March 24, 2022: Spring Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/24/2022
For St. Louis fans, this is something of a goldmine: circa 1930s photos of members of the St. Louis Cardinals and Browns that trace their lineage to the acclaimed Sporting News Archives. There are five Cardinals depicted in 5-inch black-and-white photography in elegant oval presentation, with the five images seemingly derived from a stunning composite photo of the ball club from 1931. Each of the five have been mounted to a heavy white cardboard backing of postcard-size 5 ½-by-3 ½ inches, with all five carrying the first-generation official stamping of “Property of The Sporting News” on the reverse, along with some of the expected editor notations about cropping, sizes, dates and names. The five ovals are essentially Near-Mint, with the white cardboard backing probably Excellent to Ex-Mt, with the exception of the Flint Rhem image, which has some minor paper loss on the corners that barely detracts from the presentation. Four of the five – Charles Gelbert, Rip Collins, Sylvester Johnson and Bill Hallahan – have the 1 1/8th-inch in diameter Sporting News Collection/Bill Rogers Archive Hologram affixed to the back. The two St. Louis Browns images – Chad Kimsey and Jack Burns – are simply spectacular black-and-white photographs printed directly to a 5-by-8-inch poster board, with the player surname and “Browns” neatly printed by a newspaper graphic artist below, with adjacent “Sid Whiting, St. Louis, Mo.” Indicating the photography studio. These two are nearly Near-Mint, perhaps technically Ex-Mt-Plus, revealing only the minor wear from handling by crusty newspaper editors nearly a century ago. The first-generation “Property of the Sporting News” official stamping appears on the backs, along with hand printed in pencil player names, Browns and years. The 1 1/8th-inch in diameter Sporting News Collection/Bill Rogers Archive Holograms are affixed to the back.
1930-31 St. Louis Cardinals and Browns Photos From The Sporting News (7)
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