding at some
point to serious money....it is very rare!! -Carlton
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