April 3, 2025: Spring Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/3/2025
Like an adjacent lot of Baseball Guides, this massive lot of the prestigious Who’s Who in Baseball Guides and related magazines stretches for nearly a century, featuring the biographies, photographs and statistics of Major League Baseball players in the annual publication that was a must for professionals and casual fans of every description. Originally in the distinctive red background formats so recognizable to generations, the annual would range in size to around 5-by-7 inches to eventually a bit larger, typically with a couple hundred pages and was always eagerly sought every spring as the new season unfolded. The offered group is remarkable in its completeness and uniform, consistent presentation over time, with the earliest years basically Fair to Good (covers) and then gradually improving. Inside pages similarly improve from earliest Good to Very Good and then VG-Ex by the 1930s, Excellent to Ex-Mt by the 1950s and Ex-Mt to Near-Mint by the 1960s. From the 1970s to the final issue in 2003, the condition improves significantly, really Ex-Mt to Near-Mint, very pristine and seemingly untouched after 1980 or so. That main run of issues (87) includes rough versions of the inaugural issues in 1912 and 1916 and is missing only 1923. In addition, there are groups of comparable magazines as follows: 1) Spalding’s Baseball Record (15) – typically 5-by-7 inches, often up to 500 pages, Fair condition or even below, with two hardbound; 2) Major League Baseball Facts & Rules (16) – 1937-53, generally Fair; 3) Who’s Who in Baseball /different publisher/ (18) – 1935-52, with seven hardbound; 4) Ball Bag (4) – 1923-26; and 5) an outstanding 8 ½-by-11-inch hardbound version of Who’s Who from 1933, at a whopping 550 pages, with elegant 3-by-5-inch black-and-white player portraits in sepia tone. Given the enormous scope of the offering, shipping charges will be substantial.
1912-2003 Near-Complete Run of Who’s Who in Baseball and Related Magazines (140)
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