Legendary August Live 2010
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
8/5/2010
Postcards were objects of general fascination at the turn of the 20th Century. They were coveted, collected, and accumulated by many. They were also employed, as intended, to inexpensively convey messages and greetings. It was inevitable that such a pervasively enjoyed vehicle would be utilized for the purpose of advertising, and it isn't much of a stretch beyond that to correctly assume that America's favorite sport would also become involved. One product of this logic, in particular, became what must have been a triumph for all concerned. The Sporting Life composites delighted the collector with postcard-based beauty, and thrilled the baseball fan (through comprehensive gathering of teams and team members), as well as advertisers, who surely knew they had a winner. The 3-5/8" x 5-7/16" Sporting Life postcards reveal the ball clubs in innovative style, as their portraits of team members surround that of each manager in a dark magenta-hued display. The managers' photos reside within a baseball drawing which overlays a crossed-bat design, and the individual players are arrayed around this themework on each card. Star players and Hall of Famers abound throughout this issue: Joss and Lajoie with Cleveland, a young Ty Cobb on Detroit's team, Tinker, Evers, Chance, and Brown in Chicago's pantheon, Cy Young with Boston, and Mathewson and McGinnity as "New York Nationals" are only a sampling of the superstardom contained within these team composites.
Each card has been graded by SGC. Offered is a complete set of 16 postcards, with some of the industry's highest-graded examples of their respective entries included. Almost every card depicts at least one significant Hall of Fame ballplayer. The set includes: Graded SGC 60 EX 5: 4 cards w/Brooklyn-NL, Cincinnati-NL, Detroit-AL and Philadelphia-AL; SGC 50 VG/EX 4: 4 cards w/Boston-NL, Chicago-AL, New York-NL and St. Louis-AL; SGC 40 VG 3: 3 cards w/Cleveland-AL, Pittsburg-NL and St. Louis-NL; SGC 30 GD 2: 2 cards w/Boston-AL and Chicago-NL; SGC 20 FR 1.5: 2 cards w/Philadelphia-NL and Washington-AL; SGC 10 PR 1: 1 card, New York-AL. A virtually never-seen gallery!
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Rare 1906-07 Sporting Life Team Composite Postcards SGC-Graded Complete Set (16)
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