April 3, 2025: Spring Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/3/2025
This is an amazing aggregation of the elegant 1918-57 Baseball Magazine (M114) cover photos that showcased many of the greatest ball players from several generations. The black-and-white and sepia-toned photographs measure 9 ½-by-12 inches and were offered as a half-dozen in exchange for a subscription to the magazine and also available for 25 cents each. The remarkable photos that make up the bulk of this lot appeared on the inside front and back covers; the array is made up of images represented by the full 9-by-11 ½-inch pages, while the second section is comprised of the same cover photographs cropped closer to the image at 7 ½-by-10 inches. Many of the most famous photographers of the age were featured in the issue, including Charles Martin Conlon and George Burke, along with many of the prominent news services listed in the photo credits. In a massive array with very little duplication and a condition range that is broadly Good to Very Good, with some below mostly to Fair from corner wear. The group is headlined by nearly four dozen Hall of Famers from the turn of the century to the post World War II Era, including most of the giants like Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, Mathewson, Young, DiMaggio, Williams and Greenberg, to name a few. Here's the breakdown in three sections: 1) Inside Front and Back Covers, Full Page Size 9-by-11 ½ inches (47) – All present decently, with varying technical grades based on how successful the removal of the page was; there are some tiny tears that rarely encroach far enough to threaten the 7 ½-by-10-inch image. The headliners include: Cobb, Ruth, Young, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Mathewson, Dean, Feller, Hubbell (2), Keeler, Mack, McCarthy, Mize, Gehrig/Greenberg and Gehrig/Dickey; 2) Inside Front and Back Covers, Image Size 7 ½-by-10 inches (76) – These have been carefully affixed to a blank page; most present decently and have been properly cut. There are some frayed edges and small tears and light creases or wrinkles. The headliners include: Ruth, Ruth/Maranville, Gehrig/Greenberg, Joe DiMaggio, Lazzeri, Cochrane, Cochrane/McCarthy, Dean, Dizzy and Paul, Appling, Dickey, Durocher, Frick, Gomez, Harridge, Hubbell, Lombardi, Lyons, Medwick, Mize, McGraw/Bancroft, Simmons, Terry, Terry/Frisch, Vaughan and Paul Waner; and 3) Baseball Magazine Premiums (2) – 9-by-12 inches, sepia-toned – Pennock and Lee are Fair.
1918-57 Baseball Magazine M114 Cover Photos, 44 HOFers (125)
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